The Summer Deal (Wildstone #5)(24)

ELI OPENED THE dryer and pawed through his clothes for a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. It was a little like closing the barn door after the horses had escaped, but he pulled the denim on anyway and went back into the kitchen.

Brynn had moved to the sink and was staring out the window into the night, her profile somber. “I thought you left,” she said.

He looked at her in surprise. “I just wanted to put on some clothes. Thought it might not seem like it because Max’s a toddler, but making you uncomfortable was the last thing either of us wanted to do.”

She bit her lower lip, still looking exactly that, uncomfortable.

“Also, for future reference,” he said quietly, “I don’t walk away when there’s an issue.”

“That makes one of us, then.” Her smile was a little self-conscious, and he remembered when he’d asked her if he could help her move her things into the house. She’d said it wasn’t important. As if she was used to being unimportant. He hated that for her.

She turned to face him, eyes going to his jeans. On the porch, she’d soaked up the unintended view of him buck-ass naked and appeared to appreciate the sight. But then Max had opened his big mouth and made an inappropriate comment about everyone getting naked, and her amusement had been gone in a blink. Rightfully so. “Max’s young and an idiot,” he said. “He won’t say anything like that to you again.”

She nodded, but he could tell from her carefully hooded gaze that she wasn’t big on promises. Maybe she’d had too many broken in her life, something he understood all too well. A fact that only made him all the more determined to never break a promise to her.

Not easy when he was holding Kinsey’s secrets. And his own. Such as the fact that, long after their summer camp deal, she’d had a starring role in his teenage fantasies.

“Tonight wasn’t Max’s fault. It was mine. I . . . had a bad experience with a previous roommate.” She broke eye contact. “That was also my fault, and it didn’t end well. And while I’m being honest, he wasn’t just a roommate, he was a boyfriend for four months and then a live-in boyfriend for two months, which is maybe why it’s sticking with me.” She shook her head. “It’s not important. I’m not upset with either you or Max. I’m upset with myself. Also, I’m super tired, so I’m just going back to bed and—”

“Brynn.” He very gently reached out for her hand, catching her. “You live here now. You’re part of us. Which means you, and everything about you, are very important.”

Again her gaze skittered away. She wasn’t ready to believe that, which he understood. How long had he himself gone feeling unimportant? For him, family and a sense of belonging came from where he made them, which was why he’d gathered Max and Kinsey here, with him. But if he was being honest with himself, there was still a part of him that secretly yearned . . . to be the one picked. “Did he hurt you, Brynn?”

“He never laid a hand on me, if that’s what you mean.”

“There’s more than one way to hurt someone.”

She nodded. “Yeah. So . . . I fell for his charm and charisma, and he . . .” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. My point is that I can’t trust my own decisions right now because I was stupid.”

“We’ve all made stupid decisions. It’s part of life. A sucky part, but still. Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

His smile was wry. “As the master of shoving things deep so I don’t have to deal, I get that.”

“What do you shove deep?”

“Oh, you know, the usual. Boy grows up with disinterested, divorced parents and then goes on to choose poorly in love as well.” He shrugged. “Just your everyday, typical abandonment issues.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“It happens. And I’ve got a nice life here, with people I care about. We have each other’s back, including yours. And on that note, do you need help with your past?”

“No. And I’m in a good place now too. I learned the lesson I was supposed to.”

“And what was that?”

“That I’m too trusting. I’m not going to be walked on, not ever again.” She paused, took a deep breath. “And I really am sorry about tonight. That was all on me. I just was embarrassed, but that was no excuse not to let you know I was there. I’m also sorry about your grandma. What you’re doing, trying to make sure she gets the burial she wanted—you’re a good person.”

“You sound surprised.”

“No. No,” she said again on a small laugh when his brows went up. “I knew you were a good person. I just . . . didn’t know I liked you.”

“Same.” He thought he’d had her pegged. A bird with a broken wing who needed a little help. He was good with that scenario. He was good at helping. It was what he did. And it made her a good roommate for him, because he could tell himself he wasn’t in any way attracted to her.

But he hadn’t counted on those sweet brown eyes and how she looked at things, including him. He hadn’t counted on her adorably sexy smile, the one that seemed to reach right inside his chest and warm him when he hadn’t even realized he was cold.

She gave him another one of those smiles now. The window was open and they could hear the surf pounding the shore. The salty ocean air, one of his favorite things, drifted over them. And though the only things touching were their elbows as they both leaned against the granite countertop, it was one of the most intimate moments he’d had in a long time.