Before the Sunset (Cottonwood Cove, #4)(39)

We both laughed.

“Hey, I get it. You won’t get an argument here. And he’s all mine.” I fanned my face because my best friend was hot, and I totally understood why everyone gawked at the man. And he’d shared that his lack of sex was making him very horny around me. I’d ignored it, and obviously, we hadn’t acted on anything, but I couldn’t get what he’d said out of my mind.

“You lucky biotch.” She chuckled. “So, what will happen when he goes back to filming? He’ll be gone for months at a time, right?”

Yes. We’d stage an amicable breakup. Long distance wasn’t easy for anyone, but with him being a famous actor, it would be impossible to maintain at that point.

So, I had until after the holidays to get things back on track with Carl.

“We’ll just do whatever it takes to stay together,” I said with the confidence of someone in love.

“Good. I like seeing you happy. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you smile like this. It looks good on you.” She pushed to her feet.

Hadn’t I always been happy?

My light had probably been dulled by doing a job I didn’t feel inspired by. I was sure a lot of what she was seeing now was that I had opened my own business. I was doing what I loved.

I started my days riding Millie and ended my days racing Finn down to the beach before the sunset.

That was hard to beat.

“Thank you. I’ll be coming by later this week to look for a dress for Finn’s work party this weekend.”

“Perfect timing. We just got all new inventory. The cutest dresses you’ve ever seen. And we got a bunch of lingerie in, too. You’ll have to get a little something-something for after the party, too.” She waggled her brows, and I chuckled. “And we’re still on for happy hour with the girls tomorrow night?”

“I think I’ll have to take you up on that lingerie, and we are absolutely on for tomorrow night.” We were going with a few high school friends to Reynolds’ for happy hour. I hugged her goodbye and gathered up my iPad and my sketch pad to head to Carl’s for our design meeting.

I wasn’t in the best frame of mind after hearing about him going at it with his girlfriend in a closet at the hospital. I couldn’t get the man to make out on the beach when we’d been alone, and now he was having sex in public places?

I drove the short distance to his house, and when I walked up the walkway, I glanced over at the plants that he and I had put in together when he’d bought the house.

The home I’d planned to live in, as well.

I reached for the doorbell, but the door flew open before I pressed it.

“Hey, thanks for coming.” He stepped aside so I could walk in. He wore a navy sweater and a pair of dark jeans. Even casual, the man looked polished and put together.

“Of course. Thanks for hiring me,” I said, sounding overly peppy, which was not how I felt.

“You okay?” He paused and gave me a hug, holding me there a little longer than he should.

“Yeah, of course,” I said, pulling back. I searched his gaze, wondering if I even knew this man. The things Maggie had said, outside of his wild sex life with his girlfriend, were running through my mind.

Did he ever celebrate me?

“I’m so proud of you, Reese. You found a space, and you’re making it happen. I think it’s amazing.”

“Yeah? Thank you. It means a lot to me.” I followed him to the office. Maybe he was going to prove everyone wrong. Maybe things would be different between us after spending so much time apart.

When he pushed the doors open, I smiled, because it was a clean slate. The walls were white. The floors were covered in a gorgeous natural wood that ran through the whole house. There wasn’t a stitch of furniture or anything hanging on the walls.

“I’m giving you free rein. Work your magic,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets as his eyes locked with mine.

“Really? You’re not going to give me any direction?” My voice was all tease because Carl was a control freak. He had strong opinions, and he’d never been able to hide them.

“Nope. You just spent a year in London working under a famous designer. I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”

Maybe he really was changing.

“What about Christy? She doesn’t want to have any input?” I asked, raising a brow as I waited for an answer.

“Christy doesn’t live here. I’m sure she’d like to have input, but the only one I’m trusting is you.”

My heart squeezed at his words. Maybe he was finally seeing me. Really seeing me. Hell, I was capable of doing a lot more than I’d realized.

“Well, thank you for that. I’m going to have a lot of fun designing this room. So, let’s just talk about budget, and I’ll show you a few inspiration photos I have and get an idea of things you like and don’t like, and then I’ll work my magic.”

“Sounds like a plan.” We moved to the dining room and sat in the chairs beside one another as I pulled up the photos on my iPad.

Carl moved his chair closer so we could both see the screen. His pinky finger brushed against mine before his hand covered mine. I sucked in a breath, but I didn’t move.

“Carl,” I whispered. I mean, I wasn’t in a real relationship, but he was.