You’re sure you don’t need my help tomorrow?” Ella says into the phone.

To be honest, I need all the help I can get. A sudden rainstorm last night showed just how bad of shape my roof was in, and with weather reports calling for snow next week, I know I’m already on borrowed time to try to get the damn thing repaired. But Ella has just finished telling me about her long week at work; her boss was a complete douche nozzle to her all week, and she told me she’s planning on spending tomorrow scouring the local classifieds for anything else that might pay nearly as well as her current position. I’m not about to add a day of hard labor to her plate after the week she’s had. In fact, as soon as I get off the phone with her, I’m going to give my brother-in-law a call and make sure he knows she deserves a night of pampering tomorrow. Drew Garner won’t let me down.

“I’ll be fine, Ells. It’s only a few patch-up jobs,” I lie, knowing full well I need to replace nearly the entire roof.

My mind briefly flashes to Ian, knowing how willing he’d be to help and how much his skills would come in handy.

But I can’t continue accepting his help—not when the more time I spend with him, the more I realize there’s the potential for something more. Ian hasn’t come right out and said it, but I can tell by the way he looks at me when he thinks I’m not looking that he’s interested in me. And I’d be lying if I said there weren’t feelings developing on my side as well.

That’s exactly why every time he’s come to my door over the past four days, I’ve hidden in my bedroom and pretended to be out. I don’t trust myself to face him, to tell him exactly why this could never work between us. Looking into his honey-colored eyes would cause any reason and sense I’d managed to develop over the last few days to instantly evaporate. And if he unleashed that killer smile on me? I’d be a goner for sure.

No, it’s safer to stay away. Safer for me and safer for him.

That is why I don’t even bother bringing him up to Ella. I know she’d disagree with me. She’d tell me how stupid I was being and how I needed to learn to move on and forgive myself.

Yeah, well, I’m working on it. But how do you forgive yourself when you’re not sure you even deserve forgiveness?

It’s easier for both of us if I keep Ian to myself. Especially now that I’m not going to see him anymore.

I listen to Ella talk about the twins, making appropriate remarks and grunts when called for so that she knows I’m at least halfway paying attention. I focus the majority of my attention on the task at hand—painting my bathroom walls.

Ian and I managed to get the big projects nearly completed the day before our hike, leaving me with only these small jobs. And, as I attempt to balance the phone between my ear and shoulder while I tape off the baseboards, I get a sudden desire for him to be here. I don’t mind the actual painting part of painting. But this taping shit is for the birds. Ian took care of it with such ease the other day; it seemed like he’d been doing it for years.

I find myself wondering once again what he does for a living back in…wherever the hell he’s from.

Stop thinking about him! I scold myself.

As if on cue, a knock sounds at my door. I duck down by the bathroom vanity, as if Ian will somehow be able to see through the door, the walls, and up the stairs from where he stands. I push myself back up, rolling my eyes at my own absurdity.

“What was that?” Ella asks on the other end of the line.

“Uh, nothing. I dropped something.”

Just then, the knocking sounds again.

“Bullshit,” Ella says. “Someone’s at the door.”

“Oh, maybe you’re right,” I say stupidly. I don’t want to tell her why I’m avoiding answering the door.

“Well, aren’t you going to see who it is?”

“I’m sort of busy right now, Ells.”

“Lexi,” she chides, sounding exactly like our mother before she passed. “How do you expect to meet any friends if you hide every time someone tries to introduce themselves? Besides, it’s rude as hell to ignore your neighbors. Now, get your ass down there and answer the door. Don’t make me come over there.”

I let out an exasperated sigh. After our parents died in a car accident when I was nine, Ella sort of took on the role of my mother. We’d lived with our aunt and uncle until she’d turned eighteen, but even during those days, Ella was who I always turned to when I needed something. And she also took it upon herself to lecture me whenever I did something wrong—a habit that has followed us well past the days of when I snuck out to toilet paper the neighbor’s house. “And what exactly would you do when you got here? Spank me for not listening?”

“Don’t tempt me. Now, go.”

I know she’s not kidding when she says she’ll drive all the way out here if I don’t listen—though I’m pretty sure she is kidding about the spanking part; I hope—so I cross every body part capable of crossing that Ian will be gone by the time I get downstairs. I walk extra slow, dusting the banister as I descend, to buy myself some extra time.

“I know what you’re doing, Lex,” Ella admonishes when at least a full minute has passed. “Just open the damn door. I’m sure whoever’s on the other side isn’t going to bite.”

He might, I think silently, knowing how upset Ian was the last few times he was here.

I admit, the way I left things was pretty shitty. But I keep reminding myself it’s for his own good. He’d thank me if he knew.

I head to the window before the door, pulling back the corner of the curtains a fraction of an inch to see if he’s still standing there.

All the tension drains from my body when I see it’s not Ian on my front porch, but a woman. The woman who lives next door, if I remember correctly.

I move over to the door with ease now, smiling warmly as I pull it open.

The woman beams up at me. “Oh, good, you’re home. I was starting to think I’d missed you.”

“I’m so sorry for keeping you waiting,” I say, pointing to the phone. “I didn’t hear the door at first because I’m on the phone with my sister. And painting the bathroom on top of it.”

“Liar,” Ella says in my ear.

“Oh, I’m so sorry to bother you. I wanted to stop by and see if you’d like to join us for a little barbecue we’re having. Sort of a last hurrah before the snow sets in. I know you’re new in town, so I thought you might want a chance to get to know your neighbors.”

I’m about to politely decline when Ella’s voice sounds in my ear. “Go. Put the damn paintbrush down for one night, and go have some fun.”

“Oh, um…that’s awfully sweet of you. I’m a mess though,” I tell the woman standing in front of me, ignoring my sister.

“You look wonderful, darling. But we’ll be next door for a few hours. Feel free to swing by whenever you’re available.”

I nod. “Thank you…” I trail off, realizing she never told me her name.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Margie. I live right next door. You must think I’m terribly rude for not getting over here and introducing myself before now.”

“I’m Lexi,” I tell her, extending the hand not holding my phone. “And I’m just as guilty as you. We’ve all been busy with trying to prep for the upcoming winter, I suppose.”

Margie smiles. “Isn’t that the truth? Some days, I’m not sure why I continue to stay here. But then I take one look at the lake, and it all comes back to me. Well, I’ll leave you to it. I hope we’ll see you soon.”

I say good-bye and close the door after she leaves. It isn’t even latched before Ella starts in, having heard the entire conversation.

“You’d better go, Lexi. You thought I was serious when I said I’d drive over there for not answering the door? Just try not going to that party. I will drag you over there, kicking and screaming, if I have to.”

Meeting the neighbors does sound fun. And Ian hasn’t been by all day today, so there’s a good chance he’s out of town. Maybe I can sneak down the dock and take a peek at who’s in attendance. If Ian isn’t there, then I’ll make an appearance.

“Okay, Ella, you win. Let me go shower. I’ll call you after.”

“Yes,” she praises. “I’m proud of you, Lex. It’s time for you to put yourself back out there. A barbecue is the perfect place to start.”

After making me triple-swear I’ll call when it’s over, she finally lets me go.

I look down at my clothes, my top smeared with paint and what I hope is dust and my shorts so short, you can practically see my ass when I bend over. Yeah, there’s no way I’m meeting my new neighbors in this.

* * *

A half hour later, my hair is pulled back into a bun on my head, a red sweater and jeans replacing my stained and tattered painting clothes. It might not be the fanciest thing I own, but I figure it’s suitable for a small-town barbecue. Margie was in a hoodie and sweatpants, so at least I won’t be the most underdressed person there.

Stepping out my back door, I walk down the dock, peering over toward Margie’s house to see if I can spot Ian. I’m surprised to find nobody in her backyard. Did they move it indoors due to the cold?

“Lexi!” a familiar voice calls from behind me.

I turn, finding Liv waving at me from where she’s sitting at Ian’s fire pit.

“We’re over here.”

I briefly consider diving into the freezing water so I can avoid going over to his house. But, now that Liv has spotted me, several others are now waving me over, and I know there’s no way I can go back inside and pretend none of this ever happened.

I walk along the shore until I reach Ian’s yard. He’s nowhere to be found, but I know he must be here somewhere. The lights inside are blazing, the grill up on the deck flaming in the dark. There’s no way he’d let everyone use his house if he weren’t here, would he?

I walk over to Liv, giving her a brief hug when I reach her. “What are you doing here?”

“Ian and Margie invited everyone. And, in a town this size, there’s not exactly a lot to do on a Friday night. So, I figured, why not meet the new guy and get a free meal while I’m at it?”

“Is Charlie here, too?” I ask, looking around for his familiar cardigan.

“Yep. He’s around here somewhere. He found your boyfriend shortly after we showed up and has been talking his ear off ever since.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I bite out more harshly than I intended. I sound like a little kid trying to deny her first crush.

“Whatever you say. From what I hear, he put all this together to get a chance to talk to you.”

My mouth drops open. “Are you serious?”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Ian’s voice says from behind me.

I spin around, finding both him and Charlie standing there, smiling at me.

Charlie takes a step forward, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad to see you out tonight, sweetie. You need it.”

He walks past me and sits down next to Liv, putting his arm over her shoulders and hugging her to his side in a fatherly gesture.

“Come on,” Ian says, tilting his head toward a group of people. “Let me introduce you around.”

I follow him, meeting dozens of people in only a few minutes.

Margie smiles when I get to her, her bright eyes lighting up when she sees the two of us together. “I’m so glad you decided to join us,” she says with a clap. “It’s nice to see you two together again.”

I give her a puzzled look, but Ian whisks me away to the next person before I can ask her what she means. Once he’s done introducing me to everyone, he ushers me over to the grill and the giant table of food set up next to it.

“Get yourself something to eat. Then, come join us down by the fire pit.”

He turns and walks down to where Liv, Charlie, and several others are now sitting. They make room for him as he strides over, all of them laughing and smiling as he takes his seat

The man is already the most popular guy in town, and he’s been here for all of five minutes.

Well, that’s about how long it took you to realize you liked him. Can you blame everyone else for falling for him, too?

I shove down the thought and pick up a paper plate, filling it with a various assortment of salads, pasta, and desserts before moving over and grabbing a burger from the grill. If I have my mouth full of food all night, I won’t be forced to speak about things I don’t want to talk about.

Problem solved.

I walk down to the fire pit and try to take a seat next to Liv. But everyone shuffles around as I approach, leaving the space next to Ian the only spot available.

I just met these people, and already, they’re trying to set me up.

I sit down, not wanting to appear rude. Just because I’m sitting next to him doesn’t mean I have to talk to him.

“So, Lexi,” a man says as soon as I’m situated. Frank, I think he said his name was. “You’ve been doing quite a lot of work on the old place next door. It’s starting to look like it used to.”

Pride rushes through me at his words, and I sit up a little straighter. “Thank you. I’ve still got a ways to go, but it’s coming along.”

“How’d the old roof fare during that storm the other night?” Charlie asks.

I groan. “Not so well. Starting tomorrow, everything else is being put on hold until I can get the roof patched.”

Frank’s eyebrows shoot up. “You know how to patch a roof?”

I shrug. “Well, it didn’t look too hard on YouTube.”

This causes Ian to laugh, his head falling back on his shoulders as loud guffaws escape his lips.

I shoot him a dirty look. “Excuse me, what exactly is so funny?”

He straightens his head, giving me an amused smile. “Nothing. Nothing at all. It just never occurred to me that that’s how you’ve learned how to do all the stuff you’re doing over there. I thought you were some carpentry prodigy. Turns out, you just know how to do your research.”

I nod. “Damn straight I do. I’m not about to half-ass something like my roof. I spent hours online today making sure I had all the right equipment and supplies. There’s nothing YouTube can’t teach you.”

Ian smiles at me, his eyes soft with what looks like affection. “If I heard those words from anybody else, I’d say they were crazy. But I’ve seen what you can do when you put your mind to it. If anybody can fix a roof based on what they found online, it’s you.”

His words are sincere, not a hint of mocking in them. And I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.

“Thank you.”

Frank adds his impressed perspective. “You mean to tell me you’ve done all that by watching videos online? You’ve never fixed anything up before?”

“Well, I didn’t say that. I did fix up a place back in Chicago.”

“Is that where you’re from?” Margie interjects.

I realize I’ve revealed a lot more about myself than I intended with one slip of the tongue. But I can’t exactly rewind and take it back. “Um, yes.”

“And what did you fix up back in Chicago? Another old house?” Margie pushes further.

I shake my head. “No. The project in Chicago was entirely different. It was a…business. My business.”

“Oh, how lovely,” Margie says, smiling at me. “What type of business was it?”

“Erm, it was sort of a craft store, I guess. We specialized in woodwork. We could cut pretty much any shape a customer requested and also sold the materials for them to be able to take it home and make it their own.”

“Oh, like those cute family blocks that are all the rage right now?”

“Exactly,” I say. “But we had all sorts of different options—Christmas decor, Halloween, names. If you could dream it up, we’d help make it a reality.”

“And you were the owner, dear?” Margie asks.

I nod.

“Well, what happened? What caused you to close up shop and move out here?” Margie’s voice softens, her concern over why I’d leave my business behind evident in her every word.

I stand suddenly, setting my half-eaten plate of food down on the seat behind me. “I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well. If you’ll please excuse me.”

I take off at a run, not slowing when I hear both Ian and Liv shouting after me.

I know I just gave all those people something to talk about for weeks, fleeing like that after being asked a seemingly simple question.

But I had to get out of there.

Because I refuse to let Ian see me cry.