Chapter 7
Landon
I’M SITTING ACROSS FROM KEMPER Monroe, Ashley’s older brother, and I’m pretty sure this man wants to beat in my face from the look in his eyes and how he’s holding the knife.
“My baby sister is living with you?” he slowly says.
“Yes.”
“Why the hell is she doing that? Are you treating her good?”
“Yes,” I answer him. “She said your mama kicked her out.”
“Hmm.” He rubs his chin and leans back in his chair. It seems like the tension leaves him, and I let out a breath. Being on Kemper’s bad side is a place I don’t want to know. “How’s she doing, anyway?”
“Happy.”
“Happy? Huh.”
“Why the huh?”
He pauses for a beat before answering. “She hasn’t said too much, and whenever I ask her what’s going on and what she plans to do, she deflects the questions.”
With Ashley back in my life, and in my space, I’m thinking of things I can do to avoid her. An idea comes to me. She can stay at my parents’ house.
Then she’d be alone, and Kemper would most likely kick my ass. I shudder at that thought.
“What do you got going through your mind?”
I sigh and push back in my chair. “Your sister being back is messing with my head. She just moved in, and already I’m avoiding going home. I thought about putting her up at my parents’ old house. Why didn’t you tell me she was here for my parents’ funeral?”
“Because she asked me not to. You weren’t in the right frame of mind to see her. Plus, she knew you’d be upset, so she asked me and Mama to keep our lips shut.”
“Yeah. I get it. So, what do you think about her living at my parents’ old house?”
“You better not do that.” He stares me down with cold eyes. “I know there’s more to what’s going on.”
“How the hell am I supposed to forgive her, Kemp?” I ask him, taking a tentative bite of my burger.
Kemper doesn’t respond right away, so I continue eating until he looks back at me. “You’re given another chance. A chance I wish I could have with Jesslyn. I know she hurt you and you’re still licking your wounds. She’s back, and sure, it took her seven years, but you let her go so she could pursue her dreams, and now she’s back. That tells me something, like it should tell you, as well.”
“What it tells me is her plan in the big city didn’t work out and she came back, hoping I’d welcome her with open arms and forgive her for everything. I’m not wired that way.” I slam my balled up fist against my chest. “It hurts to breathe when she’s near me. It’s best we bury the past. She can go her way and I’ll go mine.”
“Christ.” Kemper rubs his hand across his face. “Mama told me that Ashley turned down a really good fucking deal and a chance to work with top designers in New York. She walked away from all of that so she could come back and be with you. Take it from a man who is also living with a broken heart. Let the demons go and try to remember why you held on for so long.”
I get back home from lunch with Kemper and close the door behind me; the scent of vanilla fills the room. I notice the subtle changes in my foyer. There’s a new rug in the front and the boots I had in the corner aren’t where I left them. I move farther into the house, into the kitchen, and my steps falter when my gaze latches onto all the new stainless steel appliances. Speechless, I head to the living room. My TV . . . it’s gone and has been replaced by a massive, big screen TV with mounted speakers.
“What in the world?” I mutter.
She’s redesigned my house. Everything she bought must have cost a fortune. Christ. I leave the living room and take the stairs, two at a time, and when I get closer to her bedroom, I hear the music. I’m leaning against the doorframe, watching her dance, swinging her arms and singing along.
“Holy shit,” she yelps, when she turns around and sees me. “Hi.”
“Hi.” I point my thumb over my shoulder. “I like what you did, but you didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to,” she answers. “Just my ways of letting you know how thankful I am that you’re letting me stay with you. Do you like it?”
What she’s done to the house is nice. I’ve never had someone who cared enough to do something like this for me. But I never allowed anyone to get too close after things fell apart between Ashley and me.
Running my fingers through my hair, I let out a breath and turn to stare at her. “I . . . ah . . . how’d you get everything here so fast?”
“Oh. As soon as they heard my name, they guaranteed me fast delivery. They set it all up and told me they were going to get rid of the old appliances. Do you like it, though?” she asks again.
“Yes.” I turn to her once more and smile. “I like it very much. Thank you, Ashley.”
“You’re welcome, Whiskey.”
A few hours pass before I leave my office and head back upstairs to shower and see if Ashley wants to get dinner. Thoughts about my next project make me smile. I’m not sure what possesses me to do this. I’m trying to keep my head straight and not think about her, but whenever we’re together, it’s hard to keep focus.
After my shower, with a towel around my waist, I hear a knock on my door and in walks Ashley. She’s wearing a beautiful black cocktail dress and her long hair cascades down past her shoulders. I’m about to fall on my knees when she twirls around and smiles.
“Get ready, cowboy. I’m taking you out on the town.”
“Ashley . . .” I start to say.
“Nope.” She walks closer to me, places her hand on my arm, and looks at me the way she used to. “I’m taking you out tonight. Just us. No strings attached. I thought about everything and I think we should be friends, mend that relationship, and see if anything comes from that.”
I nod. “Okay. Let me get ready.”
Her face beams with happiness, and the lightness in her eyes comes back. “Sure thing. You know, I was hoping you’d compliment me with how I’m looking, since your jaw’s practically on the ground and all,” she says with a wink.
Suddenly, an image fills my mind of her black dress in a heap on my bedroom floor, and her lying down with her hair flowing across my bedsheets. Quickly, I pull myself away. “You look beautiful. I’m going to get ready. Give me a few?”
“Of course.” She laughs and closes the door behind her.