CHAPTER SIX

Tori stretched, squeezing her eyes shut and arching her back, and then pulled the covers around her more tightly, trying to keep the cool morning air out. Her dry mouth and the faint smell of bacon in the air pulled her reluctantly out of bed in search of her toothbrush and food.

After rifling through her bag, she came out with a pair of black leggings, a workout tank, and a zip-up jacket. Hopefully, a quick run would help ease some of the anxiety she’d been carrying around since she had silently agreed to live at Chris’ house while her apartment building was fixed.

Teeth clean and face bare, she headed downstairs.

“Morning, little sister. How are you feeling?” Ryan asked as she stepped off the last stair. He sat on a stool in front of the kitchen island with a cup of coffee in front of him. Elle was on the other side of the island, flipping pancakes and adding to the already-large pile stacked on a plate.

“Not bad for the amount of wine I consumed.” She eyed the heaping mound of pancakes and after surveying the downstairs, had not found anyone else around. “Did other people stay the night?” She nodded to the heaping pile of pancakes.

“No.” Ryan shook his head as he took a sip from his mug. “Jake drove everyone home last night. Chris is coming by in a bit to take you to his house.”

“My car is here. I think I’m capable of driving to his house,” she said snarkier than she’d intended.

Ryan shot her a look that made her feel like a child.

Super start to the morning.

“What’s your problem with him? It’s incredibly nice that he’s letting you stay there. Besides, I thought you’d be thrilled. You’ve been going on and on about how much you love it up here.” He motioned wildly with both arms.

“I am grateful. It just feels like charity. I could just stay at Mom and Dad’s house,” she whined, hating the sound of her voice and the idea.

Ryan laughed, holding his stomach and nearly falling off the stool. “Yeah, right. You’d last five minutes there.”

He was probably right. She had moved out when she was eighteen-years-old and never gone back, determined to make her own way.

“It’s not charity. Chris is like family. He’s just being nice.”

Tori crossed to the window for a better look outside. The sun was shining bright, and the melted snow dripped from the house, removing the beautiful white cover that had settled there last night.

“You think it’s cleared up enough for a run?”

Ryan nodded as he retreated to the living room and plopped to the couch, remote in hand. “Stick to the road, and you should be fine.”

Tori took a moment to appreciate the difference in her brother over the last month. She’d never seen him so casual and laid back. He’d always been a go-getter, constantly moving to the next thing, but his pace had slowed since he’d met Elle, and it looked good on him. He seemed so… happy. And Elle, well, she had basically moved in from the looks of it. Feminine touches were all throughout the house -- spare shoes laying at the door and girly books and magazine on the coffee table. The pang of the jealousy she’d felt last night returned.

You have to quit breaking up with boyfriends if you want to live happily ever after with one of them! But her self-lecture was only half-hearted. She saw the life Ryan and Elle shared and wasn’t even sure it was something she wanted for herself. Could she play house and give up her independence like Elle had?

Outside, Tori exhaled, watching her breath float in front of her face in the morning air. The road had been plowed, leaving only a trace of yesterday’s snow. The tension in her muscles relaxed as she stared down at the lake and what remained of the snowy countryside, and she headed down the hill at a light jog.

Adjusting her bearings on the wet road, she picked up the pace, lengthening her stride and lifting her chest to breathe in the cool air. Running had always been an outlet for her, a place where her worries drifted away and her life felt centered. She kept her focus straight ahead as she passed the driveway leading to Chris’ house. Her thoughts slipped to the man inside, but she shook them from her head and continued down the hill, twisting and turning with the road.

As she came around the bend, a large figure appeared on the opposite side of the road, heading in her direction. Momentarily distracted as her foggy brain placed a face with the man, she veered off the road and onto the snowy shoulder, losing her footing and hitting the embankment with a thud.

Chris closed the distance between them, sprinting to her before she could stand up. Without a word, he offered a hand, which she ignored as she pushed herself to her feet. A sharp pain in her ankle forced her to inhale sharply, and she nearly collapsed back to the ground.

After wrapping a strong arm around her, Chris pulled her upright, taking her weight off her left ankle.

“Don’t even think about telling me not to touch you,” he warned as she opened her mouth to protest.

Tori clamped her mouth shut and held herself rigid in his arms but allowed him to keep his hold on her while she assessed her ankle.

She set her foot on the ground, placing only a tiny bit of weight on the ankle to test it. Pain shot through her entire body, but she braved a straight face. She’d rather crawl back to Ryan’s house than spend another second with Chris’ hands touching her. It was more unnerving than the pain.

“I just rolled it. I’ll be fine in a few minutes. You can go ahea— Put me down this instance!” Tori squealed as her feet were pulled out from under her.

Chris lifted her in his arms like a rag doll, a smug look on his face. “You are the most stubborn, hard-headed woman I have ever met,” he muttered under his breath.

Doing her best to fight his hold, she squirmed and pulled, trying to free herself. She gave in when his muscular biceps and forearms refused to budge under her attack. She caught the slightest smile on his lips at her attempts, but to his credit, he remained quiet.

Tori lifted her chin and turned her head away from him in silent protest. He moved up the hill quickly, his breathing even and slow like the additional weight was no big deal. If she weren’t so angry, she might have been impressed.

Chris turned down the tree-lined driveway leading to his home. The pain in her ankle and the annoyance of being carried like an invalid was forgotten as she got her first closeup view of the house. She gasped at the magnificent construction. The large, two-story cabin was incredible, like something straight out of a magazine. She had seen his work before, of course. He had helped build Ryan’s home, as well as several others in town, but this house was better than any other she’d seen. The stone and log structure sat at an angle to the right of the driveway with the attached four-car garage to the left. The view promised to be spectacular with every step closer to the house.

Chris carried her through the front door into the living room and deposited her on a large navy sectional.

“Don’t move,” he ordered and paused as if he were making sure she was going to obey.

She nodded and watched as Chris walked to the kitchen and opened the freezer. He turned and came back with a bag of peas. He lifted her leg carefully and propped it on the couch, before placing the frozen bag on her ankle. She allowed herself to look up into his eyes as he caressed her hurt ankle. His eyes had lost their usual mocking glint and were replaced with a gentler look that Tori couldn’t place.

“I’ll go get your things from Ryan’s and bring them here. Do you need anything else?” Chris asked, his hand still touching her leg.

She steadied her erratic breathing, blaming it on the pain and not his touch. “That’s really not necessary. I can get it later. My ankle is already feeling better.”

Tori needed him to move away from her. Being this close did funny things to her heart rate, no matter how much she tried to convince herself it didn’t.

“Good Lord, woman, can you just let me take care of you for five minutes? I know I’m the last person you want to help you, but there’s no one else here.” He ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in a way that made her want to run her fingers through it.

She nodded, biting down on the inside of her cheek. Chris was the last person she wanted help from, but not for the same reasons he was probably inferring. His help made her feel weak and vulnerable.

“I’ll be back soon. Don’t move. Call me if you need anything,” Chris said, one hand on the door. He stopped and turned after reaching the door, gazing at her as if he was trying to memorize the room with her in it. Or maybe he was regretting this whole charade. The thought brought her insecurities bubbling to the surface.

“I’m serious. Don’t move,” he rasped, opening the door.

He had one foot out before Tori found her voice.

“Chris?” she said softly, feeling strange speaking to him without her usual sarcasm or anger.

He turned, eyeing her, his eyebrows arched like he expected an argument.

“Thank you.”

Chris smiled, the taunting grin back. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

“Here’s her bag and everything I could see of hers. I’ll keep an eye out and let you know if I find anything else.” Elle handed him Tori’s bag.

It was an intimate thing, carrying her bag. It shouldn’t have felt that way after unboxing all her belongings in his home, but it did.

“I hope you’re hungry. Elle made enough pancakes to feed an army.” Ryan pulled Elle against him and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Food was the last thing Chris wanted right then. He wanted to get back to Tori, but he couldn’t say that to Ryan. Lord help him if Ryan knew the things going on his head at the moment.

Chris winked at Elle and followed his nose to the kitchen. “I’m starved.”

With a stack of pancakes so big he wasn’t sure he could take them down, Chris sat across from Ryan at the dining room table.

He was swallowing his first bite when Ryan spoke. “So, now that you have Tori living at your house, you think it might be time to tell her how you feel?”

Chris looked up at Ryan, nearly choking in surprise.

Ryan just smiled, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head.

“Elle told you?” Chris asked when he could, although he already knew the answer. Elle had guessed almost immediately, the first time she’d seen them in the same room together. She was also the only person he had confided in. He put air quotes around the word confided as he thought it because, really, he hadn’t confided anything. All he had done was not disagree when she questioned him about it.

Ryan nodded. “Don’t be angry with her. She just wants to see you happy. Me too.”

Chris felt uneasy having this conversation with Ryan. Tori was his baby sister, and one wrong word out of his mouth might wreck a thirty-year friendship.

“I’m sorry you didn’t hear it from me. Tori and I…”

Ryan held his hand up to stop him, which he was thankful for, because he had no idea what he was going to say.

“You don’t need to explain. You’re already like a brother to me. I can’t imagine anyone who would be better for her.”

Chris cocked his head at Ryan’s enthusiasm. “Don’t get too excited. You see how we are together. We’re like toothpaste and orange juice. One word out of my mouth, and she’s giving me that bitter, pissed-off face.” He scrunched up his face in mock disgust.

“Toothpaste and orange juice?” Ryan laughed and shook his head. “There’s a thin line between love and hate, my friend.”

Chris considered that for a minute but shook his head. “I’m pretty sure from Tori’s perspective, it’s all hate.”

Chris left Ryan’s with a full stomach and a weight lifted. He was sure he looked like a damn fool with Tori’s hot-pink bag slung over his shoulder, but he was in too good of a mood to care much. Ryan’s blessing was important to him. It was part of the reason he hadn’t pursued Tori over the years.

The other reason was a bit more complicated.

Turning the heat on in the truck, he headed down the hill and back to the heart of Sweetbriar. People were making their way out, albeit slower on the slushy roads, going about their normal routines — no doubt grocery shopping, lunching with friends, and enjoying the bright sun after a dreary day of clouds and snow. Chris felt anything but normal. He was nervous and excited and completely unsure what to do now that he had Tori in his house.

Chris pulled up outside Claire’s place and grabbed his cell. He pushed a few buttons before bringing the phone to his ear.

“Hello?” Claire’s tired voice answered on the other line.

“Sorry if I woke you. It’s Chris. I wanted to see if I could grab Tori’s things while I’m in town. I’m outside.”

Chris wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. He was nervous as hell. Claire and Tori had been best friends for as long as Chris had known them. He had no idea how much she knew, but he understood that when it came to picking sides, Claire would always be on Tori’s. He was thankful for her loyalty to Tori, glad that she had people in her life she could count on, but it put him at a disadvantage standing outside Claire’s door with nothing to defend himself from her possible wrath.

“Come on in.” Claire opened the door. Her hair was in a mess on the top of her head, makeup smudges under her eyes. He had definitely woken her up.

“Where is Tori?” She looked behind him to the truck. “I thought she’d be by to get her stuff. No offense, but why are you running her errands?”

“Tori rolled her ankle so she won’t be able to get out today. I thought she might like having her things there, might make her feel more comfortable.”

He shoved his hands in his front pockets while Claire crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him for a long moment. “I really don’t understand you two. And why did none of us know that you were Tori’s first kiss? I’m seriously offended you two kept that from me.”

She opened the door wide, and Chris followed her into the house. “You’d have to ask Tori. I assumed you knew.”

She led him to the small spare bedroom where Tori had stayed and stepped aside, letting him enter alone. The room smelled of her. Sugar and spice and everything nice. Tori hadn’t left much at Claire’s — a few books, a phone charger, and several changes of clothes. He tossed it all in the bag then pulled the phone charger from the nightstand and added it to the supplies. His hand brushed against something small and black underneath. A lace thong.

With Claire’s eyes on him, he quickly zipped the bag, willing the thoughts of Tori in that small scrap of material out of his head… for now. Later. Later he could re-visit that vision.

Turning to Tori’s friend, he had one last thing to square away before he headed back home. “Claire, I have a favor to ask.”

Tori hobbled on one leg from the couch to the window, staring down at the lake and hoping the ripple of the water would calm her. She had tried to follow his orders, but the view had beckoned her — throbbing ankle and all. And it was worth the extra effort it had taken to maneuver across the large room on one foot. The water sparkled below, reaching out in both directions as far as her eyes could see. The lake was quiet today, and would be for another month until the Missouri temperature began to rise enough for the locals to pull their boats out of winter storage. This was the season that made living here the most special. The lake belonged to them and not the steady string of tourists who filtered in and out during the summer months.

Tori steadied herself on the arm of a large upholstered chair and turned, looking around the room for signs of the man who lived here. He didn’t really live here, of course; he rented it out and stayed in one of his other houses inside the city limits, but she knew that he planned to move up here someday, the same way Ryan had after he met Elle.

Wishing she had asked how long he was going to be gone, Tori started toward the built-in entertainment center that covered almost an entire wall. It was the only spot in the room that held any semblance of personal items. The turn of the door handle caught her attention, but it was too late to pretend she had stayed on the couch. She’d been made.

Chris searched the room, an expression of what might have been panic on his face, until his eyes settled on her. His features went hard, glaring in typical Chris-fashion, but he didn’t say a thing.

“Tori, what are you doing on that leg?” Claire said, finally capturing Tori’s attention from the large man who had distracted her from realizing her best friend was there.

Her friend crossed the room quickly and enveloped her in a hug.

“I wanted to see the lake,” Tori admitted quietly.

Claire wrapped an arm around her, taking the weight off her left leg. “Let’s get you to the couch.”

Tori nodded and searched the room, but Chris was nowhere in sight. She settled back on the cushions with Claire by her side. “What are you doing here?” she asked happily. With Chris out of the room, she was finally able to catch her breath and regain some composure.

Claire smiled. “Your knight-in-shining-armor brought me to your rescue.

Tori snorted. “I don’t need rescuing, or whatever it is he thinks he’s doing.”

“Little harsh for someone who is letting you stay in his million-dollar home.”

Tori felt a tiny bit bad. Okay, a lot. She was acting like a brat, and she knew it. She was excited to stay in this beautiful house, and she was aware that she should be filled with gratitude and thanks that he had offered his home, but why did it have to be him?

“Now that I’ve made you realize what a whiner you’re being, tell me about this kiss.” Claire leaned back on the sofa.

Oh no. It was like college all over again, waking up after a crazy night of drinking and piecing together the events of the evening before. Although this time, it felt more like a Chris-induced stupor. Too many run-ins with the man she had guarded her heart so carefully against were wreaking havoc on her ability to remember everything that had happened lately.

The words to explain remained elusive. Claire had been her best friend since middle school, and Tori knew she was genuinely upset she had been left in the dark. She’d thought about telling her BFF about her first kiss. More than once. In the end, she had decided to tell no one to not risk their opinions or teasing that would taint the memory.

Tori leaned back into the couch and rested her head on Claire’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I never told you. I guess I was afraid what people would think or say. It wasn’t a big deal.”

“I’m not people. I’m your people. I thought we told each other everything,” Claire complained but squeezed Tori’s hand for comfort. “It does explain a lot, though.”

“What’s there to explain? Chris and I have always butted heads. The kiss didn’t cause that.”

No, it hadn’t been the kiss. They’d managed to remain friends after the kiss, hard as it was for her to picture that now.

“That’s not how I remember it. You two were friends once upon a time. So, what happened?”

Tori shrugged. Revisiting her relationship with Chris was emotionally exhausting, not to mention the queasiness she felt being surrounded by him and his things. Even worse, being in his home was making her feel nostalgic and even a little less angry with the guy. She needed the anger. It helped solidify the many reasons she could not and would not let Chris get close to her again.

Claire leaned forward and grabbed her keys and purse from the coffee table. “Just promise me you’ll take it easy on Chris. Give the man a break. Maybe it’s hard for you to see because of whatever happened between you two, but I think he’s genuinely trying to be there for you.”

Claire stood as Chris reappeared with several paper bags filled with groceries.

“What’s all this?” Claire said as she followed him to the kitchen.

He moved around the room, placing food in the fridge and pantry.

Chris looked from Tori to Claire before responding, running a hand through his tousled hair. “I got a few groceries so we’ll have something to eat.” He turned around and placed a bag of apples and bananas in a large bowl.

“We?” Tori asked, her stomach tightening at the implication of his words.

Chris took a bite from a small, red apple, grinning while he chewed and swallowed.

“Yeah, we. Domino’s doesn’t deliver up here, sweetheart, and I like to eat.”