Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Zeke

“Not that I’m trying to get you out of my place, quite the contrary really, but when are you getting your water heater fixed?”

Cherry and I are in my bathroom, both of us getting ready for tonight’s gala. Thankfully, I have a few suits that I’ve worn in recent years for other fancy parties, and Cherry helped me choose a black one with a blue shirt.

She says it’ll match her dress, but she hasn’t let me get a look at said dress yet.

It’s killing me.

“I don’t have plans to have it fixed.”

I stop, my razor halfway down my face, and stare at her in the mirror as she applies something pink to her cheek.

“What?”

She doesn’t spare me a glance.

“I haven’t scheduled it.”

“Why not?”

Cherry shrugs one terrycloth-clad shoulder. “Because I can’t afford a new hot water heater right now, and I’m getting by without it, so it’s not on my priority list.”

Her eyes meet mine then.

“But if you’re sick of sharing with me, I’ll figure something else out.”

“I didn’t say that. I was just wondering about the water heater. You can shower here until the end of time. I don’t mind at all. But shit, Cherry, you need to have it fixed.”

“I will. Eventually.”

“Let me—”

“No.” She shakes her head and drops a brush into her bag. “Absolutely, not.”

“You can pay me back. It’s not charity, it’s a necessity.”

“Not right now, it isn’t,” she murmurs.

“Look, I’m not trying to pry into your private financial business, but you just sold two hundred candles in one swoop.”

“That money isn’t for the heater, it’s for other things.”

I love that Cherry’s financially responsible because those values align with mine, and I know we won’t have issues in this area, but this seems unreasonable even to me.

“Drop it,” she says before I can continue. “It’ll get fixed when I can do it. I don’t mean to be a bitch about it, but I’ve got it handled.”

“Okay. If you say so.”

“Now, I’m going into the guest bedroom so I can get dressed.”

She’s done her hair into a pretty twisty knot thing, and her makeup is perfect, setting off those gorgeous round eyes and plump lips.

“We could just stay here, and you can get naked,” I suggest, reaching for her, but she dodges out of my way and laughs.

“No way, I put too much work into this. I’ll be out in a few.”

I finish shaving and dress in the suit, only getting hung up on tying the tie once.

I fucking hate ties.

Just when I’ve put the finishing touches on styling my hair, I sense movement behind me. When I turn, I just about swallow my tongue.

Fucking hell, she’s gorgeous in a long, sleek black dress that exposes one shoulder and hugs her breasts and hips perfectly.

It’s loose around her feet, and I can’t help but lean down to raise the hem so I can get a peek at her heels.

“I didn’t realize you’re a shoe man.”

“When they look like that, hell, yes, I am. Jesus, baby, you’re absolutely gorgeous.”

“So are you.” She reaches out to straighten my tie, and I can’t help but lean in to kiss her, careful not to mess up her makeup.

“I’m going to be arrested before the night is over.”

She frowns. “Why?”

“Because I’m going to have to kill every man there for looking at you and thinking what I am right now.”

“What are you thinking?”

“How I can’t wait to get you out of this dress later.”

She smirks, but I shake my head.

“Dead serious. You’re beautiful, sweetheart.”

“Thanks. Let’s go before we’re late.”

* * * *

“I’m nervous,” Cherry whispers to me as we walk into the ballroom where the HBCOC is holding the gala.

“Are you kidding me? Honey, looking the way you do, you’re about to own that room.”

She smiles gratefully, but it’s the absolute truth.

The chamber president meets us at the door and gives instructions for where to find our table and when dinner will be served.

And then, when we get fully inside, I hear Cherry breathe a huge sigh of relief. My gaze follows hers, and I see Montana, the owner of the ice cream shop in town, Huckleberry Delight.

“You’re here,” Montana says with a big grin, hugging Cherry hard when we reach her. “Girl, you look better in that dress than I ever did.”

“I know, right?” Cherry says with a laugh and does a little twirl.

Another hand-me-down dress. Knowing what I do about Cherry’s childhood, I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure that this is the last used piece of clothing she wears.

“We’re at the same table,” Montana continues, leading us to a round table right in the middle of the room. “With Luna and Wolfe and Sarah and Tanner.”

“And Indigo Lovejoy,” Cherry adds, giving Montana a look. “He’s sitting next to you.”

“Yep.” Montana doesn’t look happy about that.

“You okay?” Cherry asks.

“It’s fine.”

“Indigo is a great guy,” I say, speaking for the first time. Both pairs of female eyes turn to me, and I shrug. “Well, he is. He’s my friend.”

“He’s a nice guy,” Montana says, nodding slowly. “I won’t argue with that. Anyway, this should be fun. There’s a silent auction with the proceeds going to Samson House.”

“Oh, I love that.”

“What’s Samson House?” I ask.

“That’s right, you’re still pretty new here,” Montana replies with a kind smile. “It’s a shelter that helps people out, and they’re fabulous. The food pantry is one of the best on the west coast, and they even keep storage facilities to store furniture and household goods so when people get back on their feet, they have something to start with. No charge.”

“That’s incredible.”

“They really are,” Cherry agrees. “I’m so glad they’ll be receiving some money from this. I’ll have to check out the auction.”

“You do that. I’m going to freshen up in the little girls’ room,” Montana says. “I’ll catch up with you in a few.”

With my hand on the small of Cherry’s back, we make our way to the edge of the room, which is lined with tables displaying all kinds of things up for auction. They even included a painting done by Sarah, which already has half a page of bids and is currently going for well into the four figures.

“Oh, look at these,” Cherry says, fingering a pair of dangling silver earrings. “They’re so pretty.”

She’ll have them by the time the night is over.

We browse, pausing here and there to get a better look. A waiter comes by with champagne, and we both take a glass.

So far, it’s a pleasant, laid-back evening, and the looks coming Cherry’s way haven’t been lost on me.

We’re admiring a sculpture made of driftwood when a man speaks next to Cherry, not to her but loud enough for us to hear him.

“I can’t believe we’re going to spend all this money just for it to go to some homeless shelter. Aren’t there better places for it to go? Those people need to get a job and stop leaching off those of us who aren’t afraid of a hard days’ work.”

Cherry stiffens beside me, but I clasp her hand in mine as we continue to listen.

“I mean, Jesus, there has to be more than fifty-thousand dollars here, all for a homeless shelter? How much toothpaste do they need?”

“I don’t know,” I say, cutting in and grabbing his attention. “I guess I’d rather be poor and ask for help than be an asshole.”

I smile widely, and I can tell the other man doesn’t know whether I’m joking or not.

And we don’t stick around for him to find out. If I stay, I’ll end up punching him in his ugly, pompous face.

Instead, Cherry and I walk to the table where everyone else is already seated.

“I can’t believe you just said that,” Cherry says, laughing so hard she has to wipe a tear from her eye. “Zeke essentially just called Harley Anderson an asshole.”

“The rich jerk who has a perpetual scowl on his old, wrinkled face?” Indigo asks, looking around the room. “He is an asshole.”

“So, Sarah told me that I wasn’t allowed to ask questions tonight,” Tanner begins, shaking his head. “But I’m going to anyway because it was less than a month ago that I thought the two of you were going to break out in a fistfight at Annabelle’s party. So, what happened?”

“My water heater busted,” Cherry replies smoothly. “And he wasn’t a jerk about it.”

“I feel like we’re missing a huge part of that story,” Luna says, glaring daggers at Wolfe. “You haven’t even filled me in on this, and you had to know.”

“Not my story to tell,” Wolfe replies with a shrug.

“So, no more hate, and now you’re dating?” Indigo asks, clearly avoiding any contact with Montana, who’s sitting right next to him. I wonder what the story is there. “And I don’t have to continue looking for a new condo for you, Zeke?”

Cherry’s face whips around to mine. “You were looking for a new condo?”

“Let’s talk about this later.”

“Oh, we’re going to talk about it, all right. I can’t believe you.”

“Oops,” Indigo says with a cringe. “Sorry.”

“Smooth move,” Montana mutters, rolling her eyes.

“What in the hell am I missing over there?” I demand, but Indigo doesn’t reply, and Montana just shakes her head.

“Drama,” Wolfe whispers.

“I heard that,” Montana says.

“I wasn’t trying that hard to cover it up,” Wolfe replies with a grin. “Good to know your ears work.”

“You’re funny,” Montana replies, but from the look on her face, it’s safe to say that she doesn’t find Wolfe funny at all.

“Hey, I have fun news,” Luna announces, changing the subject. “I know the inn isn’t officially open yet, but I want to have a girls’ night out there. I think it’s going to become a regular, monthly thing, and I need to try it out. All of you are invited. And the ladies from Three Sisters Kitchen will cater. I need to make sure it’s something fun that I can pull off regularly.”

“Honey, you know we’re in,” Sarah says. “When? And what can we bring?”

“I know it’s short notice, but I’d love to do it tomorrow night.”

“My girl is nothing if not spontaneous,” Wolfe says with a grin.

“I told you, it’s short notice,” Luna says, wincing. “But I’m losing time between now and when we officially open, and I really want to try this out.”

“I’m in,” Cherry says. “Montana?”

“Of course. Need ice cream?”

“Hey, maybe. I think it would be fun to feature different things from women-owned businesses each month.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Montana says, getting excited. “Did you know that Cherry makes candles and room sprays and all kinds of cool things?”

I feel Cherry fidget next to me as Luna shifts her attention. “How did I not know this? Do you mean to tell me that I could feature locally sourced candles and other fancy goodies in our guest rooms? This is huge! I need to place a giant order, Cherry. Where is your storefront? It must be new.”

“Oh, I don’t have one. Don’t tell my HOA, but I do my work online and out of my guest room.”

I sit back smugly and listen to Sarah, Luna, and Montana try to talk some sense into Cherry about starting a business. I couldn’t agree with them more, and I wish Cherry would listen to them.

“Girl, I’ve been telling you this for more than two years. You could make bank . There is a huge demand for what you offer.”

“Too risky,” Cherry says, shaking her head. “But thanks for the vote of confidence. I’d love to talk to you about putting my products in the inn, Luna.”

“Oh, you can bet your fine ass we’ll be talking,” Luna promises just as someone turns on the microphone to get the rest of the night underway.

* * * *

“Okay, that was fun ,” Cherry announces as we step inside my condo, and she kicks out of her heels, sighing in relief. “Those things were killing me. Montana’s feet are just a tiny bit smaller than mine.”

“Wait.” I hold up a hand and scowl. “You were wearing Montana’s shoes?”

“Well, sure. I don’t have heels to go with that dress. It would be silly to buy new ones for just one night.”

“No, silly is walking in shoes that don’t fucking fit you, Cherry.”

She narrows her eyes at me and, without a word, walks right into the guest room and shuts the door.

Five minutes later, she walks back out, sans dress and wearing some leggings with a loose top, her hair up in a ponytail.

“If you want to argue,” she begins, “let’s talk about something more important than shoes. You never told me that you were looking for a new place to live.”

“Of course, I didn’t. Why would I tell you that? You were the reason I wanted to move. But things have changed. Besides, there are no other beachfront condos in this town.”

Cherry’s eyes narrow further. “Why was I the reason you wanted to move, Zeke?”

“Come on.” I blow out a breath and push my hand through my hair. “You know why. We didn’t get along at all . We made each other’s lives a living hell, and it was getting to where I didn’t want to even be at home anymore.”

“Well—”

“No, pull the stick out of your ass, Cherry. I’m not done. The past few weeks have been awesome, and I know without a doubt that this is where I want to be. With you. I don’t need to move, and now that we’ve ironed things out, there’s no reason to. Come on, you have to admit that before Halloween, we didn’t enjoy living across from each other.”

She looks like she wants to argue, but then she deflates. “Okay, I admit it. But you should have said something.”

“I’ll be honest, the minute you knocked on my door, all wet and naked and adorable, I completely forgot about moving. There was nothing to tell you because it wasn’t going to happen.”

Her expression softens, and I know I’m off the hook.

“That was a good answer.”

“Move in with me.”

The words are out before I’ve even fully formed them in my head, but I don’t regret voicing them.

“Huh?”

“Move in here.” I walk over to her and take her hand in mine, linking our fingers. “You’ve been practically living here anyway, and I like it. Besides, you said before that you’ve always had your eye on this unit.”

“I’m not moving in with you for the view.”

“Okay, move in with me for the sex.”

She snorts, and I lean down to kiss her.

“Then you can sell your condo and pursue your new business.”

I lean in for another kiss, but she plants her hand on my chest, stopping me.

“What?”