Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Owen

Annalee remained silent while Valerie rung up her total. She didn't bother to try a single thing on and Valerie insisted if there was something she didn't like, all she had to do was bring it back.

Something told me Annalee would be keeping every piece. I could see her eyes light up with each article of clothing as it hit the counter but not once did she say anything. She let her facial expression do all the talking and Valerie looked pleased. I had a strong feeling the two of them would be fast friends.

Now we were home. I was busy grilling chicken outside on the patio and Annalee was inside putting together a salad. The entire situation felt completely domesticated and not once did it bother me. I was about to shake things up though.

I could see while we were at the bookstore something was bothering Annalee. She tried to cover it up but I couldn't forget the look on her face. I just needed to find a way to ease into the conversation without putting her on the defensive. There were still a few more days until she could move out and it was better if the time wasn't spent with things tense between us.

"Are we eating inside or out?"

The question startled me. I somehow missed the opening of the sliding glass door and I wasn't prepared for Annalee to talk so soon. Not after being quiet for so long.

"Out here is fine."

If I thought there would be further conversation, I was wrong. The glass door shutting in my face might as well have been a bomb going off. I didn't know what I did to deserve her ire but I was going to find out.

I had the chicken plated and on the outdoor patio table when Annalee brought the salad bowls out. I was no gourmet chef but I thought I knew what salad looked like. It turned out I was wrong. The carrots were shaved into thin strips and curled. Almonds, raisins, and chickpeas were scattered among the bed of spinach leaves and there were even thinly sliced radishes. The ingredients definitely came from my kitchen but were never used together in a salad.

"This looks delicious."

Annalee merely smiled but she was back to giving me the silent treatment. I wanted to ask her what was wrong but figured it could wait until after we managed to eat. No sense in destroying her appetite.

The salad tasted as good as it looked. Whatever dressing she used, I needed to add it to my grocery list weekly. I was constantly trying new ones but never found one that made salad taste delicious enough to want to eat on a regular basis. I was a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. Rabbit food didn't do it for me but I would consider changing my mind for this dressing.

I was about to tell her as much when Annalee finally spoke up. "I think I made a mistake." The words were barely more than a whisper and were said with her eyes cast down as she moved the food around her bowl with a fork.

"What do you mean?" A million different scenarios raced through my mind at once. She hadn't worked long enough with our company to screw anything up there, and besides cuddling me in her sleep, it wasn't like we had done anything.

"I chose Willow Creek on a whim because of my father's letter but what happens in a few months when I get bored and need a different job to keep me interested? Willow Creek isn't exactly a bustling city with a ton of opportunities."

I let out the breath I didn't even realize I was holding. "Is that why you got all weird at the bookstore?" I had seen the transformation but couldn't put my finger on it. Now it made sense. She was worried about her future and rightfully so. Willow Creek was nothing like Baton Rouge and wouldn't offer her the adventures she was used to.

"Yeah. It suddenly hit me. I applied for the receptionist position because it was the only thing listed on the job openings page. It's not that I don't appreciate the opportunity but do I really want to sit behind a computer every day for the rest of my life?"

Annalee didn't have to answer that question for me to know how she would respond.

No.

A resounding no, in fact.

Or possibly even a hell fucking no.

“Maverick already mentioned giving you other work to do. If anyone knows how hard it is to sit at a desk all day, it’s our boss.”

“And I appreciate it, but how long before I get bored altogether? The only job that has ever held my interest was cuddling the babies. I doubt that’s an opportunity here. I don’t even think there is a hospital close by.”

I guess that depended on what she considered close.

“There’s one in the city about thirty minutes from here.”

Annalee appeared to be giving my answer some consideration. “Not a horrible commute but there’s no guarantee they will have that kind of position available.”

There had to be more than just the job bothering her. I pushed my bowl away so I could rest my elbows on the table and give her my full attention.

“Tell me what’s really bothering you?”

Annalee sighed but mimicked my position. She didn’t shy away when she answered. “I’ve always been prone to impulsivity but it never bothered me before. I had a roof over my head, money in my bank account, and a father there if I screwed something up. Now I have none of those things and it’s sending me into a panic. I don’t have one single thing to make me feel like maybe I have a shot of being in control again.”

Now I got it. As someone who valued control, I understood exactly how she was feeling. I pushed my chair back and raised to my feet.

“Come on, let’s take this conversation inside where we can both be more comfortable.” I offered her my hand.

“We can’t just leave the food out here. An animal will come along and steal it.”

I didn’t care what happened to the food, but if cleaning up made her feel better, then that was what we would do.

I helped bring in the bowls and plates. I tried to set them in the sink to be dealt with later but Annalee wouldn’t hear of it. She took the meaning of cleaning up after herself to the extreme. It wasn’t until the entire kitchen was clean from dinner that we were allowed to sit and relax on the couch in the living room.

“Talk to me. Are you regretting coming to Willow Creek?”

She took a deep breath and I had a feeling she was prepping herself to tell me she didn’t want to be here anymore. I wasn’t sure what I would do if that was the case. It didn’t feel right letting her go back to Baton Rouge on her own.

“I don’t regret it.”

“But . . .”

There was absolutely a but at the end of that statement.

“But I need control in my life. I need to know that this is going to work out. I’ve always had that safety net and now I don’t. I don’t regret coming here, per se, but the out-of-control feeling is taking away from the beauty of this place.”

We were facing each other on the couch. Annalee was doing a good job twisting the crap out of the bottom of her shirt, so I grabbed her hand and gave her something else to do with her hands. I guided her so that we were tracing patterns around each other’s fingers.

“So tell me what needs to happen for you to feel like you have a say in your life again.”

I would give her anything she wanted but I wasn’t about to tell her that. I doubted she was ready to hear those words and I didn’t need to give her more of a reason to run.

Annalee laughed but it wasn’t the good kind. She sounded seconds away from crying, and if there was one thing I didn’t handle well, it was crying women. No amount of sisters made that easier for me.

“I need Dennis and Seraphina to back off. I don’t need my father’s money but the fact that he was so adamant they didn’t have it is reason enough for me to keep fighting them. I thought my father’s death meant they would be out of my life for good, but they’re even worse now. Maybe once they’re out of the picture I can focus on me and what I want. Willow Creek is beautiful but again I need to know that I can make a life here and be happy. It will never be enough for me to live off someone else’s money even if that person was my mother.”

Mav was going to kill me for saying this but I was going to do it anyway.

“If you need me to make you a list of places to work within thirty minutes, I will. Bee is always hiring. She doesn’t post it but I know her granddaughter would love the help. There’s an assisted-living place opening up in a few months. I’m sure they will be looking to hire. Hell, there’s even an empty storefront a few shops up from our place. You could open your own place. The options are truly unlimited if you don’t want to keep working with us.”

The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of her not working for Maverick. I wouldn’t feel so guilty about the feelings I harbored for her.

But it didn’t matter if, in the end, she chose not to stay. Unless I wanted to follow her and that idea didn’t freak me out nearly as much as it should.

“Why are you being so patient with me? I’ve done nothing but be a pain in your ass from the second you spoke to me.”

I snickered. I doubt she was ready for the full truth but I was willing to give her a glimpse.

“It only took hearing your voice once for me to know I wanted to get to know you. I’m not done getting to know you yet.”

What she did next surprised the hell out of me. I didn’t have time to guess and never in a million years would I have been correct, even if given the option.

Annalee yanked hard on my hand that was interlocked with hers causing me to lean forward. Her other hand ran along the scruff of my beard and wrapped around the back of my neck pulling me even closer until her lips crashed onto mine.

They were as soft as they looked. There was nothing unsure about the kiss. Annalee knew exactly what she wanted and was willing to take it.

I was too shocked to do anything other than kiss her back and let her take control.

My cock whimpered when her tongue plunged into my mouth, jealous of the heat my own tongue was getting to feel.

I was allowing myself to get lost in her. To let her take her frustrations out of my hair the harder she tugged until reality came crashing down.

It didn’t matter how good it felt. We needed to stop.

I forced myself to disentangle our bodies, pull away, and scoot farther back on the couch even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.

"Why did you stop?" The hurt was evident in her eyes but I couldn't change my stance.

"Because it wouldn't be fair of me to influence your decision when it comes to Willow Creek."

I pushed off the couch and rushed like hell to get away from her before I did something stupid.

Like begged her to stay just for me.