9. Bri

9

brI

"Fine, you got me." Sarah rolled her eyes, letting her shoulders drop.

I smiled at her, trying to pretend that standing this close to her didn't still electrify every part of me. "Do you want some lemonade?"

Sarah smirked at me. "That's a dumb question."

"You always want lemonade." I chuckled and nodded toward the house.

We walked alongside each other for a few charged strides. Suddenly, I had no idea what to do with my hands. When we reached the side door, I pulled it open for Sarah and let her walk inside. She stood in the entrance, unsure where she was supposed to go.

"Kitchen's to the left," I cleared my throat, following her in.

Once we were in the kitchen, I brushed past her toward the fridge to grab a cold pitcher of lemonade. "Don't you remember the layout from when we were kids?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I mean, vaguely. But not enough to let myself into your house."

When we were in school, Sarah and I spent almost every weekend at each other's houses. I basically lived with the Greenwoods the summer of sophomore year. It was the last summer we did that, the last summer before Sarah started dating Jason.

"Fair enough." I rubbed the back of my neck. Placing two glasses on a serving tray, I gripped the metal in my hands and started to carry it toward the screened-in porch on the opposite side of the house. We passed through the small living room, where a small TV sat next to the woodstove.

I could feel Sarah's eyes scanning the place. "What's your professional opinion?"

Sarah chuckled. "You've done a good job making it your own. It's cozy but not too kitschy. I think your parents would be proud."

Swallowing hard, I nodded and led us onto the porch. I set the tray down on a wicker table and took a seat in the glider hanging from the ceiling.

Stopping in her tracks, Sarah's jaw dropped. "Who is this handsome fellow?" She cooed at Oakkie, who was lounging on a stack of wood by the screened windows. Hearing her voice, he turned his head from his outdoor kingdom to investigate the newcomer.

"That's Oakkie. He's a good dude, but not used to company." I stretched my hand out to him, hoping to get his guard down a little bit.

But instead of trying to pet him, Sarah sat down on the glider and looked at him. There was a soft glint in her eye, and after a moment, Oakkie went back to his bird watching.

Once Sarah was settled, I let out a deep breath. "Okay, so what's your agenda?"

"Agenda is a strong word." She tucked her hair behind her ear.

Is she nervous? I couldn't remember ever seeing Sarah nervous. Except maybe at prom, when she thought Jason might not ask her to the dance.

Sarah shrugged. "Did you hear about the lake house?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, some billionaire is probably going to tear the whole thing down."

Lifting her finger, Sarah stopped me. "Well, the billionaire actually wants to keep it standing. She hired Robin to restore the place." Her words lingered in the air.

Since Zoey and LAWSON had come home, bringing a slew of city folk and tourists with them, New Winford had seen an insane influx of wealthy homeowners – most of whom were tearing down historic beauties to clear space for modern nightmares.

I was still trying to piece together how exactly this involved me, when Sarah continued, "And Ms. Bradley hired me to do the interior."

Sarah kept her eyes on me, scanning my face for recognition. When I saw her blue eyes, I felt my heart sink. "No."

Sarah scoffed, her jaw dropping at my harshness. "You haven't even heard my pitch."

"I don't need to."

Biting the inside of her cheek, Sarah recognized a challenge. "Want to go for a walk?"

I sighed, unable to turn down more time with her… even if it meant facing a hard sell. "Sure."

Twenty minutes later and we were strolling down a winding trail leading up the mountain.

"You've done a great job maintaining the paths alone." Sarah ran her hand through the ferns that sprouted at the edge of the path.

I nodded. "It was always my favorite part of the house. It's like having a national park in your backyard."

As we walked, I looked down at Sarah's flat shoes. The basic pair of Converse weren't exactly fit for this kind of walk. But yet, here she was: hiking up a mountain with me.

I couldn't help but relent for her. "Okay, what do you really want?"

"Seriously?" Her face lit up as she whipped her head around to look at me.

Trying to calm my blush, I shrugged. "You came all this way. You get one pitch, and that's it."

A cheeky grin took over Sarah's face. It was like looking at her teenage self all over again. And she was just as stunning now as she was then.

Sarah took in a deep breath as she considered her most effective pitch. "Look, you are the most talented sculptor and carpenter I've ever seen. This is a once in a lifetime project. You'll be supplied with two hundred year old wood from the lakefront property. Ms. Bradley is asking that you design and build a custom dining table for the house. It's going to overlook the lake."

She paused for a second, stopping in her tracks and grabbing my hand. I had no choice but to meet her gaze as she continued. "I know you'll say ‘I'm retired.' But I've been looking in these eyes since second grade, and I can read them like a book. And deep down, I know you want another shot."

I bit the inside of my check as I looked into her blue eyes.

Sarah stepped closer, the smell of her delicate perfume washing over me. "It's a one time job. You build this one table, and if you hate it, you've made enough money to not have to work for a few years and quietly return to your hermit lifestyle." She flicked her head back toward my cabin.

Letting the trapped air out of my lungs, I tried to avoid her eyes. I knew if I looked at her, I'd have no choice but to confess.

And Sarah seemed to know that too, ducking her head to catch my line of sight.

"It wasn't just about the money." I clenched my jaw.

Sarah nodded, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I know that."

The warmth of our friendship filled the woods around us. I let myself melt into her eyes. "I don't know…"

Sarah smirked. "Vic has been following your work for years. She'll just be honored to have something you created."

Groaning, I started walking again. A part of me hoped that if I got my body moving, my mind would follow.

After a moment of crunching leaves under our feet, I turned to look at Sarah. "How much is it?"

Sarah smirked. "Half a million."

I nearly retched at the figure. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"It's all monopoly money to her." Sarah giggled, a slight blush flushing her cheeks.

My body tensed at her blush. Is there something going on between them? As far as I knew, Sarah was only interested in men. At least, that was the assumption I had made when she chose Jason despite our palpable chemistry.

Sensing my distance, Sarah looked back at me. "What do you think?"