Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

Brooks

I leaned against the back wall, arms crossed, while Fisher tried to charm a packed house at the community input meeting for the resort redevelopment plan.

Beside me, Skylar scanned the room, looking tense.

"Worried about Blaize showing up?" I asked quietly.

"No." He sighed. "Well, not just him. I thought the Wexlers might be here."

"I guess they wouldn't be very happy with you, huh?"

He shook his head. "I don't see them, though."

"Fisher called and confronted them about their plans after you told him their history," I said. "Maybe they bailed on winning over the town."

"Yeah. Doesn't mean they don't still intend to ram their project through."

"That's why you're here." I nudged him with my shoulder. "The Wexlers didn't expect you to ride in to the rescue like a white knight."

"Something like that," he said, unable to take the compliment. But he relaxed a fraction, turning his attention to Fisher.

"I did support Lakeside Holdings' plan for Golden Sands," Fisher was saying at the front of the room, "but it turns out, Scott and Leon Wexler don't have our town's best interests at heart. I'm pulling that support."

A ripple of concerned muttering broke out.

He raised his hands to quiet the crowd. "I have an alternate plan to present. A better plan from a better man. Skylar Addison, can you please come up here?"

Beside me, Skylar grimaced, but he dutifully started for the front of the room.

"The Addison family owns property in Swallow Cove," Fisher continued. "So they have a vested interest in doing right by our town. Some of you already frequent places they've invested in. The Rusty Hook, for one. Swallow Adventures is another. Brooks Riggins and Hudson Nash can provide some character references, but I've gotten to know Skylar, and I know we can trust him…"

Skylar joined Fisher, shaking his hand briefly before turning to face the room. He looked far more confident than the nervous guy who'd been standing beside me. Clearly, he knew how to speak to a crowd.

"As Fisher said, I'm Skylar Addison, and I'm stepping in to take over this project so that Swallow Cove gets the results it wants. I know you all don't know me well, but I've spent the past few weeks here, and I've vacationed here throughout my childhood. Swallow Cove is important to me. As such, my plan is to keep this resort in line with the town's character, so that you can benefit from tourism without being ruined by it…"

While Skylar outlined the nuts and bolts of the plan—the resort would lose the silly Caribbean theme and celebrate the lake; it would offer a public-access fishing hole to appease the Weekend Hookers; and it would fold in Swallow Adventures for boat tours and water sport rentals—my uncle, Boone Riggins, sidled over to me, my aunt Melinda right behind him.

"You know this fella well?" he asked gruffly. "I don't want Fisher caught up in any more nonsense."

"You can trust Skylar. He's only taking on this project to help out Fisher."

Boone looked skeptical, so I explained, "His father is the developer, not him, but he stepped up because the Wexlers are bad news. He's got a good heart."

"He's very handsome," Aunt Melinda put in with a smile. "Well-spoken, but without sounding snooty. I like him."

There was a knowing gleam in her eye that made me wonder if I'd been too defensive on his behalf. As far as my aunt and uncle knew, I dated women, but I wouldn't be surprised if rumors were flying around town.

Swallow Cove was small, and Skylar and I had spent a lot of time together. If we'd been pretending to be boyfriends for anyone other than Blaize, who was an outsider, everyone would have heard about it the second it happened.

Boone harrumphed. "We don't need handsome. Just honest."

"He's honest."

"Looks like Hudson approves." Boone scowled as if Hudson's approval might just be reason to dislike Sky.

"Hudson only approves because Fisher does," I reminded him. "You can trust their judgment."

"Well said." Melinda gave her husband a not-so-subtle nudge to behave.

Boone's smile looked like a grimace. "Right, right. So…did Fisher tell you he's moving into that blasted houseboat with the man?"

"He might have mentioned," I murmured.

At the front of the room, Skylar finished his plan and Fisher opened up the room to questions.

All hell broke loose.

Why should we trust any developer if the first ones were so bad?

How do we know Mr. Addison won't bait-and-switch us, too?

Who appointed you to determine what's best for our town? Your judgment is biased now too, isn't it?

Hudson defended Fisher, and when a Weekend Hooker—Ansel—gave him a hard time, Hudson's mother took the whole crowd to task over the way they'd treated Hudson like an outsider.

"Hudson has lived here for five years. He's organized a local event for you all!" Judy Nash exclaimed. "That Dock Hop is going to bring in business, which I know for a fact you all need. Isn't that right, Boone?"

My uncle raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, don't look at me. I'm participating in the event, and that's my son up in front of the room."

There was a note of pride in his voice. He may not have liked Fisher advocating for the resort redevelopment at first, but he'd come around.

He followed that up with a statement that shocked everyone silent for a heartbeat.

"You're right about Hudson, though. It's time we all accepted he's a Swallower for good."

The questions continued, but Fisher and Skylar stood strong, taking turns answering them. Skylar had done a lot of research leading up to the meeting, so he could provide the project timeline, number of jobs he expected the resort to create, and projected open date.

It was a year from now.

A year.

Did that mean Skylar would be in Swallow Cove all that time? It was possible he'd hire a contractor to oversee the project itself. Maybe he wouldn't stay.

But what if he does?

My heart quickened, palms breaking out in a sweat.

I'd spent the last three nights in Skylar's bed, and no part of me wanted to leave it. But getting closer to him had been easier because I knew he'd leave.

I didn't worry he'd abandon me like my father had when he'd killed himself with drugs or that he'd give up on me like my mother had when she'd dumped me with Grandma.

Skylar was leaving because he didn't live here, and so long as I knew he was leaving, I didn't have to be afraid.

But if he didn't have to leave, would he really stay? Or would I just lose him in a year instead of a few weeks?

Aunt Melinda jabbed Boone with her elbow. "You were going to tell Brooks something, weren't you? Don't forget."

"Oh. Right." He cleared his throat. "Uh, so as I was saying, Fisher is leaving his apartment."

"Yeah."

"That means it's available, if you're interested."

I blinked, caught off-guard. "Oh. Well, I…I don't know if I could afford the rent. That's a pretty nice place."

Housing was at a premium in Swallow Cove, and I had pretty much nothing to spare after Grandma's expenses at Silver Cove.

"Brooks, don't be silly," Melinda said. "You're family. Fisher didn't pay rent, and we don't need you to either, so long as you help with maintenance and yard work."

I could do that. In fact, it was the best deal I'd ever get in this town. And it wasn't like I could be Skylar's houseguest forever. He was staying at his parents' house, for one thing. For another, he might leave in a few weeks.

Or a year. I was still wrapping my head around that.

But something stopped me from accepting Melinda and Boone's offer.

The Riggins were my family, and they'd done their best to include me, but I'd never truly felt like one of them. Maybe it was childhood baggage, but I worried they saw me as a charity case. I didn't want their sympathy because I was the poor little boy abandoned by his parents.

Plus, things with Skylar were just heating up. Maybe it would be smart to go before I was in too deep, but I was pretty sure my heart had already set sail. If he was staying here, I wouldn't be able to stay away, not even for my well-being.

"I'll think about it," I finally said.

Melinda reached past Boone to squeeze my arm. "I hope you will. I'd love to see you more often, and lord knows the place will be too quiet without Fisher nearby."

"As if he's ever around this summer anyway," Boone muttered.

"You hush," she said. "You get to see Fisher at the store. I'm the one who's losing the most time with him."

Boone patted her back and shot me a sidelong look. "You'd be doing me a favor if you accepted."

A smile quirked my lips. Clearly, Boone wanted me to draw Melinda's empty-nester attention to myself. I wasn't sure that I wanted that. I'd been independent for a long time.

But I couldn't exactly go back to the stockroom. It wouldn't feel right to ask Skylar to lie for me.

The meeting wrapped up, and Skylar returned to my side.

I slid an arm around his waist. "You did great, Sky. Had them eating out of the palm of your hand."

Boone glanced at the way I'd casually claimed Skylar. Whoops. I guess that secret was out. Melinda just smiled, as if I'd only confirmed her suspicions.

"I don't know about that," Skylar said with a little laugh. "Fisher was the real charmer up there."

"He sure was," Boone said. "They'll listen to him if they're smart." He leaned in, lowering his voice. "But I'd never accuse Swallowers of being the smartest bunch. And that goes for myself as well."

Melinda laughed. "You've got a thick skull, but you get there eventually."

"Sky, have you met Boone and Melinda? These are Fisher's parents."

"And Brooks's aunt and uncle," Melinda put in pointedly.

"Yeah, uh, they're family," I said.

Skylar ignored my awkwardness and extended his hand to Boone. "Nice to meet you! I saw how you stood up for Fisher. He's lucky to have such a good dad."

Boone ducked his head. "Ah well, I guess it was the least I could do. Shoulda happened sooner."

"You showed up when it mattered," Skylar said.

"Listen to the man. He's clearly smarter than the average Swallower."

I smirked as Skylar shot me a little side eye at the Swallower remark. Our nickname for town residents took some getting used to.

"Thanks, Melinda. I see where Fisher gets his charm."

He shifted his hand to her, but she swept him up in a hug. Skylar went with it, smiling as she squeezed him.

"It's so lovely to see Brooks with a boyfriend," she said, voice warm.

Skylar drew back, stammering at the B-word, while I tried to ignore how much I wanted it to be true. A boyfriend would mean Skylar was mine.

And not just for a few weeks.

"You think about that apartment," Melinda said as they excused themselves to go congratulate Fisher on an obvious victory with the town. "We don't have any plans to rent to anyone else."

Skylar turned to me. "Apartment?"

"Fisher's leaving his, so they offered it to me. I can't really go back to that stockroom, so…"

"Oh." His eyes widened. "I wouldn't have told anyone about that."

"I know, but I won't put you in that position." I shrugged. "And I don't want to overstay my welcome."

Skylar shook his head. "You're not—"

"Skylar Addison, aren't you just adorable!" Mimsy, one of the owners of The Dirty Hoe gardening store, crooned.

Her twin, Pipsy—who had curly hair rather than a short bob like her sister—patted Skylar's arm. "I swear the young men in this town just get more handsome all the time!"

"Oh, stop it," Grandma Rosie said. "The boy could be your grandchild."

More Swallowers crowded in, all eager to talk to the project developer.

I leaned in. "I should get to work. See you over there once you're free of your adoring fans?"

Skylar gave a surprised laugh. "You're going to abandon me to the masses?"

"You can handle yourself," I said with a wink, then whispered into his ear, "and later, you can handle me."

Heat flared in Skylar's eyes. Under that look, my doubts about where I should live, how long I'd be able to hold on to Sky, and just how heartbroken I was going to be when he finally left disintegrated.

I only knew that I wanted him, and I'd keep wanting him.

The resort meeting crowd slammed The Rusty Hook with business shortly after I arrived. It took both me and Felix to keep up with the demand.

"I don't like it," Chester slurred, his eyes and nose red beneath his Weekend Hookers hat. "I'll never like it."

"A man can't even have his own opinion around here," Ansel grumped. "Or else he's in the dang doghouse."

Uncle Boone laughed and slapped his back. "Welcome to my world! But all the grief is worth it for a good woman."

Chester was still having his own conversation with his mug of beer. "I don't like it," he told his beer, "but I respect it."

I glanced across the pub to where Skylar sat with Poppy, Cash, and Sawyer. Fisher and Hudson had taken off after the meeting. Probably to celebrate in their own way.

I wished I could be privately congratulating Sky too, but I couldn't continue to miss work if I was going to pay the next Silver Cove bill.

Skylar appeared to be the man of the hour, and every few minutes, someone made their way over to talk to him. I kept an eye on him, just in case anyone dared to be nasty, but he was smiling.

Glowing, really.

I'd never seen Skylar so happy. I wasn't sure if it was excitement for the project ahead, the high of out-maneuvering those Wexler assholes, or the number of rum-and-Cokes he'd had, but my guy was flying high.

I sighed, wishing I could share that feeling with him.

"What's with the scowl?" Sawyer asked, taking the seat Uncle Boone vacated when he excused himself to go home.

He'd left a key along with his tip. Clearly, he wasn't going to take no for an answer on that apartment offer. And really, what other choice did I have but to accept?

I pocketed the key. "I'm not scowling."

"Tell that to your face," Sawyer said.

I frowned harder, which probably only proved his point.

"What's your deal? I'd think you'd be stoked about Skylar taking on this resort. Your man will be around a long time now, right?"

I braced my elbows on the bar so I could lean closer and not be overheard by half the dang town.

"I don't know how long he'll be around," I said. "Just because he's the developer doesn't mean he needs to oversee every step."

"I guess that's true. But he'll be here for a while to get the ball rolling and he'll have to make return visits."

"Probably." I scratched at my stubble. "But where do I fit into that? The occasional hookup when he's in town? I don't know, man. This wasn't supposed to be complicated."

He raised an eyebrow, pretty skeptical. "You got involved with a rich man who happens to own your pub, so basically, your boss."

"He's not my boss."

"A guy, when you've only ever been with women."

"So?"

"So, obviously, this was never simple, dude. You don't shack up with a guy and sex him up night after night if you're casual. You've never been casual."

I groaned. "I know, but it was always temporary. I knew I'd lose him."

Sawyer looked incredulous. "And you want that to happen?"

"No!" I spoke a little too loudly, and Chester turned my way. I waved off his inquisitive look and lowered my voice. "Of course, I don't want that. But when it was inevitable, I was prepared. What if he stays longer and then he still leaves ?"

"I don't have the answer to that. There's really only one person who does."

"I know."

"So why don't you talk to him? The bar is calming down. You could take a break."

I glanced across the room, catching Skylar's gaze fixed on me. My heart skipped and I flashed him a smile.

"Nah, this is his night. He's celebrating."

"Well, don't leave it too long," Sawyer advised. "That shit has a way of festering."

"No, I won't. I have to make some decisions soon, anyway. Uncle Boone offered me Fisher's apartment."

"No shit? You should take it. We both know your situation here isn't healthy. Unless…"

"What?"

His eyes narrowed on me, and he was far too perceptive.

"Unless you don't want to leave Skylar's place. You've been out there a couple of weeks now, right?"

"A few," I said. "To discourage his asshole ex."

"You seen him lately?"

"Nope. He's kept his distance."

Sawyer adjusted his ball cap and got up without saying a word, but he'd made his point well enough. If Blaize was no longer a threat, why was I staying at Skylar's place?

We both knew the answer to that.

It just scared the hell out of me.