Chapter 18

My ruby-colored crystals glowed a deep, rich red in the sunlight shining in through my open window. They were spread out on my coffee table along with other supplies I needed to make my suncatchers, and I smiled as I looked at them and remembered the conversation I’d had with Landon last night.

That big-city man is just one surprise after another, I thought as I picked up one of the crystals, adding it to the intricate design I was working on for Colten. Soft country music played on my TV, my only company as I pored over the suncatcher meant to remind Colten of this summer.

I moved onto the azure blue crystals next, hoping that he’d understand the story I was trying to tell with it once I explained it to him. Happiness filled my soul as I imagined handing it over once it was done. Making these was my one true love and I was grateful for the motivation and the opportunity to spend the day doing it.

Scott was working on my car at his house, so until he was finished this afternoon, I was stuck here. Brittany and I had pushed our Tuesday cleans to Thursday because of our transportation issues—her car was in the shop too—but I was okay with it even if it meant that Thursday was going to be crazy.

I hardly ever got to spend my time with my suncatchers anymore. Too busy with work and life, I always put it off until later and it was great that later had finally come.

As I sat in my mother’s old rocking chair in my living room, I kept my body moving gently back and forth as I threaded the crystals and tied off the ends of each different layer of my design. Faint sounds of cars and people filtered into my loft apartment from the street below, and I wondered idly if I could really just spend the whole day indulging in my hobby.

Life was happening outside right now and here I was, missing out on a sunny summer’s day, holed up in my little place above some of the businesses on the main drag in town. I chewed on my lower lip, then decided that for just one day, life outside could go on without me.

It was after ten a.m. and I was still happily sipping coffee, having showered earlier and changed into clean pajamas to be comfortable while I worked. I never took days off like this, but the fact that my car and Brittany’s broke down at the same time told me karma herself wanted us to do nothing for a change.

Either that, or the mechanic in town who had repaired both of our cars the last time they’d been in had used crappy parts. It was likely that this was the real explanation, but I was going with karma or fate.

The suncatchers against my ceiling cast reflections all around my apartment, at least a dozen of them scattered around the room. Whenever I was sad, I made one of these. Excited? Same thing. The list went on, but while I gifted most of them, I’d kept all those that meant the most to me.

As I looked at them now, tears filled my eyes when I thought back to the times I’d made them. One for each of my parents. One for the day we’d decided to start Tidy Touch and another for the first time I’d paid my rent with the money we’d made from it.

Landon was right to have asked me to make one of these for Colten to remember the summer by.If the boy had even an ounce of the appreciation I did for these things, it would be a reminder he’d keep forever.

Lazy but focused, at peace and humming along to the song on my radio, I felt happier than I had in a while as I worked on his suncatcher. Until I heard the roar of a loud engine outside.

I groaned loudly, getting up and poking my head out the window to see a flashy, cherry red sports car parking on the street below. My stomach sank and disgust rolled through me.

Dallas Styles, Jr.

I freaking loathed the guy. If there was one unromantic thing about the Manor and its history, it was the eldest grandson who currently owned the place. He was a reckless idiot with an entitlement complex who didn’t appreciate what he had at all.

Down below, Dallas climbed out of his car, his blond hair slicked back and his dull brown eyes covered by a pair of fancy sunglasses. He always stopped in on me when he was in town, and he lowered them as he spotted me, pulling them down to the end of his nose and staring at me over the frames.

“Hey, baby,” he called up to me with a cocky grin on his lips. “Looking good!”

My nose wrinkled and I pretended to gag, reaching for my window to close it. I had no idea why he always came to see me, but whenever I heard the roar of that engine it was like my soul got encased in concrete.

Dallas was toxic, a poison to town and everyone in it, and he was the only person I’d ever met who truly made my skin crawl. He was average looking at best, but his ego made him believe he was God’s gift to women.

He saw me pretending to gag and he threw his head back, laughing like he thought I was the funniest person he’d ever met. “Don’t play so hard to get, Jewel. You know you want this.”

Gesturing at himself in a designer suit that had no place in a town like June Lake, he didn’t seem to care that everyone on the sidewalk could hear him. Such was the extent of his hubris that it never mattered what I did. He simply believed I was joking.

There was no way a girl like me wouldn’t want him. I nearly rolled my eyes at the thought, but I was interrupted by his next display of dangerous overconfidence.

“Everybody wants this, baby!”

“Only in your fantasies, buddy,” I murmured to myself as I shook my head at him.

Even from up on my second level unit, I could see the sweat glistening on his forehead and I felt my stomach roll. Instead of engaging him, I reached for my window and closed it before I went back to work.

Dallas needed to get over himself, but since hearing it from me hadn’t worked so far, I figured it wasn’t worth wasting my breath to tell him again. Besides, what I was busy with was far more important than trying to get it through his thick skull that I did not, nor would I ever, want him.

I poured my heart into the suncatcher I was making for Colten, meticulously choosing each and every bead, crystal, and feather I used on it. Thankfully, Dallas never tried to come up, nor did he hang around outside trying to get my attention.

He simply came by, made sure I knew he was here, and then he took off again. Which suited me just fine. Of course, I would have preferred if he never came at all, but in the absence of that, at least he never wasted too much of my time.

While I was working, my phone rang and my heart skipped when I saw it was Samantha returning my call. At least Scott’s ex and I were on good terms. This was a small town. Their breakup hadn’t meant that she and I, or even her and Scott, weren’t civil to one another anymore.

Sam and I weren’t friends, exactly, but since there was no avoiding one another around here, we still saw each other and spoke quite often. I slid my thumb up from the green circle on my screen, smiling as I pressed the device to my ear.

“Hey, Sam,” I said. “Thanks for calling me back.”

“Of course,” she replied easily. “Sorry I missed you. Brody took off with Cole and some of the other kids and I had to track him down for a doctor’s appointment.”

“Is he okay?” I asked, genuinely concerned.

In June Lake, everybody looked out for everybody. We were a real close-knit community that way. Samantha chuckled. “He’s fine if you don’t count the fact that he skinned his knee when he tried to run away from me. He just had to go for a checkup for an ear infection he had last week.”

I sighed. “Summer equals swimming equals ear infections. I remember those days.”

She laughed. “I’m living them all over again, so what’s up?”

“Oh, uh, I was wondering if Brody could show a new kid around town this week?” I asked. “Colten’s here for the summer with his dad and he’s ten. I thought it might be nice if some of the kids could involve him a little bit?”

“Ten, huh? Well, Brody only turned eleven a couple weeks ago, so it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll talk to him, but why are you playing matchmaker for a tourist kid?”

That’s a darn good question.“Landon, the dad, hired TidyTouch to help them out while they’re here. I spoke to the kid a little bit when I was there yesterday and he seems pretty lonely. All he wants to do is play chess and Landon is worried about him, just wanting to sit inside when he could be out enjoying the sunshine with other kids.”

“Wait,” she said slowly, dragging out the word. “Are you talking about the single father and his son who are living at Styles Manor for the summer?”

“You’ve heard about them?”

She let out a bark of gleeful laughter. “Everybody has heard about them. I also heard that the dad, Landon then, is hot as hell.”

“That he is,” I agreed. “So damn hot, but he’s also a really good dad who’s worried about his kid. I haven’t made any promises, but I said I’d reach out to you and find out if maybe Brody and his friends could hang out with Colten once or twice. Just see if they hit it off?”

“It must be terrible for a boy that age to be stuck inside that big old house with only his dad,” she said sympathetically. “Not that I’d mind being stuck in that house with his dad, but kids need other kids who can keep up with their energy and get into mischief together.”

“My thoughts exactly,” I said. “Will you talk to them?”

“Sure,” she replied. “I can’t guarantee anything, but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a bit of extra company. He’s gone back to the park with Cole for now. As soon as he comes home later, I’ll talk to him and let you know?”

“Thanks, Sam,” I said, relieved and excited on Colten’s behalf. “I’ll talk to you later.”

We said our goodbyes and I went back to the suncatcher, eager to hear from Sam but knowing that it wouldn’t happen for a few hours. Once kids like Brody and Cole hit that park on their bicycles, they’d only go home once the streetlights came on.

I smiled as I envisioned Colten with them, carefree and grinning like he had on that beach with us while we’d been tossing the football around. From the sounds of things, the kid just needed a break and I was so happy I might just be able to give him one.