Chapter Eight

When Bree arrived, she did so on her own. To say I was surprised would’ve been a vast understatement, especially considering just how much she and her brother did together. However, to be honest, I was also relieved.

Her brother was kind enough, but I could see how much my being anti-social must’ve bothered everyone else around me. I never liked the idea of being a burden, though I hadn’t realized just how standoffish I was until I wasn’t.

“Well?” Bree said with a kind smile. “Are you going to let me in?”

Shaking myself aware, I managed a nod, then stepped out of the doorway so she could get out of the cold. Cold that usually doesn’t bother her, I thought as she removed some of her extra layers.

“It’s a little cold out there tonight,” I said, calmly closing the door behind her. “I could put more wood on the fire if—”

“I’ve got it,” she said before I could finish. “You might be my host, but I’m still expecting you to stay off that leg for as long as you can.”

I fought back a growl as I’d honestly gotten tired of playing the injured party. I was fine. So what if my leg zinged me every now and again? At least I could walk on it without pain shooting up my spine.

“It’s annoying, I know,” Bree said with a slight chuckle when she turned to face me again, “and I’d be the same exact way. However, unless you want to get holed up in this house all over again, I suggest you follow your doctor’s orders.”

“Who isn’t a doctor,” I reminded her.

“True,” she agreed, “but I’m as close to one as you’re going to get unless you want to drive clear out of town.”

Yeah. Driving over twenty miles didn’t sound that fun to me. Besides, the bone never broke through the skin. It was just a lot of bruising, a gash, and one mean sprain. I could take it easy for a few more days. No doubt it would take even less than that.

“Jackson would’ve joined me,” Bree said, breaking the silence between us as she headed for the kitchen, “but he wanted to get a head start on what we’ll need for tomorrow.”

“Another job?” Don’t you two ever take a break? It seemed as though every time I turned around, they were helping someone else. Their kindness was refreshing but could also be abused if they weren’t careful. I’d learned that lesson myself.

“I hope they’re planning to pay you with more than a few pastries,” I said as I gestured at the pink box still sitting out on the counter.

“They are,” Bree said with a nod. “Handsomely as well, so the extra effort isn’t a problem at all.”

“Do you need help? Does Jackson need—”

“He’s fine,” Bree said as she placed a hand on my arm, stopping me on my way back to the front door. “Everything is fine. He said as long as I bring home a plate, I can stay as long as I like. Considering the last meal you served, the invitation wasn’t something either one of us wanted to pass up. You know, if you ever do go back and want to quit that business of yours, I bet you’d make a fine chef.”

I wasn’t so sure about that but I smiled anyway. “It’s just what I’d make for myself. Comfort food, you know?” While I’d tried to stay off the carbs as much as I could, it was kind of difficult when everything Bree managed to bring back from the store was highly processed and full of sugars.

But once I’m back on my feet… I’d be back to my old routine in no time.

“Well, whatever it is, it made Jackson smile, and I almost never see him smile,” Bree said. “So thanks for that.”

Following her back toward the kitchen, I resisted the urge to fix the screen in front of the fireplace which was off-center. I can fix it later. Once Bree was gone.

In the meantime, I joined her in the kitchen and removed the casserole from the oven which I’d set to ‘keep warm’ earlier in the evening.

“That smells delicious,” Bree said as she gravitated toward the dish like one of those old cartoons.

“It should,” I said with a laugh, “I made it with the ingredients you got for me.”

She winced at that. “I’m sorry, it’s just… when I saw your list, I knew you’d be off your feet even longer. I promise, the next time I run into town, I’ll get all of the green smoothies and vegetables you want. But when it comes to healing, doubling up on proteins, carbs, and getting a lot of rest is best.”

She would know considering she’d spent her entire life out here.

“Besides,” she said as she took her place at the counter, “it’s perfect for these colder days. It fills your stomach and causes you to overheat.”

She’d get no arguments from me. While the fire kept the rancher nice and warm, having something in my stomach was always good.

Realizing we were sticking to lighter conversation and not really caring about the weather, I said, “How is Jackson, really?”

Bree paused while trying to serve up a spoonful of casserole. “How do you mean?” Her voice skipped. “As a person?”

“No. What I mean is…” I chewed my bottom lip and considered my next words carefully. “His cautiousness and being anti-social, has he always been like that, or—”

“Or did it come around after our folks died?” Bree shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. I mean, he was always shy, but I feel like things got a lot worse once our folks passed away. I probably would’ve reacted the same way, but I was the oldest…” She trailed off, plopped some food on her plate, then sat down on her side of the counter and said nothing else.

“How old were you?” I asked, hoping I hadn’t overstepped.

“Nineteen, almost twenty. We were just two kids finding our place in the world. We managed to live off our savings for a little while, but when the funds started to run out, we scrambled. We took whatever jobs we could, working all hours of the day to the point of passing out. The first year was full of stress, tension, and more fights than I’d care to count. Needless to say, I didn’t realize his change in personality until years after it probably began. You know, to how it is now.”

I nodded my understanding. “I can’t say I remember when I started to get standoffish with everyone. I know I was outgoing as a kid, but I think once I hit the third or fourth grade, I enjoyed the worlds I found inside of books more than anything else.”

“That’s how Jackson is with nature. Being outdoors is his happy place. Once I realized this, the idea of working with house repairs and construction seemed like the perfect fit.”

“And is it?”

“It keeps him out of my hair, so I can’t complain. How about you? Have you and your sister ever been at odds with one another?”

“If we were, she never told me. Up until we started our business where I had to put my shyness aside for something else, she did whatever I wanted. If I didn’t want to go out with that group of kids because one of them teased me or looked at me wrong, she’d stay home. I feel like she missed a lot of good opportunities because of me, but—”

“She didn’t,” Bree assured me with a small smile. “Jackson thought the same thing when I sided with him instead of whoever I was with at the time, but I truly believe he’ll be with me to the end. I can’t really say that about anyone else.”

“Not even if you get married?”

She shrugged. “Hard to say as I haven’t found her yet.” She gave me a pointed look, then averted her gaze. “Anyway, that’s pretty much where I stand with the whole dating thing.”

“It’s like you said. You haven’t found the right one. I’m sure once you do—”

“Nothing will ever change. Listen, you have a close bond with your sister, but if you should ever experience a loss like we have, it’s tenfold. There’s no comparison, and to be honest, I’ve stopped trying to find one. He’s all I’ve got, and even if I did find someone to accept him as well as all of our faults, he’ll always come first. He’s my baby brother. If I didn’t have him, I just…” She shook her head, then tried again. “I don’t know.”

Silence fell between us then, a long uncomfortable silence that I desperately wanted to break. However, without knowing what to say next and not wanting to press her further, I kept my thoughts to myself, focusing on the food on my plate instead.

Bree wasn’t doing any better, chasing the pasta around without taking a single bite.

“I’m sorry if it’s seasoned too much,” I apologized, clearing my throat when my voice refused to work. “I’d offer to wash it off if it’d help.”

Now she did look at me. “Oh no, it’s nothing like that. The food is fine—”

“You want to go and help him, don’t you?” I asked with a sheepish grin. “It’s okay. I don’t mind. I guess I understand your situation more than I realized.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Because of every dinner my sister had to ditch when I was overwhelmed or having a bad day. I’d call her in tears and completely interrupt whatever she was doing. Instead of telling me she’d call later, she’d simply pay her bill, maybe drop by the corner shop for a pizza, then drive straight over. Man, I was a handful, but you know what? If she’d shrugged me off? If she’d told me to wait? We probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

“You don’t think you’d still be close?”

“I do, but there’s just something about the way she handled everything so many years ago that… I don’t know. It makes it feel like she’ll always have my back, even if my decisions don’t fully align with hers.”

“You really do understand.”

I offered her a partial shrug. “It helps having some experience in this, even while sitting on the other side of the table.” I kept a straight face long enough for her to get the joke, then laughed. “Go on and see what you can do. You can always come back later, if not today, then maybe tomorrow.”

“You have no idea how much this means to me,” she said as she got up from the table.

“Just give me a sec to wrap things up for you.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble—”

“Jackson will send you back over here if you don’t,” I reminded her, smiling when she paused in the doorway.

“You really are too kind.”

“Hey, this is just my way of thanking both of you for everything you’ve done,” I told her once I rejoined her in the living room with the casserole.

“Carley…”

“It’s fine,” I assured her when she tried to hand back the dish. “I ate my fill and have plenty of other supplies if I want to make some more. Take it. That should make life a little less hectic today and tomorrow.” Possibly the day after depending on how quickly the two of them went through leftovers.

“Thank you.” She smiled at me then, hovering a moment longer as she reached for the door.

In that moment, I can’t honestly say what came over me. Maybe it was because of how she looked at me then with her intense eyes and kind smile. Or maybe it was because of what she’d said at dinner. Regardless of the reason, something my sister said kept playing in the back of my mind.

What if she’s my fated?

I’d sworn tonight wasn’t a date, but considering the fact Bree still hadn’t left…

I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. When Bree didn’t move, I leaned in further, placing a hand on her arm before gently kissing her on the lips. It was awkward having that dish between us, but I managed. That is until she froze up and pushed me away.

“Carley, what—”

“Oh god, I’m so sorry.” My hands shook as I backed away from her. “I just thought… I thought… nevermind.” Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She’d just gone over why she hadn’t found the right person. We’d just talked about it, and yet—

“Carley, look—”

“No, I get it.,” I said, wincing when my voice shook the slightest bit. “I stepped over the line. I’m sorry. It’s just that my sister’s been putting these ideas in my head, and I just thought, I thought, I was hoping… nevermind.” Then, taking a breath, I said, “I just thought that by coming over tonight without Jackson, and after the way you looked at me during dinner, I don’t know.” Clearly, I wasn’t thinking at all. “We were having a good time.”

“As neighbors,” Bree said, holding the casserole dish a little harder than she needed to. “I’ve never been one to turn down free food, especially not the homemade variety, but this cannot happen. Not again.” She spoke in a tone I didn’t recognize. It wasn’t hard so much as nervous. Uncertain. “There are things you wouldn’t understand, things I can’t explain—”

“Your brother. I know. But he seemed fine the other night. A little guarded maybe, but—”

“He isn’t the issue. Listen, I can’t get into it right now, just trust me when I say we’re better off as neighbors and leave it at that.” She turned to go. “I really am sorry, Carley, but things are better this way.”

She didn’t wait for an answer, draping her extra layers over one arm before opening the front door.

Unsure of what to say, and with our kiss still playing on my lips, I simply followed her out onto the porch and watched her go. As I did, my heart sunk even lower.

She never looked back.

You really screwed up this time.