Page 26 of Tricked in October
“Don’t get us wrong, we love the bar as much as you do. It’s been in our family for decades. But sometimes you have to know when to cut your losses,” Mr. O’Henry said.
Charlotte cried from the other room.
“We can discuss this more later,” Mrs. O’Henry said, standing.
Kelsey jumped to her feet. “Please, just put in the call to your friend. And in the meantime, I’ll weigh my options.”
Mr. O’Henry nodded. “Promise. First thing in the morning.”
“I think that’s a good idea.” Mrs. O’Henry gave Kelsey a weak smile before she embraced her.
The desperation to say something more clawed at her throat while her fingers trembled at her sides.
After Mrs. O’Henry pulled away, her eyes solemn, she said, “Just remember, those kids already lost their father, don’t put this need to keep the bar above being there for them.” She spun around and crossed the room to tend to a fussy Charlotte.
“While I appreciate that, Sandy, I can’t stand by and watch their legacy snatched away from them.” Kelsey turned and raced out of the room.
She left the house in a hurry, rushing down the steps, through the leaves, without even saying goodbye to the kids. Otherwise she may have said something she’d regret. She loved her in-laws, but sometimes, she didn’t understand them. Mr. O’Henry’s parents started the bar and grill decades before. O’Henry’s had been in the same building, the same location, in the heart of Pineridge since the beginning.
There had to be someone in the town that loved the bar enough and who also had the money, to help her save it. But who?
CHAPTEREIGHT
DAVIS
Overthinking was Davis’s forte.
He could overthink something to smithereens. Which was why he was having to remeasure everything on the Larson job. He couldn’t get his brain to concentrate. It was preoccupied; over analyzing the intense moment between him and Kelsey.
Cooper lay, curled in a ball on the floor, his dark eyes gazing up at Davis.
“Don’t give me that look,” he said to Cooper, pointing the measuring tape at the dog. “I know what you’re thinking. And no, just because I love her as a friend doesn’t mean I love her more than that.”
Never, in all the years he and Kelsey had been friends had his hands traveled her body. Never had her fingers gone to the nape of his neck. Never had his mind wandered to the places it had: a longing to explore her further.
It was almost as if for ten years he'd had blinders on, unable to see Kelsey as the woman she’d grown into. She’d been nothing more than his best friend. A person he confided everything to. His anguish when Garrett grieved the loss of Emma. His sadness when Lissa broke his heart and moved away. He shared with her his regret of signing the contract.
Now, the blinders had been removed. He was seeing Kelsey for the first time as not only a loving, intelligent, and determined woman, but an attractive woman at that. She had a rocking body with a backside he suddenly craved to touch.
No, not blinders. It had been months since he’d had sex. That was the explanation. Nothing more.
Except it felt like more.
There had been the comment made by Kelsey’s mom,I think my daughter’s always had a crush on Davis. Had she said that because there was truth to it, or had she said it because she’d been completely wasted?
Either way, the comment had caught him off guard, and caused him to over analyze his friendship with Kelsey. It had made him wonder, what could be.
It downright irritated him.
He had no business questioning their relationship. He’d never done it in the past. So why now? All it was doing was screwing everything up. Not only their friendship, but now his job.
This house was in the middle of filming. It was scheduled to be the last episode aired this year. Meaning, not only did the remodel need to be completed, but the house also had to be fully decked out for the upcoming holidays. He’d leave that task for Garrett to handle. Christmas hadn’t been a favorite holiday of his since he was a child and his dad had left.
The front door of the Larson house flew open, bringing with it a gust of autumn wind and withered maple leaves as Kelsey burst inside. Cooper lunged from his spot on the floor and let out a string of barks until he recognized the intruder and they turned into an excited howl instead.
Davis dropped the measuring tape from his hand, the metal winding up with a snap. “Kelsey? What the hell?”
“Hey, sorry to bug you, I just need to talk for a sec.” She closed the door behind her, tightening her jacket around her while she wiped her boots off on the front rug. Cooper met her in the middle of the room and she petted him before plopping herself down on the step of the sunken in living room.
