Page 79 of Never Pucking Ending

“Are we doing a third coat?” I ask Belle, gesturing toward the wall.

“Oh, uh…” She looks over at them and shakes her head. “No, I think two will be fine since we were painting over white. If it’s splotchy in spots I can do them myself. You can go. I’ll finish up things here and meet you at home.”

I make sure she looks okay enough for me to leave and gather our garbage to dispose of elsewhere. “All right. I’ll see you tonight.”

I don’t press a kiss against her head like I want to or make any move in front of Dane. If I wanted to be a dick, I would have. But there’s no point in making the situation worse.

“Bye,” she squeaks out, wincing at the pitch in her voice.

I give one last look at Dane, nod in his direction, and take my leave.

I’ll have to make that up to her somehow tonight.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Belle

Dane and I are quiet for a long time after Jesse leaves, awkwardly staring at the piece of wood like it may start talking.

It’s him who breaks the silence first. “I guess that explains some things,” he says, almost more to himself than me with an edge of amusement that makes my shoulders a little less tense.

I shift from one foot to the other, rubbing my arm and trying my best to ignore the way my lips still tingle from the kiss. Do I play stupid? Ask him ‘what things’ and then pretend not to be embarrassed when he reminds me of the way I’ve acted around him because of Jesse?

No, I’m better than that.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him honestly, loosening a sigh and rubbing my face with my hands. I’ve been here for hours working on this place and I’m tired. “I didn’t mean for you to see that.”

Dane is hesitant and he’s watching me with a strange look on his face when I finally meet his eyes. “You don’t need to apologize. You don’t owe me anything, Belle.”

He sounds…sincere. But there’s a twinge of something else in his tone that matches the slight wince on his face as if he’s replaying what he walked into.

I should really ask him about the wood. Ask to see pictures of the shelf he started. Maybe offer him a coffee or one of the many baked goods I brought with me to deliver to the other local business owners. I even tied cute ribbons to the baskets of goodies hoping to smooth over any tension between me and the established businesses around me. Not that I think a chocolate scone will win over Karen, but it’s worth a shot.

“I think you’re a really sweet guy,” I admit, hoping to explain myself even if I don’t need to.

But he visibly flinches at the start of my cliché spiel. “You really don’t need to do the whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ thing. In fact, I insist.”

Wetting my lips, I nod. “Sorry,” I say again, internally groaning at the millionth apology he doesn’t want.

He looks down at the wood, running his hands over it. “I’d suspected that there may have been something going on the first time he walked in here. He didn’t seem happy you were talking to me. Then he showed up at Delmar’s and that sort of cemented the suspicion. I’m not judging. I just know the dynamic between you is…complicated since you were raised together.”

Quickly, I shake my head. “We weren’t. Our parents started dating when we were in high school, and we didn’t move in together until Jesse was a senior. Honestly, Dane, I’ve never looked at him as a sibling. It’s never felt that way. We basically lived together for a year and then he went halfway across the country for college.”

We may have formed a beautiful friendship over that year we lived under the same roof. And, sure, the crush I’d had since seeing him in study hall the first time when I was in seventh grade definitely reignited as I got to know him better. But nothing ever happened. We were friends. Friendly. Nothing more. He dated and had hookups and so had I. He took Brittany to prom, and I never went. Mostly because I didn’t have a date, but also because dresses were expensive. Had I secretly hoped Jesse would offer to go with me? Yes. But he had his own life in Denver doing whatever college athletes did and he briefly had a girlfriend around the time my prom was held.

Dane nods as he takes in the information I offer him, and I can see him accept whatever is happening in his head. He gestures toward the counter. “So this is new?”

I know he’s not asking about the counter itself, but what he saw on it. Internally, I cringe.

Honesty is the only option here. “I’ve had feelings for him for a very long time, but nothing ever happened until recently. We weren’t doing anything when I went out with you.”

I leave out the part where I couldn’t stop thinking about the man at home. And the piece of information about how Jesse used my toy on me after getting home from our date. Honesty can only go so far before crossing lines.

Dane hums as his only reply, probably wondering if there’s something I’m leaving out. But true to his word, he doesn’t press me on it.

“Can you…” I feel bad for asking, but I do it anyway. “Can you keep this to yourself for now? I don’t want my mom to find out and I know our mothers are still friends.”

Dane presses his lips together once before nodding. Then he chuckles to himself and pulls out his phone. “Trust me, Belle. You don’t have to worry about that. I like to keep out of business that isn’t mine.” He taps on his screen a few times before passing it to me, showing me the bookcase in what looks like a garage. “This is what I have so far. I’m thinking…”