Love Me Reckless (Love Me Dangerous #2)

Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

KIRILEE

Though I send Birch an email with the link to the sales listing and an outline of the work I think it needs based on research I conducted, I try to put my request out of my mind. Birch is traveling a lot, and I’m working hard to build up my inventory after Autumn Fest.

But my thoughts seem to go round and round with the clay. I make careless mistakes, from trimming a bowl too thin to coating a mug with the wrong glaze to forgetting to turn on the kiln. Cleaning the studio at the end of the day helps a little, but each night when I climb into bed with my book, I wonder if Sawyer is reading the one I gave him, and what he thinks about it.

He's always so calm. Like dealing with cranky library-haters and cunning real estate agents is a breeze for him. And I’m not denying how my body reacted while watching him dig that hole in about two minutes, muscles flexing in the sunshine.

The way the afternoon sun brings out the gold flecks in his eyes sends goosebumps skittering over my skin. His teasing doesn’t help, either. He doesn’t really think I’m a princess, does he? Whenever he says it, I’m like a lit fuse, determined to prove him wrong .

I’m in the studio trying out a new type of porcelain the consistency of warm butter when my phone lights up with a text from Birch.

Below the picture of the little green house with the two giant trees in the yard and the big windows and the lush flower garden in the back that will be perfect for a watercolor plein air panting class is a simple message:

I’m not buying this dump

My hands are coated with clay, so I wipe off my fingertip on my apron and one-finger-type a reply.

It just needs a little bit of work

You should have consulted me

Wincing, I flip my phone face down because I don’t really want to argue via texting while I’m coated in clay.

And the last thing I want is to share that I consulted someone else.

My father’s words scamper through my mind: We trust Birch.

This leaves me with three options: defy my family and get my own loan… one I’m not sure I qualify for, given that I technically don’t have a job. Or dig in my heels, see if I can get Birch to change his mind. The last option is my least favorite: find a different property.

I leave a short message for the real estate agent thanking her for her time. It’s short and to the point, but my breath judders in my throat, and when I say goodbye, a big fat tear is skimming down my cheek.

That night, it snows again, and though it melts in town, the hillsides stay a pretty white. The ski area will be open before Thanksgiving if this keeps up. Will Sawyer take me up on my offer to teach him to ski? Part of me is excited, while the other part is hoping he’ll turn me down. Because I might like it a little too much.

By Friday, I’m so excited for my weekend of bachelorette fun that I can’t sit still. Throughout my Get Lit board teleconference where we discuss the next month’s agenda and the holiday events we’re planning in both libraries and rural schools, I have to sit on my hands to keep focused. It’s my goal that every child who signs up for a book through our program will get one from their wish list on Christmas morning.

After my meeting, I lead a tour of the ranch for a family from Copenhagen—the fit but aging parents and their two adult sons.

When we reach the upper ballroom, the afternoon sunshine is lighting up the white-dusted foothills and the distant peaks and rocky spires of the Bitterroots.

“Oh my, what a view,” the woman says, walking to the giant windows.

“This is the wedding venue?” one of the sons asks, gazing around the room.

“Yes.” I list off the highlights and options, including the private patio that can accommodate over 250 guests.

“You’re going to be married here, yes?” the woman asks, turning from the window.

“That’s right.” Maybe I’m just eager to get out of here and start my adventure with my friends, but my smile feels forced. “I can’t imagine getting married anywhere else.”

Both sons eye each other like they’re marking my words.

It’s creepy.

Finally, I can turn over the Larsons to our sales lead, Naomi, and make my exit.

At my bungalow, Sofie’s ancient Wagoneer is parked outside. My walkway is decorated with paper lanterns and turquoise and pink streamers hanging from either side of my door, framing what looks like a Polaroid picture collage of us.

“Here comes the bride,” Ava sings when I step from my car .

“This is so sweet!” I say as they hurry to hug me. Ava stuffs a white knit hat with “bride” stitched in loopy cursive on the lip on my head. She and Sofie slip on identical ones that say “babe.”

I squeeze both of my friends.

“Say cheese!” Sofie says, snapping a selfie of us with her phone.

Ava whips out a checklist. “You’ve got ten minutes to pack.”

I start to protest but Sofie waggles her finger. “Tick tock.”

Once inside, I race upstairs and grab my suitcase from the hall closet. Inside my room, I consult the list, my excitement growing with each item.

Dancing shoes

Bikini

Loungewear

Something sparkly

Night out attire

Night in attire

I don’t have time for deliberation, so I throw in everything on the list plus a few extra changes of clothes then pack up my toiletries.

“Time!” Sofie calls out from downstairs.

Feeling rather proud of myself, I zip the suitcase shut. I’m about to carry it into the hall when Sawyer appears, with Zach behind him. Both of their expressions are so full of mischief that I take a step back, but I bump into the bed, and my knees buckle.

“You need some help there?” Sawyer teases, offering his hand.

I slip my palm into his and let him pull me to my feet. “Apparently.”

He smiles, and our eyes lock. I gulp a breath as the warmth from our hands sends a little pulse through me.

Zach grabs my suitcase, startling me back to my purpose, which is not imagining Sawyer’s rough hands on my body and his bossy voice in my ear. “Let’s do this. ”

Thankfully, Sawyer steps back to let me follow Zach, and we hurry down the stairs.

Outside, Sofie and Ava have decorated my car with brIDE TO BE and BABES ONBOARD, with snowflakes and hearts on the back window.

I cover my mouth with both hands as my face heats. “You guys!”

Zach slides my suitcase into the back, and then he and Sawyer climb into the front.

“Come on, bride-to-be.” Sofie slings her arm through mine and kisses me on the temple. “Let’s go have some fun.”

During the drive, with me in the middle backseat, we listen to a playlist Sofie and Ava made of my favorite songs while we play Bridesmaid Never Have I Ever, which is a list of twenty questions about me.

“How many nevers did you get?” Sofie asks Ava across my lap, peering over her clipboard.

“Nine,” Ava replies. “You ready? I’ll start.”

From the front seat, Zach and Sawyer are talking in low tones, but I have a feeling they’re listening.

Ava consults her clipboard. “Okay, speeding ticket. Never.”

“True,” I reply.

“Yes!” Ava says, putting a check by her correct answer.

Sofie glances at her list. “Cried in a movie theater. Ever. Remember when we went to see The Fault In Our Stars ?”

“My mascara leaked all over your shoulder.”

Sofie laughs. “And you bought me that stuffed bunny to make up for it. I still have her.”

“Okay, next one,” Ava says. “Cut your own hair. Never?”

“Truth. ”

“Not even a little bangs trim?” Sofie asks in disbelief.

I laugh. “Nope.” My mother would hang me by my toenails.

“Okay, what about this one,” Sofie says, reading from her clipboard. “Lied to get a job. That’s a never.”

I nod. Mostly because I’ve never had a job. At least not one I’ve ever had to apply for.

“The next couple are nevers,” Ava says. “Broken a law, been carried out of a bar, gotten a tattoo.”

I glance up just as Sawyer gives me a sideways glance. He’s turned to Zach, so his face is in profile, and his lips are parted like I’ve caught him mid-sentence.

“Never.” But maybe not for much longer.

Sawyer arches an eyebrow, like he’s thinking the same thing.

“Okay, what about ‘peed your pants?’ Never?” Sofie asks.

I cover my face with my hands. “Ever. But I was only six, and it’s my brother’s fault.” It was after the kidnapping, and my parents were so tense. Without Grayson, we all would have cracked.

“I get it,” Sofie says. “My brother used to put peas up his nose to get me to laugh.”

“Ew,” Ava says, laughing.

“I totally did shit like that to William,” Zach adds from the front.

“Okay, next one. Used handcuffs? That’s a never.”

My skin prickles with heat. “Nope.”

“Maybe Sofie should answer that one too,” Ava adds in a low tone.

Sofie keeps her face blank but there’s a blush creeping up her neck. “This night is about Kirilee, remember?”

Zach gives Sofie a quick wink in the rearview mirror. It’s no secret that they are crazy about each other. I offered to get them their own room but they turned me down.

Sofie taps her clipboard. “Here’s two I know are nevers. Had an orgasm in public, and gone streaking.”

My mouth hangs open as my face ignites. “Never,” I squeak .

“Okay, last one,” Ava says, bumping fists with Sofie. “Bought sexy lingerie.”

“Ever,” I say with pride because it’s my guilty pleasure.

From the front seat, Sawyer rubs the back of his neck.

“Okay, this is the only one I’m not sure of,” Ava says, checking her clipboard. “Padded your bra. Never?”

My face is already hot, and being in the middle means I can’t roll down the window. “If it was a dress, not a bra, does it count?”

Ava and Sofie exchange a calculating look.

“I vote yes,” Sofie says.

“If the dress was intended to have the same effect as a padded bra, then yes,” Ava says, tapping her chin.

“Okay, then… ever.” My voice goes so high it’s practically a chirp.

Sawyer gives me another look, but it’s more of a scowl.

I squirm in my seat. “It was the gala for the Green Energy Awards. Birch had the dress altered but I thought it was to take up the hem.”

“Wait, Birch had… padding put into the dress?” Sofie asks, wrinkling her nose. “Why?”

“He wanted me to have cleavage?” I say it jokingly, but Sofie’s eyes tense with alarm.

Sawyer turns sideways in his seat, his gaze troubled. “Did you wear it?”

“It was too late to wear anything else.” I shrug, but the car has gone completely silent.

Ava takes my hand. “You’re perfect just the way you are, you know that, right?”

I lean into her and sigh. “I love you.”

“Love you back,” she says and kisses my temple.

Sofie offers me her fist, and I bump it with mine.

When we pull up to the hotel, while the guys check us in, Ava and Sofie usher me straight to our suite on the top floor. It’s a three-bedroom with a kitchenette, comfy living area, and the most gorgeous view. The sandy lake shore is dusted with snow and the sun is setting through a pale scrim of cloud cover, giving the water a hazy sheen. In the distance, soft green foothills dotted with aspen groves rise to snowy mountain peaks.

“Wow.” I walk past the dining area to the sliding glass door leading to our private patio.

Behind me, a cork pops, and I spin away from the view. In the kitchen, Ava is pouring three glasses of champagne. Sofie offers me one, then raises her glass.

“To Kirilee,” she says with a smile.

“To Kirilee!” Ava adds. We clink glasses and sip. The cool bubbles dance over my tongue.

A knock on the door sends Ava hurrying over. But it’s not the guys with our bags, it’s a hotel bellhop carrying a medium-sized houseplant with pale pink heart-shaped leaves in a white ceramic pot.

Ava carries the plant into the room, a curious look on her face. “It’s for you.”

“Is it from Birch?” Sofie asks, setting down her champagne.

“There’s a card,” Ava says, setting the plant in the middle of the coffee table and handing the envelope to me.

Inside, there’s a description of the plant and a typed note:

Enjoy yourself,

Birch

The high I’ve been riding since the journey pops like a soap bubble.

“It’s pretty,” Sofie says.

“Don’t eat it,” Ava says, scrutinizing the plant card’s information. “It’s toxic to humans and pets.”

“Birch probably couldn’t find a sustainable florist in Darby,” I say. It’s November, after all. Shipping flowers from South America would be an extremely wasteful use of resources.

“That’s thoughtful of him,” Sofie says, sending me a kind smile.

She’s right. So why does looking at this plant make me sad?

Ava tucks the card back into the envelope. “What should we do next? Are you hungry? We have dinner reservations for seven but we can move it up, or we could go into town?”

I smile at my friends. I’m so grateful for this time with them. “Let’s go jump in the pool.”

Ava pulls me into a hug and Sofie wraps her arms around both of us.

“I love you guys.” Excitement flutters inside my chest.

“We love you more!” We give each other one last squeeze.

There’s another knock on the door, breaking us apart. Sofie rushes over to let in the guys and our luggage.

Sawyer’s steady gaze lands on me, then he sees the tropical-looking plant. I wish I had thought to move it to the kitchen. Then I feel bad. Birch wouldn’t want me to hide his gift.

It’s confusing, and the way Sawyer’s turning away from me only makes it worse.

Sofie, Ava, and I quickly change and slip into the thick hotel robes. We polish off our glasses of champagne and head down to the pool.

Outside, the cold air pricks my hot face and bare legs. The sun has set, leaving just a purple bruise in the western sky. Above, the clouds have cleared and a handful of stars are visible. The rectangular pool flanked by handsome lounge chairs is lit by underwater lights, turning the water to a bright turquoise.

I drape my robe on a chair and hurry into the water.

“It’s so warm!” Sofie says, plunking down the steps next to me. Ava continues over to the poolside bar just as Zach and Sawyer enter through the pool gate.

Zach drops his towel and shoes and jumps into the deep end. He comes up next to Sofie and grabs her, making her shriek. He wraps her in a gentle hug and leans in to kiss her.

I’m so happy for her. She deserves to be with someone who is crazy about her, and cherishes her the way Zach does. The love they share is exactly how it’s supposed to be.

Ava arrives with a bowl of bar snacks plus strawberry daiquiris for us and sodas for the guys. We play Marco Polo and nibble on the snacks until we’re pruned. I’m feeling a little buzzed and blissfully happy by the time we climb out of the pool to get ready for dinner.

Sawyer comes up next to me. “That lake looks like prime skinny-dipping territory.”

I give him a look and reach for my robe. “There’s snow on the ground.”

“You’d have the whole lake to yourself.”

I give his shoulder a little shove. “I can’t jump in naked. That’s against?—”

He raises an eyebrow.

“…the rules.”

“I think you’re ready to break a few of those,” he says, his eyes filling with mischief. “Come on.”