Oh. Ooooh.
“I wonder what would have happened if he hadn’t interfered.” Then, finally, he looked at her.
Her heart started to pound as she studied Derek’s face—the long slope of his nose, the chiseled cheekbones, the strong jaw, the piercing dark eyes. He lifted an eyebrow, but if he were waiting for a response, there wasn’t much Ashley could say. The only response she wanted to give wasn’t safe.
Because … He. Was. Engaged.
“I guess we’ll never know.” Ashley forced herself to take a step back toward the trail. She located her fallen water bottle and picked it up. “Come on. We have a wedding venue to find.”
Chapter 9
Nothing allowed a man to take out his frustrations like wielding a nail gun.
Derek eyed the Iridescent Inn’s wooden flooring and determined the best place for the first hole. Holding the air gun at a forty-five-degree angle, he sent a nail flying into the wood. Then he moved the gun about six inches to the left and shot again.
Yes, definitely satisfying.
“I think you’re enjoying that a bit too much, man.” Ben dropped the next piece of wood between Derek and Evan, who sat on his knees against the concrete with a tapping block and mallet. “Thanks to you both for coming to help.”
“I don’t mind one bit. Madison’s hosting a book club at her house and I’m between classes, so I didn’t have much going on tonight.” Grabbing the new piece, Evan set it next to the wood Derek had just finished nailing. “Plus a bit of manual labor always feels nice. I haven’t had the chance for much of that lately.”
Personally, Derek had a ton of other things he could be doing right now at the vineyard, but he grunted in agreement anyway and jammed another nail through the wood.
“I appreciate it nonetheless. When Bella suggested renovating these rooms, I kept putting it off. The summer season kind of snuck up on me, but we’re almost done. Just the three rooms on this north part of the inn are left.”
The inn had sustained heavy damage during the earthquake last year, but Derek never would have known it otherwise. Ben must have worked hours on end to get it looking as nice as it did now.
Once Evan had tapped the next wooden piece into place, Derek followed along with the gun. Ben measured the gap between the end of the wood and the wall and headed out the door to the table saw. They’d only completed two rows so far, but according to Ben, the pace would pick up once they could use the flooring nailer.
“How was France?” Evan started on the next row, pushing the grooves onto the tongue of the second row. “I can’t believe you’ve been back for a few weeks and we’re just now hanging out.” He tapped the boards together.
“Sorry about that. Things have been busy.” The whir of the saw in the hallway cut through the air. “But to answer your question, it was great. I learned a lot that I’ll be able to implement at our vineyard. Made some great connections too. All in all, it was a good use of my time.”
“I’ll say.” Evan grinned. “You came back with a fiancée, after all. Did you guys date for long?”
“Not exactly. We were friends first and one thing kind of led to another.” Derek used his forearm to wipe away a trail of sweat from his hairline. When had the room grown so stuffy?
Glancing up from his mallet, Evan fixed him with a knowing look. “My story with Madison is kind of similar. Although she actually hated me when we first met. Well, met again for the first time since high school.”
“Sounds like an interesting story.” Derek didn’t miss the spark in Evan’s eyes when he spoke about his girlfriend. His ribs squeezed.
“It is. And like you, I don’t think you have to date very long before you know someone is the one.”
Derek coughed, scratching at a sudden itch on the back of his neck. “Does that mean you’re planning to propose?”
“Not quite yet. She’s still settling into town and her new job. But hopefully the timing will be right soon enough.”
“Congrats. That’s great, man. Sounds like you guys are happy.”
Ben came back in with a few more pieces of wood and set them on the ground, then leaned down to mark how long the last plank in the current row needed to be. “Evan here is more than happy. He’s a regular sap these days.”
Evan chucked a stray piece of felt underlayment at Ben. “You’re one to talk.”
“Nah, just you.”
“So if Bella was to walk in this room right now, you’d just keep on working then, is that right?”
“Yep.”
“Liar.”
Straightening, Ben rocked back on his heels. “Fine, you win. I’d march straight over to her, kiss her, and tell her I’m the luckiest man in the world for having a woman like her believing in me and challenging me to be better. That what you wanted to hear?”
“Yep.” Evan started whistling as he plunked the next piece of flooring into place.
Derek listened to his friends’ exchange, the ease with which they spoke about the women they loved, and something inside his chest rang hollow.
“What’s this about kissing and whispering sweet nothings in my ear?”
They all turned to find Bella standing in the doorway, a clear pitcher of lemonade and a stack of red Solo cups on a tray. Behind her stood Ashley.
It was like she’d materialized straight from Derek’s thoughts.
His whole body flamed hot.
While Ben and Evan eagerly made their way toward the women and the lemonade, Derek got to his feet and pushed open a window. The cool breeze of early evening skimmed his cheeks, allowing him to breathe more easily. But it didn’t loosen the thought that had been on
