“Yes, ma’am,” I say.

Her smile is back. “Good. See you in ten.” Then she disappears from my doorway.

Shaking my head, I finish getting dressed before making my way downstairs. In the dining room, all the tables are set for breakfast and most of them are full.

“Morning, Daren,” says Earl Whethers, one of the inn’s regulars, seated at the nearest table.

“Morning, Earl,” I say. “Where’s Vivian?”

He chuckles. “At the bar.” He points to where his wife is seated at the bar top, trying to sweet-talk a shot of whiskey out of Angelo.

“Vivian, like I said yesterday and the day before,” Angelo says. “The only drinks we serve at breakfast are mimosas.”

She curls up her lip. “You’re no fun, Angelo.”

“Sit down, sit down,” Earl says to me, and pulls out a nearby chair. “Ellen says you’re off today, so I’ve decided you should join me for breakfast.” I take a seat. “So what brings you to town?” Earl says with a wink.

“The car I was riding in broke down nearby, actually,” I say. “So I stayed the night.”

“With…?”

I lift a brow.

Earl says, “Oh come on, now. Everyone is talking about how you came to the inn with a young lady. Who is she?”

“Oh, Kayla? She’s…” I blink. Who is she? “She’s my friend,” I say. “Kinda.”

He laughs. “Sure she is.” Then his whole face changes and goes pale. For a moment, I think he’s having a heart attack because his eyes bulge and his limbs go rigid. But then he whispers, “Well, I’ll be…”

I follow his gaze and relax a tinge when I realize why his mouth is hanging open the way it is. Kayla has just entered the dining room. And now that she’s all cleaned up, she’s stunning.

She always looks incredible, but in the morning light coming through the dining room from the dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows she is completely breathtaking. Her hair is tied back in a mess, she’s not wearing makeup, and she’s dressed in a ratty tank top, torn up jeans, and dirty sneakers. But she’s absolutely beautiful.

Which just reminds me of what an asshole I am.

Earl clucks his tongue. “That might be the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

I pull my eyes away from her. “Tell me about it.”

“Is that your lady?” he asks with a dirty wink.

I smile tightly. “I wish.”

“What happened? Did you screw it up?”

“Yep.” I nod. “I sure did.”

He sighs. “Stupid boy. I tell ya. Youth is wasted on the young. If I were your age, I’d find a way to keep that girl happy and by my side forever.”

“Why?” I say defensively. “Because she’s pretty? Because she’s more than just her good looks, you know.”

“Well, sure—”

“She’s smart. And she sews. And she wants to be a nurse. And even though life has been shitty to her she has a kind spirit. And she cares about people even when they don’t deserve it—”

I stop talking because now Earl’s staring at me like I’m crazy, and maybe I am. In fact, I know I am.

I’m crazy for thinking I was ever good enough to touch or kiss Kayla. And I’m crazy for saying mean things to her and making her cry. And most of all, I’m crazy because I just now realized that I love Kayla Turner.

It just hit me. A lightning bolt in the middle of this dining room. A warm sensation rolls over me, overwhelming me with deep affection as I stare at Kayla across the room. Oh my God. I actually love Kayla. I love who she is and what she wants and how she feels.

And it scares the shit out of me.

Guys like me don’t get to have girls like Kayla Turner. Guys like me end up as alcoholics in jail. Guys like me can only dream of girls like Kayla Turner.

So go ahead, Earl Whethers. Look at me like I’m crazy.

Because I AM completely, utterly, irrevocably crazy.

“What?” I snap, staring down at my coffee mug.

Fortunately, Mable comes up to our table just then, saving Earl from my intense eyes, and sets breakfast down in front of us.

On the other side of the room, I watch as Kayla sits down at a table by herself. Mable moves to Kayla’s table, and Kayla smiles as Mable introduces herself and starts chatting her ear off.

“This bacon is amazing, isn’t it?” Earl says.

I stare at Kayla and distractedly say, “It’s really good.”

“You know,” says Earl as he butters a piece of toast, “I remember when I first fell in love with Vivian.” He laughs. “It scared the hell out of me. I never felt worthy of her.” He says. “I still don’t.” He looks at me and smiles. “But you know what? I never regretted going after her.” He takes a bite of toast. “And you won’t either.”

I look at Earl and frown. “You want me to go after Vivian?”

“No, dumbass. You know exactly what I mean.”

My eyes catch on Kayla’s eyes across the room and my whole body goes rigid as we lock gazes. I know exactly what Earl means.

33 Kayla

Daren’s eyes.

They’re killers. And if I keep staring into them I’ll be a goner for sure.

I drag my eyes from his and focus on the tablecloth, suddenly on the verge of tears again. Never in my life have I been so emotionally desperate for someone else.

I was supposed to come down here, sign my dad’s estate papers, then start a new life. It was going to be a crappy, poor life, but it was going to be mine—all mine—without anyone else being a wild card that could bail on me or die at any given moment.

But now… now my plan is blown to hell and all I can think about is how I don’t want to leave the crappy little town of Copper Springs because I don’t want to leave Daren Ackwood.

I AM A SAPPY, SAPPY GIRL.

My eyes snag on him again. It’s simply not fair how gorgeous he is. It’s cruel to everyone in the room. He outshines them all. And then add to it that he’s actually a good guy and not some arrogant spoiled frat boy and, well, everyone else may as well just give up on life completely.

I inwardly sigh. Why didn’t I realize what a gem he was when we were younger and I still had a shot? And why was I so unspeakably cruel to him yesterday? My God. I pushed every vulnerable button he had and watched him just fall to pieces. But the worst part? I love him. I watch as he cuts into his pancakes and my stomach does a summersault.

I love Daren. I love his soul. I love that he wants to do the right thing. I even love all his brokenness and misplaced self-worth. He’s crazy and insecure and terrified of getting attached to people and I absolutely love him. If only I’d know this about myself yesterday before I destroyed him with my words.

It’s hard to see love when you have it, but when it’s gone you’re blind to anything else.

He looks up and our eyes meet again. Mine sting with the threat of more tears but I can’t seem to look away from him. He tilts his head ever so slightly, like his big heart doesn’t want to see me sad, and the stinging grows hotter.

Why? Why in the HELL do I suddenly want to cry all the time?

“Good morning,” says a smooth voice. I look up to see Ellen smiling down at me.

“Good morning.” I smile back.

“Do you mind if I sit with you?” she says.

“Of course not.” I gesture to the seat, and she takes it.

“So. What are you doing today?” she asks.

“Nothing. I have no plan for today or any day after today,” I say wistfully.

She nods. “Okay. Well, do you feel like making a little bit of money?”

I raise a brow. “I’m listening…”

She smiles. “I’m short on staff. My prep cook just moved to Phoenix and I desperately need to hire a waitress, so I was hoping maybe you could jump in today and serve tables for a few hours. I’ll totally pay you.”

My eyes widen a smidge. I could really use the money but I don’t know…

“It would really mean a lot to me,” Ellen adds.

I bite my lip. “Okay.”

“Yeah?”

I smile. “Yeah.”

“Excellent!” she says. Then looks across the room. “Oh, some guests are here to check in. I’ll be right back.”