Sweet as Honey (Aster Valley 2)

I sighed. “My whole life is back in Houston. My mom, my sisters, my business.”

He nodded and took a bite from the apple. “True.”

Silence descended between us. Talking to Tiller was a very different experience than talking to Mikey. I liked his quiet calm.

After a while, I said more. “But I feel like I need some distance from my mom and sisters. As long as they have me to rely on, they don’t need to learn to rely on themselves.”

He nodded again. “Seems likely from everything I’ve seen.” He took another bite and chewed.

“And it’s not like I have a man back there. Or even good friends besides you two.”

“Mm.” Tiller kept chomping on the apple.

“And my construction business is fairly transactional. I don’t have any big projects looming right now. It’s how I was able to finally take a break.”

Tiller’s eyes sparkled. I knew he was happy to hear me getting around to his point without him having to say it. We both knew he wanted me to move here and help with the resort remodel. But it was a large undertaking, and I wasn’t sure I was up to the challenge. It would be easier to stay in Houston and keep building the business I’d already put so much blood, sweat, and tears into.

“Even if I lived here,” I continued, “would I really be the best person for Truman? I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“He deserves someone more… I don’t know. Polished? Educated? Interesting?”

Tiller’s smirk dropped, and he leaned toward me over the island. “Do you remember who dropped everything to board up my house when a hurricane was coming and I was in Cleveland for a game? Do you remember who picked my parents up from the airport in the middle of the night when I was stuck in San Francisco? And by any chance do you remember who stood up to five fucking asshole tough guys who tried to beat the shit out of Mikey in the high school parking lot one night after band practice even though your dad had been arrested only a week before and your mom was still in the hospital?”

“None of those things imply polish, education, or interest,” I said.

“True. They prove that you’re better than any of those things. You have a giant fucking heart, and you take care of people. You are selfless and protective, kind and hardworking. You are one of the most steadfast people I’ve ever known, and in almost six years of leaving Mikey behind while I traveled for work, I’ve never once had to worry about him. Because of you. Because I know you’re there and you love him as much as I do.”

I couldn’t meet his eyes. I didn’t like being the center of this kind of attention. “With a hundred percent less dick involved,” I clarified, in hopes of breaking the intense emotions of the moment.

He barked out another laugh. “Damned straight.” Tiller studied me for a minute. “Truman may not want to be coddled, I don’t know. But he could definitely use someone strong and protective in his corner, and he’d be lucky if it was you.”

“Thank you. Now shut the fuck up.”

“Detroit traded Owen Watson to Seattle,” he said as if we’d been talking football all along.

“No shit? Who’s going to replace him?”

Tiller and I spent a solid half hour speculating and talking smack about the league until a sleepy Mikey came shuffling out of the bedroom. “You two are not quiet,” he grumbled.

Tiller grabbed him and pulled him in for a kiss. “Sorry, babe.”

“How was your date?” Mikey asked with a knowing smile.

“Really fucking good. The man is an award-winning kisser. He showed me the view of town from his patio. I learned that he has a sister who teaches dance at a college, and his aunt actually got the farm in a trade from a homeopathic patient.”

Tiller’s jaw fell open in shock while Mikey begged for more details.

“You’re kidding me,” Tiller said. “I asked the same question, and you answered with a one-word grunt.”

I shot Mikey a wink. “You have to know how to ask.”

Tiller lifted his middle finger at me.

After I stopped laughing, I asked, “Do you guys know anything about a sheriff’s department fee the shop owners in town have to pay for law enforcement service?”

Tiller’s forehead wrinkled as he thought about it. “I don’t remember anyone mentioning it when I went over the licensing and business fees associated with getting the resort back up. Maybe it’s just for businesses in town? The ski resort is outside city limits.”

“If we go into town for breakfast in the morning, would you mind asking your friends there?”

Tiller and Mikey both nodded. I stood up and thanked them before heading to bed. I got as far as the bathroom to brush my teeth when my phone buzzed in my pocket.