Page 47 of The Influencer and The Introvert
“Huh. That’s cool.”
“He’s not seeing anyone, Colt,” supplies the woman in front of me, and Colt nods graciously.
“Thank you, Evelyn.” Colt winks again and mouths,told you.
Colt moves off to help a teenager, and I focus on my changes. Which is hard because everyone around me adores Colt. The older man with the modified paintbrush speaks a bit too loudly, and he mentions how much he enjoys coming to paint days just because of Colt.
Looking around the room, my attention no longer on my project, it’s clear to me everyone in this room is here for personal time with Colt. They might like to paint and needed the day out, but Colt could have offered time reading from the phone book, and they’d still show up for him. Is he even aware of how much the people in this roomadore him?
Including me.
He announces we have ten more minutes before cleanup has to start, and that’s when the lady next to me pokes her head over again.
“He’s good, right?”
I don’t think she’s talking about the painting lesson, and neither am I.
“He’s the best.”
Somewhere in between a late-night talk over homemade pizza and a somewhat unsuccessful paint lesson, one thing is more obvious than my lack of painting skill.
I’m falling for Colt Beckworth.
Chapter 15
Colt
“Colt, I need a second trail hand for an overnight camp tonight.”
Gunnar stops in the barn aisle while he searches for me. When I poke my head out of a stall, he walks over.
“Yes, I can do that.”
“Sorry for the short notice, but your boyfriend keeps us busy. I’m not sure if I’m happy about it.” He laughs.
“He’s doing his job.”
Gunner smiles. “So you didn’t deny the boyfriend bit, I notice.”
“We haven’t labeled it or anything, but that’s probably accurate.”
What else would I call the man who basically lives at my place now and shares my bed every night? He’s certainly not a houseguest.
“You know, when I said you should go for it while he’s here, I didn’t think you’d move the guy in. It’s all or nothing with you, isn’t it?”
I’ve thought about that a lot since the first morningI woke up with Ethan. Maybe it’s a dumb move on my part, but I’ve never felt better about a choice.
“We have so little time, so why not make it count? When his contract is up, I don’t know where he’ll be or if I’ll see him again. I want every second I can with him.” Even if it crushes me when he leaves. I’ll keep that part to myself for now.
“I can understand that.” Gunner bites his lip. “Invite him with you tonight. He hasn’t been on an overnight trip yet, right?”
“No.”
“Call him right now.” Gunner laughs when I immediately reach into my pocket for my phone. “He’s got you carrying your phone all the time. That’s a feat. Are you texting now, too?”
Dropping my head to hide my smile, Gunner laughs again. “Good for you, Colt. No matter what happens, this is a good thing for you. Tell him to be here at 4 PM, and we’ll ride out about an hour later.”
After Gunner leaves, I walk to the far end of the barn and step into the pasture to call Ethan. He picks up on the second ring.
