Page 26 of Keeping it Local

I couldn’t let that happen.

Chapter 12

Beth

Johnny had surprised me. When I suggested we get up on stage, I was half joking, not expecting him to go along with it—especially since he’d scoffed when Lane told us about karaoke night.

I’d have to be careful though. He and I both knew that I was leaving in August. We had the agreement to be casual this summer, but I had never done casual, and I had no idea how to navigate it. I could sense myself already getting attached to him just in the last few weeks. I was in Port St. Clair for a reason. My goal was to learn some new skills, get a breather from the farm, and come back in one piece—heart included. So, as much as I wanted to enjoy the summer and take Megan’s advice to let loose a little, I needed to be aware of keeping things separate as much as I could.

Johnny wasn’t making it easy though. After we left the bar, he asked if I wanted to come over for a bonfire. Of course, I said yes, and as we pulled in, I was pleasantly surprised with his place. The house itself was a small old cottage that looked like a log cabin with green shutters. The backyard was surrounded by giant white hydrangeas and a weathered wooden fence that looked like it had been there since the house was built. The backyard had an old swing and a big fire pit in the middle with trees surrounding the entire space, making a little backyard sanctuary.

I tried to psych myself up while he was in the house, nervous about what I knew would happen, even though I wanted it. I paced around as he joined me in the backyard, followed by his golden retriever who nudged me for a pet with his nose.

“You remember Oberon.” Johnny said, nodding his head toward his dog. He handed me a beer. “Here you go.”

I probably didn’t need alcohol, but I took the beer, leaning in to pet the pup. We both watched as Oberon laid down next to the fire pit, chewing on one of his toys.

“This is beautiful back here,” I said, taking a seat in one of the chairs he had lined up around the fire pit.

“Thanks, still needs some work though. It’s coming along.” Johnny finished stacking up the wood and lighting it, and within a couple minutes, we had a blazing fire lighting up the whole yard.

“Not sure there is much else to do.” I sipped my beer, then picked at the label.

“Always something to do.” He sat on the swing, pushing back and forth a bit. “Why are you sitting all the way over there?” he asked, turning his head to the side, with his mouth turned up at the corner.

“Oh,” I said.

He patted the swing next to him, giving me a side-eye.

My heart picked up as I met his gaze head on. I told myself I could do this. I wanted to do this, but I didn’t know how.

As if he read my mind, he said, “Stop thinking about it. Just come over here.”

I stood up and trailed along the edge of the patio before taking a seat on the swing next to him.

“See. I’m not too scary.”

And he wasn’t. He was giving me my space even though I said I wanted this. Meanwhile, my body language was all over the place. I was the definition of giving mixed signals. “Not too scary.” I shook my head. “Sorry, it’s just that it’s—it’s been a while.” My ears heated and not from the fire.

“That’s okay. I’ve got nowhere to be,” he said, smiling at me with a quirk of his lips. “So, how’s it going living with Megan?”

It was good to talk about something else instead of shining a spotlight on the constant pull of attraction I felt for him. I knew he felt it too because of all the little touches and looks, but he was treading lightly.

I cleared my throat. “It’s going really well. Surprisingly well, actually. I’ve only lived with my parents or on my own, so I’ve never had to deal with having a roommate. Megan’s been great though.”

“Never had to deal with the college roommate fiasco then? That’s not a bad thing. My freshman dorm situation was a shitshow.”

I furrowed my brow. “Really? How so?”

“All I’ll say is walking in on your roommate when he’s balls deep in the girl down the hall doesn’t help too much.” He laughed. “It wasn’t terrible, but I never looked at him the same way again—I’ll tell you that much.”

“Jeez—yeah, nothing like that. And luckily, we haven’t had to navigate that here either.”

“Yet.” He turned toward me and took a swig.

I felt his gaze everywhere. Every part of my body lit up with the energy that was between us. The heat radiated down to my toes, all the way to the place that hadn’t had much attention recently, either. I knew he could feel it too. His eyes didn’t leave mine, and he swung his arm to the back of the wooden swing, still not touching me, though my body prickled knowing he was so close.

I had to give it to him. He didn’t push and was letting me set the pace. I wanted this though. I was tired of feeling like I didn’t have control of my own life. I wanted to take what I truly wanted and make my own decisions, and maybe this is where it started. This could be something that I did for just me. Just thinking about it, I felt myself getting worked up, taking myself back to when I kissed him in the parking lot, remembering what his soft lips felt like against mine.