“I’ll make a note before bed tonight,” I promised, then realized something we hadn’t considered when we’d made the decision to share the cabin. “Umm, speaking of beds, we might want to check and see if the couch pulls out into one. If not, Mav and I could always sleep on the hearth in front of the fire, since we sleep in our fur just as often as we sleep in our skin.”
“You guys shouldn’t have to sleep on the floor; that’s hardly fair. I can take the couch and let you guys have the bed,” Leo said. “Considering there are two of you and only one of me.”
“Or we could just share the bed,” Maverick said, shrugging. “Like Briar said, we enjoy sleeping shifted anyway.”
He looked a bit startled by that, a soft flush spreading over the bridge of his nose as he glanced from me to where Mav was sitting beside him.
“I-I’m not sure that would be a good idea,” he said, lips quirking into a lopsided grin. “When I first saw you guys curled up on the bed, I thought you were life-sized stuffed animals. I’d fully intended to cuddle with you when I went to sleep. I wouldn’t want to offend you by accidentally doing it while I’m zonked out.”
“I love cuddles,” Mav declared. “It wouldn’t offend me in the slightest.”
“You’d hear no complaints out of me, either. With that king-sized bed in there, we’d all be comfortable.”
“I guess we’re all sleeping together then,” Leo declared, his flush deepening when he realized how what he’d said could be taken.
Mav’s giggles made him slap a hand over his eyes and groan, while I just sat there enjoying the moment, eager to see what the next two weeks would bring.
Chapter 5
Leo
I’d meant it when I told the medics that I felt like the winds of fate had shifted and finally started blowing in my favor by landing me in this cabin with these two gracious and inquisitive men. The meal we’d shared had been simple but utterly delicious fare.
Chatting with them was easy and amusing too when they finished each other’s sentences or corrected the details of the stories they told, breaking into mini-debates when one remembered things in a significantly different manner from the way the other did. Their lighthearted teasing and creatively outrageous means of threatening one another quickly clued me in that they’d known each another for years, though I couldn’t tell if the bond between them was friendship or something deeper. What I discovered right away was that they were careful and extremely considerate to never make me feel like a third wheel even in the midst of their shenanigans. They had a way about them that left me feeling comfortable and at ease. I don’tknow how they managed it, but they left the window open for me to contribute to the conversation without feeling like we were playing twenty questions.
It made for a truly pleasant meal as the sky outside grew darker.
Now here we sat in the living room with the fireplace crackling and the flatscreen displaying an array of streaming service options and cable channels.
“So, is anyone in the mood for something particular, or shall I just scroll through the stations until something catches our eye?” Briar asked.
“I think Leo should pick,” Maverick suggested, causing me to whip my head around to look at him all reclined and cozy in the easy chair furthest from the fireplace with a throw blanket draped over his legs.
“Me? Why me?”
“’Cause you can tell a lot about someone by what they choose to watch,” Briar remarked, flashing Maverick a toothy grin.
“Why do I detect a story there?” I asked as I accepted the remote Briar passed me.
“Because even after fifteen years he still insists that he knew we were going to be the very best of friends after I cheered when our fifth-grade teacher announced that we’d be watching the cartoon Alice in Wonderland as our reward for completing our reading goal.”
Briar just shrugged and flashed a lopsided grin. “What can I say? I was in love with the caterpillar and the Cheshire Cat. I still consider them to be two of the best characters ever created. I absolutely love how they brought them to life in the live-action movies too.”
“Oh my god, now you’ve got me wanting to find the ones with Johnny Depp,” I declared, getting excited to learn thatwe had something in common. “Those are some of my all-time favorites.”
“Seriously?” Maverick asked.
“One thousand percent.”
“I’ve got the Disney Channel app,” Maverick said. “I can log into it and pull all three movies up for us if you want to see the animated one too.”
“Hell yeah!” I replied.
“Alice in Wonderland movie night for the win!” Briar screeched, sounding almost like the little squeaky roars Maverick had let out after he’d seen me in their room. “You know what will go perfect with that, right?”
“Hot spiced tea and toffee-buttered popcorn?” Maverick asked, sounding an equal mix excited and hopeful.
“Abso-fuckin’-lutely,” Briar remarked, “and all we’ll have to do is make the tea. I made a few tuna and cucumber sandwiches when I was whipping up supper, they are already cut into squares and sitting in a container on the top shelf so we can all help ourselves if we get hungry later.”
