Penn was bending and looking them over. “The only one I don’t think we can save is this one.” He tapped on a skinny pull-out. “This one is particle board.”
“Agreed.”
By the time the sun started to sink over the valley, the sky had gone the color of steel and pewter, that soft, blue-gray that made the valley look like a watercolor painting. We’d made great headway on pulling all the cabinets out in one piece, only breaking one that we hadn’t meant to.
“Let’s call it a day. I’ve got dinner. You’re welcome to come.” I cast a look over at Penn as we put away our tools. He was still a bit of an unknown to me. He didn’t welcome much chit-chat about his personal life, and according to his personnel file (which I’d had Redhawk run), there wasn’t much of one to be found.
“Thanks, but I’m good.” He didn’t offer any other explanation as he finished up with the tools, and I didn’t bother to press him. There was a lot about Penn that reminded me of myself—someone who was running from their own secrets. “I’ll lock up. You go on ahead.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow.” Pulling off my gloves, I dusted off my jeans before climbing into the truck.
The snowmelt had turned the road into ruts and mud, and the truck rumbled as I headed toward Maggie’s place. It was a good twenty-minute drive, and the house had been chilly with the slider open. We had the power off while we worked, so I turned up the heater to blow warm air across my boots.
Swinging by the cottage, I stopped the truck just long enough to get out and walk around to the passenger door before Lila locked the front door. She turned to me with the pink in her cheeks and that smile that spread across her face when she saw me.
She practically ran down the path. I would have swung her up in my arms, but it looked like she was carrying a casserole full of something. “Let me take that, sugar pie.”Settling it safely on the floorboards gave me free hands to pull her close and get a full kiss against the truck. “Mmm, is it too late just to stay home?”
My hand roamed up under her sweater, over the lace of her bra, feeling the peak of her nipple hard against the fabric. Her little moan nearly undid me right there out in the open. The wicked girl had been texting me all day, and I was ready to text Maggie and say we weren’t going to show up for dinner.
“Yep, it’s too late. I made funeral potatoes.” She shrugged as she climbed into the cab, her eyes sparkling in amusement.
Fastening the seatbelt around her lap, I made sure to drag it nice and slow over her hips, letting my thumb drift over the apex of her thighs before clicking it. “Got to make sure you’re safe.”
“You’re a tease.” She pressed her thighs together and rolled her eyes. “Now we’re both hot and bothered. You were probably listening to naughty books on the way home.”
“Maybe,” I admitted. I was getting all sorts of ideas from those books, and a lot of them had some good stories in them, too. I wouldn’t lie and say they weren’t a turn-on. Lila seemed to enjoy my reaction to them because she was recommending titles left and right. I had so many on my list now that I’d told her that she could shuffle them around as she liked, because I’d never get to them all.
Starting the truck back up, we headed off to the farmhouse while she fiddled with the radio to find her favorite station. I reached over, sliding my hand along her thigh.
“You nervous about what Wade is going to say?”
“I keep thinking it’s done,” she said finally, her breath fogging the glass. “That I should feel okay now. But it’s like there’s this part of me waiting for Derek to get out.” She blew out a breath.
“Give it time. This will be over soon. You’ve been in survival mode for a long time.”
Her lips quirked. “You always know what to say.”
“Maybe,” I said softly, “but I don’t think words are gonna fix things. Let’s see what news Wade has. We’ll work through it together. We’re a team.”
She nodded, leaning her head back as we turned up the Holt driveway. Smoke drifted from the chimney, and Maggie’s porch glowed through the dusk. I helped Lila out of the truck and took the casserole from her, even though I had no idea what ‘funeral potatoes’ were. This newfound feeling of being settled felt good. I couldn’t even believe that it was just months ago that I’d arrived back home and was feeling so itchy and ready to leave again.
Inside, the house was its usual organized chaos — Kipp clattering plates onto the table, Sage running back and forth from the kitchen carrying a pitcher of tea, and Chloe standing at the stove, stirring something. Wade had already claimed his usual seat, boots crossed at the ankle, papers stacked beside his plate.
Maggie’s voice rang out as soon as we stepped through the door. “You’re late, but since you brought dessert, you’re forgiven.”
Lila grinned, pointing at the casserole. “Not dessert. I brought funeral potatoes.”
“That sounds delicious.” Maggie’s smile softened. “Sweetheart, you could bring me burnt toast, and I’d still be happy to see you.” She reached out, squeezing Lila’s arm before nudging her toward the table.
“No dessert?” Kipp frowned. “I love dessert.”
“Nope.” Lila rounded her ‘p’. “Potatoes. Pastries can’t chain me, Kipp.”
“I’m sure they’ll be good,” he agreed mournfully. “Not as good as dessert.” He gave her puppy-dog eyes until she swatted him. I shoved the casserole into his arms with a frown.
Wade caught my eye across the room and gave me a subtle, knowing nod — the kind that meant, we’ll talk after dinner. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear what was coming next, and I knew for sure Lila wouldn’t want to wait until after dinner, but Maggie wouldn’t want us to interrupt.
Dinner was classic pork chops with applesauce, green beans, and Lila’s potatoes. Funeral potatoes were actually a weird name for a delicious, cheesy, shredded potato baked concoction. Lila sat beside me, and the conversation was light for a while. Sage teased Kipp about his cabin project, even though it just seemed to roll off his back. Lo complained about the current doctor she was working with, who everyone agreed sounded like an asshole. Maggie kept encouraging people to refill their plates like we hadn’t eaten all day.
