Fiona smiled knowingly at Cookie.
“How do you like working here?” Cookie asked as they retrieved their bags.
“I’ve experienced a few harrowing moments,” he admitted. “Leo said to drop by the facility. I hoped we might use it as an excuse to give the women time to talk.”
“She seems wound tight,” Cookie said, glancing at the porch where the two women waited for them. Hannah appeared uneasy.
“She’s only recently started talking. I forgot to mention your size. She gets easily intimidated by large men.”
“No wonder she’s with you,” Cookie said, punching his arm.
“Jack ass,” Cole muttered as they carried everything toward the cabin.
“For dinner tonight, I made reservations at Ty’s. You’ll love the food and it’ll give you a chance to meet our teammate, Sparky, and her husband, who owns the place,” Cole informed them before turning toward Hannah. “I invited them.”
Hannah beamed with pleasure, catching his meaning. He asked them for her.
“May I get you something to drink?” she asked, petting Brody behind the ears.
“I’ll take a water,” Fiona said, smiling. “Cookie will take a beer if you have one. I’m afraid I’ve talked him senseless on the way here. I’m redoing our bedroom and we can’t decide between sandy beach or caramel topping. He doesn’t understand the difference.”
Cookie rolled his eyes. “It’s tan, Babe. Either one will work.”
“Did you bring the samples?” Hannah asked. “The lighting will change the colors. Do you want a softer glow or a brighter room?” she asked, going into the kitchen.
“I want a more relaxed appearance,” Fiona said, taking two beers for the guys and two waters for them.
“Ty has a lovely wine or a wide selection of beers at his restaurant. He makes some lovely mocktails if you don’t drink,” Hannah said as they joined the men.
“Oh, wine sounds delicious. After the flight and drive, I’m parched. I'll stick with water now and switch at dinner. How long have you lived here, Hannah? The cabin’s beautiful.”
“I…I…” Hannah struggled with her words.
“She’s my roommate and showed me around the hospital when I arrived,” Cole interrupted. “She’s a great helper with Brody and Nine.”
“Nine?” Fiona asked.
“She’s still a puppy and someone ran out of names, apparently,” Hannah said, defending her four-legged friend.
“I’m hoping Hannah will help me come up with a good name for her,” Cole said, putting his arm around her. “Leo asked me to bring Cookie by for a quick hello. Will you and Fiona be all right here until we return?”
“Sure,” Hannah agreed, knowing the rules of the facility, Fiona needed special permission.
The two men left and Hannah led Fiona to the back porch and turned on the fireplace.
“Oh, wow. This must be nice in the summer,” Fiona said, noticing the glass roof.
“It’s perfect now. The fireplace keeps it toasty and at night you can see the stars.”
“I’ll have to show Cookie. We’ll have to come up with a weird name to call the glass coating. Midnight black versus dark wilderness,” Fiona joked. “He’ll never let me redo another room again.”
The women chortled together.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable earlier. The cabin didn’t appear like something a man decorated. If Cookie got a choice, we’d have the biggest TV screen available and a comfortable couch,” Fiona explained.
“Cole admitted why he asked you to come. He didn’t get into detail about why he thinks we have something in common. I guess I’m a bit nervous about why he set it up,” she confessed while sitting in one of the patio chairs and playing with her water bottle.
Fiona smiled in understanding. “Let’s get it out of the way, shall we? I mean, really. Can they be any more obvious than leaving us behind right after we get introduced? Cole thought my story might help you.” Fiona sat beside her.
