When they got back to the house, she helped him hose the dogs down.They all ended up drenched — Callie and Ollie laughing, the dogs shaking water everywhere.Butter knocked Callie on her ass while she was toweling him down, and Ollie worried for a moment — but she just laughed.Peanut leaned her wet body against him as they watched Butter sniff Callie's face before resting his paw on her shoulder.Peanut whined, and he nodded and murmured, "Yeah, I know.You guys like her.I do too."
Since the dogs were still damp, he let them in through the conservatory.
"Do you want a drink?"he asked as he handed her a towel."I can bring it out here — we can hang out until they're dry."
"I'd really love a coffee, thanks."
He smiled."You want a latte?"
"I'd love one, if you can make one, but I’ll take anything that’s going."
He grinned."I've been practicing.The ones we got at your coffee shop were so good that I figured out how to make them myself."He met her gaze and held it."You could say I've been practicing for when you came over."
A hint of pink touched her cheeks, and he realized how that must have sounded.He wasn't going to back off, though.It hadn't been what he meant, but if he got the chance to make her coffee in the morning when they woke up, he'd be more than happy.
When he came back, he filled the dogs' water bowls first.Then he returned with two lattes and found Callie perched on one of the stools at the high-top table in front of the big window, the dogs at her feet.
"This space is absolutely amazing," she told him."I love the light.All the windows.It's perfect — and the whole ceiling being made of glass."
That made him smile when he thought of her skylights, both in the cottage and the cabin.
"This'd be an ideal space for you, wouldn't it?You'd have all the light you need."He pointed to the corner where for some reason, there was a chimney.He'd never understood why."You could have your kiln there."He jerked his chin to where she was sitting."You could set your wheel up there and work in front of that view."
He stopped short when he realized what he was saying, and was surprised that she didn't call him on it.All she said was, "Yeah, that'd be awesome, but aren't conservatories supposed to be for, I don't know, socializing?"She looked around."This is a place for...people."
He chuckled."You're my people."
Her gaze flew up to meet his, and he nodded slowly as he realized what he’d said.She'd talked about having friends and people who cared not being the same as having people of your own.As having family.
Something settled inside his chest at the thought of her becoming his family.
"I'm not going to shy away from it, Callie.That's where I hope we might end up, you know."
To his relief, she slid down from the stool and came to wrap her arms around his waist.Looking up into his eyes, she said, "It might just be crazy, but I'm hopeful too."
~ ~ ~
After dinner, Ollie suggested that they could watch a movie in the den, and Callie agreed eagerly.She was still surprised at how much she liked the house.The whole place felt more welcoming than she had expected, but the den felt special.
She knew why.It was because it felt like Ollie — it was his own space.There were photos of him and the dogs, others with Reaves and Charles, and some with Willow and Bentley and their mom, Alexandria.
She'd inspected them all earlier, and the ones that looked the most like family photos were the ones of him with Rosa and a man she imagined must be Luigi.
They were sitting on the sofa now, and he was scrolling through a list of movies.
"What do you like to watch?"he asked.
She shrugged."I really don't mind."
"You shouldn't say that.I might end up putting on something that you hate."
She laughed."I doubt it, but if you do, I'll say so."
He set the remote down and turned to face her."Would you rather do something else?"
"No, I'm good."She reached for her glass of wine from the coffee table and took a sip.She wasn't a big wine drinker, but this stuff was really good.
He smiled."I thought you said you didn't like wine."
