As if she’s been summoned by our conversation, Heather appears in the kitchen doorway. Her hair is still messy from sleep, and she’s wearing one of my old t-shirts that hangs nearly to her knees. She’s rubbing her eyes, looking soft and sleepy and absolutely perfect.
“Good morning,” she says, her voice still rough.
“Good morning, Hurricane.” I stand and pour her a cup of coffee, adding cream the way she likes it. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Really well, thank you.” She accepts the mug and takes a sip. “I thought about sleeping in later, but it’s no fun without you.”
“We can go right back up there,” I growl, jerking my thumb in the direction of the stairs. “And I can think of about five or six fun things we can do along the way. But sleeping in isn’t one of them.”
Before either of us can say anything truly filthy or incriminating, Colin comes back to fetch the vacuum from the utility closet in the hallway.
“Good morning, Heather.” He pops his head into the kitchen and gives a little wave. “You’re looking as lovely as ever.”
Heather starts to blush, no doubt remembering how we both looked the last time he saw us together. But to her credit, she holds it together perfectly.
“Thank you, Colin. Has anyone ever told you how much of a charmer you are?”
He grins. “My late wife used to say that all the time, bless her. I keep telling Grant he needs to take some of my advice when it comes to women, but now I see he’s already punching above his weight.”
“Careful, old man,” I grumble, but he just laughs.
“Maybe we can work on his sense of humor together.”
“I have a sense of humor.”
“Since when?”
Heather is shaking her head and pressing her hand against her mouth to hide her smile.
“You’re fired,” I tell Colin.
“You’ve been trying to fire me every other week for over a year now, and it hasn’t worked yet.” He picks up the vacuum again. “I’ll just be in the other room if you need me. Try not to be too grumpy, Grant. You’ll scare the poor woman off.”
“Too late for that,” Heather says, still smiling. “He’s stuck with me now.”
Colin pauses in the doorway, and his mischievous expression turns almost serious for a moment. “Good. He needs someone to put up with him.” Then he’s gone, humming to himself as he heads down the hall.
I shake my head and turn back to Heather. “Sorry about all that. He likes to embarrass me anytime he can.”
“Don’t be sorry. I like him. He’s sweet.” She sets down her coffee and crosses to me, sliding her arms around my waist. “And so are you. Even if you are wound tighter than a drum.”
“I’m working on that.”
“I know.” She stands on her toes and kisses me. “You’re doing great.”
“I’ve been thinking.” I run my hands up and down her back and fight the urge to slip the t-shirt right up over her head. “We should do something today. The three of us.”
“Really? What did you have in mind?”
“Maybe that indoor trampoline park April mentioned the other day. Or the roller rink. Whichever one she’d prefer.” I pause, waiting to see if she has any objections. “She said some of the kids from her class go there on weekends, so I thought it might be good for her to check it out. We could even invite one of those kids along if she wants.”
Heather goes still in my arms, her expression shifting into something softer. Warmer.
“You remembered she said all of that?”
“Of course I remembered.”
“Grant, that was almost a week ago. She mentioned it once, in passing, while we were eating dinner.”
