“No, I just...” Hannah let the response die away because Erika had been consuming her time and energy for days. She wanted to focus on Rob right now. “I just got a little enthusiastic about being outside, I guess.”
“Did Erika make her flight okay? I know traffic was bad down south yesterday.”
“Yeah, she factored all that in, luckily, so she had no travel woes.” She gestured toward the chairs. “Do you want to sit?”
He looked like he was going to say something, but then he stopped. After another moment, he shook his head. “I don’t have time. I have to deal with a pool situation.”
“That sounds ominous.” She knew how much pride he took in the pool.
“Yeah, very late last night—or technically this morning, I guess—one of the campers had way too much to drink and decided to jump the fence because he wanted to swim. He stripped down to his underwear before trying it, though, so when his thigh caught on the top of the chain-link fence and gave him a nice cut, he flailed and fell on the cement and hit his head, though not horribly, thankfully.”
“That’s awful.” No wonder he looked so tired.
“Oh, he wasn’t done. He got up, staggered and fell in the pool. Luckily Stella alerted Brian because the guy’s friend was hollering, but was too drunk to even try to jump the fence. Brian cleared the fence and dived in after the guy, who was panicking and tried to drown my brother to save himself. So Brian punched him in the face and then hauled him to the steps, but the guy vomited the entire way there.”
“Oh, Rob.” Hannah covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“So those campers are gone and will never,everbe here again, but we had to post the pool is closed and now I have a bunch of stuff I have to do to the water before it can be reopened.”
“And the Fourth of July weekend is coming,” she added.
“Yes, or the Fourth of Julyweek, actually. Everybody will come early.” He shoved a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dump all that on you. I just wanted to see you.”
“You can always talk to me.” She smiled and moved forward. “I give good hugs, you know.”
When she wrapped her arms around his waist, Rob buried his face in her neck and squeezed her with an intensity that seemed out of character for him. She knew he was tired and pissed off about the pool, but of all four of them, he was the one who seemed the most able to roll with those kinds of punches.
She held him until she could feel the tension ease from his body. His hold loosened and his breathing felt lighter somehow. And when he finally released her and stepped back, he looked a little more like himself. He even managed to give her a grin.
“I haven’t had a chance to look at the footage yet, but I’m really hoping the superspy doorbell caught Brian clocking that guy.”
“Stella must have been beside herself.”
“She can’t get over the fence and thankfully didn’t try, but she did scare the other guy into climbing on a picnic table. I’m surprised you didn’t hear her bark, even from here.”
“I was so exhausted from Erika’s visit I had the white noise cranked. I’m not sure even a thunderstorm could have woken me up.” When heat flared in his eyes, she knew he was remembering the Blanket Fort of Doom, and she smiled. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a storm.”
“Technically we don’t need a storm to blanket fort, you know. It’s like buying a birthday cake. Nobody checks your ID. You can just buy one and eat it whenever you want.”
They laughed together and she was relieved to have Rob back to himself again. Even when he looked at his watch and scowled, the annoyance didn’t reach his eyes.
“I should go. The propane company’s coming out to change out a valve, and I have to get started on that pool.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m glad I stopped by, though.”
“Me, too. I hope you’ll stop by again soon.”
“As soon as I can,” he promised, and then he kissed her. Not a quick goodbye kiss, but the kind of kiss that went on and on, until all she could feel was a desperate yearning for more.
Then she watched him walk down the road before she sank into her chair and tipped her head back to look at the sky. She had so much to think about.
She was still sitting there an hour later when Stella trotted into her site.
“Out doing the rounds?” she asked as the dog propped her chin on Hannah’s knee and gazed up at her with adoring eyes that eased some of the turmoil in her mind. Dogs really were the best.
Especially since she was feeling particularly lonely at the moment. Erika had a big personality, so she’d left a silent void in her wake when she left yesterday. And Jenn was busy with work and her kids’ activities, and their parents were on a short trip with friends. Because she had so much on her mind and wanted a distraction, she was more keenly aware she didn’t really have any at the moment.
And then there was Rob. She hadn’t seen him out and about much since Erika left, and today when he’d stopped by, he’d seemed out of sorts. Her gut told her it wasn’t just the pool. Something was going on with him, but he wasn’t telling her what. Maybe he’d had a falling-out with one or all of his brothers. Though he’d seemed better when he left, she didn’t know if it would stick.
When she heard footsteps in the gravel near her truck, she thought it was Rob and leaned forward in her chair, already smiling. Stella’s tail was wagging so hard her back wiggled under Hannah’s hand as Brian came around the corner.
