But I laugh. “I’m already soaked. I’m fine to go to the truck with you.”
He takes my hand in his, and I’m so startled at the show of affection I just stare up at him. “I don’t want you to slip,” he says, his expression unreadable. “Hold onto me along the trail, okay?”
I swallow and wrap my fingers around his strong, rough hand as he starts walking through the trees and toward the main driveway. It’s chilly, and I’m freezing. I fight the strong desire I have to snuggle in next to Brayden’s side while we walk.
As soon as we get inside his truck, Brayden cranks the heat while I call Phillip to make sure he’s on his way to the town square.
Phillip doesn’t answer my phone call. Instead, he texts me to say that he and Mindy are at the university and may be there for another couple of hours. They’re “stuck” with a slide that can’t be redone, or they’ll “lose everything.”
I make a noise of frustration.
“Everything okay?” Brayden asks me.
“Fine,” I say with a quick smile. “I’m going to call Sophia to come pick me up. Turns out Phillip’s busy.”
Trying to ignoring Brayden’s clear frown, I hit Sophia’s number. It goes straight to voicemail.
I text her.Can you come get me at Brayden’s?
In a couple of hours, okay? I’m having the best time with Slammer.
Undeterred, I call June. Nothing. I text her. My sister is notoriously bad at answering texts—it could literally be a week. I don’t bother to try again.
Out of options, I grip my phone and shut my eyes as the worst part of this situation hits me—my only set of house keys are in my purse, which is in Phillip’s locked car, which is with him at school. I could go try to track him down, but I don’t know what lab he and Mindy are using, and he has always hated when I interrupt him at work. So, I can’t get into my house, and I’m as wet as a drowning rat.
What the hell am I going to do?
I raise my gaze to meet Brayden’s. “My house keys are with Phillip, locked in his car. We don’t keep spares anywhere because Phillip’s paranoid about break-ins. Long story short—I’m kind of stuck.”
“I have an idea,” he says.
Chapter Eleven
When we pull up to a single-story cottage with a small barn next to it, I whip my head around to face Brayden.
“Where are we?” I say.
“This is the guesthouse,” Brayden says. “I live here.”
I widen my eyes.
“Leleila, relax.” He touches my arm like he knows what I’m thinking. “I’m not taking you home to have my nefarious way with you. It just made sense to bring you here so you could dry off your clothes and warm up. If we went to a coffee shop, you would sit there shivering the entire time.”
I let out the breath I’ve been holding. “You’re right.”
The cottage is simple but homey with gray siding and a white door.
Brayden turns off the truck and takes the keys out of the ignition. “I’ll come help you out,” he offers as I open my door.
“No worries. I’m fine,” I say as I step down.
We follow the cobble-stoned walkway as it curves and winds to the front door of the cottage. Brayden leads me inside where we walk through the cozy-feeling living room and out to a screened-in back porch.
“This is so cool,” I say. “It’s like being outside while you’re still inside.”
“I love to watch the rain from this porch.” He gestures to the blue couch facing the windows. “Have a seat if you’d like.”
I sit down and try not to shiver overtly. I really am freezing.
