“Thank you would work,” Daddy said.
“Thank you,” Cole said, not realizing the power those words could carry until he said them with such sincerity and love. Giddiness started to prance through him. “I can tell Rachel?”
Daddy stirred his cream and sugar into his coffee, and then waved the spoon toward Cole. “Tell away. We’ll talk to Rosie this afternoon when she gets home from work.”
“I’m probably going to stay at Cash’s again tonight,” Cole said.
“I figured,” Daddy said with a smile. He lifted his mug to his lips and took a sip of his coffee. “Go on. Go wear a hole in Rachel’s floor instead of mine.”
Cole hurried into the kitchen and enveloped his daddy into another hug. “Thank you, Daddy. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
With that and the folder gripped tightly in his hand, he grabbed his keys, coat, and wallet and left the house. He started his truck, which he got to park in the third garage stall, and tapped to call his almost-fiancée.
“Hey, you,” Rachel said after only one and a half rings. “You’re up early.”
“And I’m on my way to you,” he said. “You’ll never believe what happened this morning….”
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
Bailey McAllister pulled up to the gorgeous house already decked out for Christmas. It had been snowing on and off for a couple of days, but Otis Young’s driveway sat melted and cleared.
“He’s heating it,” she murmured to herself as she got out of her sedan and headed for the front door. It opened before she’d made it halfway up the sidewalk, and OJ bounced outside.
“Howdy-ho, Bailey,” he called, pulling the door closed behind him.
She smiled at the boy and paused in her advancement toward him. “Did you tell your momma you were leaving?”
OJ stopped and turned back to the house. He jogged the couple of steps to the door and reopened it. “Momma! Bailey’s here, and I’m going!”
Georgia yelled from inside the house, and Bailey got moving again. She suspected Georgia wanted to talk to her, as Bailey wasn’t even sure where to drop off OJ after they finished their lunch and early birthday celebration.
Bailey wouldn’t be in Coral Canyon for Christmas, and with OJ’s birthday being on Christmas Eve, she’d miss it. So she’darranged to take him to lunch today, then shopping, and then for a frozen hot chocolate, one of OJ’s favorite treats.
She also had a surprise for him, and she’d been assured and then reassured by Otis, Georgia, and Bryce that OJ would like the surprise.
For Bailey, this step felt like the final one she needed to take to be able to return home to Coral Canyon and start a new chapter of her life.
“She wants to talk to you,” OJ said as Bailey reached the steps.
“Yeah, I figured.” She went up to the porch and pulled him into a quick hug. “How’ve you been?”
“Good,” he said. “Momma found a litter of kittens outside of the bookshop, and she said we might get to keep one.”
“Wow, really?”
“No, not really,” Georgia said. “OJ, I never said that.”
“Daddy did, when he was holdin’ that one on his chest the other night.” OJ frowned at his mother. “He said he liked it, and maybe we should keep one.”
“That’s just your daddy talking,” Georgia said. “We’re not keeping any more cats.” She switched her gaze to Bailey. “Hey, how are you? The drive in was okay in the storm?”
“I think I followed it.” Bailey moved over to Georgia and gave her a light hug too. All the Youngs were touchy-feely, but Georgia didn’t have Young DNA, and she tolerated the hugging the same way Bailey did.
“We’re going to be out at Mav’s when you’re finished,” Georgia said. “Can you drop him there?”
“Sure,” Bailey said, turning toward OJ. “Can you get me to your uncle Mav’s, buddy?”
