I should give Hugo a call to see how my dog is doing.I wouldn’t mind taking him for a nice walk along the river while it’s still light out.Enjoy what is left of the sunshine.Or maybe I could take him for a hike up in the mountains tomorrow.
Even though Sunday is my day off—the shop is closed—I often still spend time in the kitchen downstairs, trying out new recipes or prepping for the week to come.It’s not that I never go out and do something, but not often on my own.But I’m looking forward to being a little more adventurous now I have Ragnar.
A few weeks ago, Emmet was talking about a pretty trail up on Black Mountain that visited a waterfall.I think that’s what I’ll do tomorrow.Maybe the fresh air and the peace and quiet will give me the mind space I need to figure out what to do about my brother.He hasn’t tried to contact me after I blocked that number and, if anything, it makes me even more edgy.
But I don’t want to think about that now; dog first.
“I was just about to call you,” Hugo says when he picks up my call.“Carson tells me you guys had a busy day.”
I’ve got to give it to the kid, he worked his buns off all day without a single complaint.
“I think spring fever hit Silence.I swear everybody was out and about, and most of them stopped in at some point.”
“I noticed.I was outside at a little after four but saw you still had customers, so I went home instead.”
“Hope Ragnar is behaving.Was he okay today?”
“He’s fine.Currently asleep on my couch.”
“Aww.Let me quickly change into clothes that aren’t covered in food stains and I’ll swing by to pick him up.”
“Take your time.I’m only just heating up the grill, so dinner won’t be for at least another half hour or more.”
“Dinner?”I echo, a little unsure of what he’s suggesting, if anything.
“Yeah.Roasted potatoes, chicken breasts, and Carson is throwing together a salad.Sound good?”
“Um…”
Hugo’s soft chuckle in my ear gives me goosebumps.
“You’ve gotta eat, Bess.It’s not complicated.”
Except it is.For one thing, Carson is there, which could make things awkward.Also, it feels like this thing between us is steadily moving ahead, even when I’m still struggling to wrap my head around what is happening here.
But I can’t come up with a decent enough reason to decline, and I’m not even sure I want to.
“Okay.Give me ten minutes.”
It ends up being more like twenty by the time I pull up to the house.Of course, the yoga pants and oversized sweater I’d planned to change into suddenly didn’t seem right, plus I had to run back down to the coffee shop to see what I could scrounge up for dessert, because one can’t arrive empty-handed.
I grab the half of a cheesecake I’d pulled from the freezer, hoping it’ll be defrosted by the time dinner is done, and make my way to the front door of the two-story home.
Funny, I’ve driven past plenty, walked up this path a couple of times, and even stood on this front porch before, but I have never actually been inside this house.Now, with my finger on the doorbell, I can’t help wonder why I always avoided going in.Running a business like mine is all-consuming and doesn’t leave much time for a social life, but surely I could’ve spared half an hour, or even ten minutes, at some point during the past years to come in and have that coffee or drink I was offered.
The excited barks on the other side of the door pull me out of my musings, and when it opens, I try to balance the cheesecake in the air with one hand, while greeting my rambunctious dog with the other.
“He missed you,” Hugo’s voice sounds somewhere above me as I feel the plate with dessert being plucked from my hand.
“I have to admit, I didn’t have much of a chance to miss him, but my place sure was quiet when I opened the door earlier.”
I glance up at him, meeting his warm eyes as I get to my feet.Without hesitation he tags me behind the neck with his free hand and pulls me close, ducking his head for a sweet kiss.
I freeze when I hear a soft giggle behind him that most definitely does not belong to Carson.
“Carson invited Tate over,” Hugo explains as he releases my neck.“Come on in.”
Most of the main floor of the house is open concept, so the kids—both of whom are sitting at the kitchen counter—had full view of Hugo’s welcome.Tatum seems in favor, with a big grin on her face, but Carson is wearing a more serious expression.I wonder what he’s thinking?
