“I do. I heard Bella when I stopped to check my mail.”
The urge to kiss Tori was strong, but that was fucking insane. I forced myself to climb out of my truck and fetch the bag she’d tucked behind the seat. A moment later, Bella was trotting along at Tori’s side as we walked up to the house.
We stopped in front of the door, and I glanced over. “Is this your house?”
“It is.”
It suddenly felt like a whole lot of emotions were crowding the space between us. Tori started to say something just as a moose appeared. It was a bull moose with a large pair of antlers. He was snorting as he trotted by, paying zero attention to us. Out of the corner of my eye, motion caught my attention. Another moose barreled out of the trees so fast that Bella barked.
Tori turned, her foot slipping on the gravel. For the second time today, I caught her in my arms. Just when I wondered if we were in for a moose trampling, the pair of moose snorted at each other and raced into the trees.
Tori looked up at me. Her palm had landed right over my heart, and I had no doubt she could feel the rapid beat of it.
“Bella!” she called when Bella began to run after the moose. Her hand fell away as she stepped back.
I’d already gathered that Bella was old, but at her pace, there was absolutely no way she could catch up to those moose. Blessedly, she stopped and looked over her shoulder at Tori before turning and walking back.
Tori looked up at me one last time, her pretty eyes locking with mine. “Thank you. Again.”
“Anytime. If you need a ride to pick up your car tomorrow, just text me.”
Chapter Four
Tori
The next day, I stared down at Kincaid’s number, contemplating that I really didn’t have anybody else to call for a ride.
Of course, I’d grown up here and knew plenty of people, but most of them I hadn’t seen in years. I definitely didn’t have their cell numbers. There was also the giant ball of one ugly drama that marred my history here. When I’d left for college, I’d all but kicked up dust behind me in the wake of escaping the gossip swirling around my family.
I tapped Kincaid’s contact information.
“Got it,” I called as I lifted the tray of drinks and hustled out to deliver them.
I loved my job. Maybe for some people, being a waitress at a winery and restaurant wasn’t all that, but I loved the hustle and bustle. I practically never looked at the clock. With it being summer in Alaska, there wasn’t a single day here at Fireweed Winery and Restaurant that wasn’t wall-to-wall customers with tourists crowding Alaska.
“This mead is amazing,” a woman said as I delivered the second round of drinks to their table.
I glanced at the bottle. “Yes, the blueberry mead is—” I pinched my fingers together and blew a kiss. “Chef’s kiss. One of my favorites, to be honest. Would you all like dessert?” I whisked my gaze around the group of women.
“I shouldn’t, but yes,” one of the women said.
“We’re celebrating everything,” another chimed in.
“Everything?” I prompted.
“It’s a divorce trip,” another offered.
“You came to Alaska to celebrate a divorce?”
“Yes!” one of the women said, thrusting her fist into the air. On the heels of that, they all raised their glasses and clinked them together.
“Okay, so this divorce is worthy of celebration?” I teased.
They nodded vigorously. They were a pleasure to wait on—friendly, funny, and full of questions. This was clearly a good group of friends.
“Whose divorce are you celebrating?” I asked.
“Mine!” the woman who had thrust her hand into the air said.
