“My ex…he never entertained a craving,” she says, and I swallow.
“Well…your ex was, and still is, a—” I stop the curse on the tip of my tongue. “A…jerk, so can’t say that I’m surprised.”
She huffs a quick laugh. “It was just frustrating because he was the one who thought a baby wouldn’t be a big deal.”
“You didn’t want one?”
She shakes her head. “Eventually, sure. But not yet. I thought we should save up more first. Stop renting, buy our own house, you know?”
“Yeah. Would’ve been more logical. But…it happened. And you’re doing a good job dealing, given the circumstances.”
She looks down at herself, hand resting on her belly, and exhales. “It was stupid,” she murmurs. “There was alcohol involved. We weren’t even…thinking clearly. And the next morning, he didn’t even remember.”
I swallow, jaw tightening. My eyes linger on her for a second longer before she speaks again.
“Trust me,” I say quietly. “I know more than you think about that.”
She looks up at me, confused, maybe even a little curious, but I don’t say anything else. I don’t want to talk about it. So I just nod once and turn back toward my room again.
And this time, she lets me go.
Chapter 8
Cody
I took the last group of clients back to the airport today. That was it for the season; no more until fall.
The plan is to get the lodge cleaned up and move Karissa into it sometime in the next few days.
When I walk through the front door, I’m hit with the smell of Mom’s cooking. Except it’s not Mom cooking…it’s Karissa.
Her hair is up in a messy bun, her sleeves pushed up and a towel over her shoulder. She’s got three pots on the stove, the microwave is beeping, and the oven fan is on.
She smiles, playfully. “Hi,” she says.
“Hey…what’s all this?”
“Are you hungry?”
I look beyond her. The table’s set, a loaf of homemade bread between two plates.
“Um, yeah…what’s the occasion?”
She steps aside. “Well, you see, I wanted to say thank you for everything…” she says, “but I had another favor to ask.” She clenches her teeth.
“Oh I see. Who told you food was the way to my heart?” I joke.
Smiling, she sighs. “I have an appointment tomorrow and I don’t want to go alone. Ella’s working, your sister and mom are gardening or something, and—”
“Of course I’ll take you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” I nod like it’s obvious.
“So…I didn’t have to make all this?”
I pull out a chair. “No. But I’m still gonna eat it.”
