Chapter 24
Hope
The gravel crunching in the driveway is all the warning I need to let me know that Kaden has just arrived and with him, my brand new garden bench. I step out through the front door, the spring sun warm against my skin, and glance towards the black Ford Ranger idling out front.
Moments later, two tall—very handsome men climb out of the vehicle: Kaden from the passenger side, and a dark-haired stranger who looks oddly familiar, though I can’t quite place where I’ve seen him before, hops out from the driver’s seat.
Kaden spots me straight away, a wide grin breaking across his face as he raises a hand to wave. “Howdy!”
“Hey there! Right on time,” I reply, glancing down at my bare wrist as if checking a watch that isn’t there.
“We got here as fast as we could,” he says as he walks towards me. “Traffic after five on a Tuesday can be a bit of a nightmare, so I’m just glad we made it here.”
Just then, the dark-haired man joins us at the porch.
“Hope, this is my mate, Jason.” He throws a thumb over his shoulder towards the Ford Ranger. “That’s his truck. He’s come to help me carry the bench in. It’s got a fair bit of weight to it.”
“Nice to meet you, Jason. And thank you for your help.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he responds, his voice slightly deeper than Kaden’s.
“I don’t mean to sound like a creep, but I feel like I’ve seen you before.”
“Really?” he says, tilting his head a little, as if to see whether he recognises me too. “Maybe you’ve seen me around my restaurant.”
“You have a restaurant?”
“I do. It’s called Hawkins Bar and Grill.”
“Oh my God. No way! My son and I have been there a few times. It’s actually one of his favourites. He absolutely loves your fried zucchini flowers.”
He lets out a low chuckle. “Ah, yes! I hear that’s a fan favourite.”
“We’re actually going there this weekend. I promised him we’d have lunch there before we go to the arcade.”
“Yeah? Well, I’ll make sure to see you there.”
“Now I feel a little left out,” Kaden cuts in.
“You’re more than welcome to join us.” The words tumble out before I’ve had time to think it through, and heat rushes to my face. I open my mouth to take it back, but it’s Kaden who speaks first, saving me from making up a ridiculous excuse.
“Actually, I was meaning to stop by there anyway.”
“You were?” Jason asks, brows furrowed.
“Yeah—because, you know, I was going to see you aboutthat thing,” Kaden replies.
Jason’s brows knit tighter, as if confused. “What thing?’
“You know,” Kaden says, nudging his shoulder as if that might jog his memory, “that thing we talked about the other day.”
They hold each other’s gaze for a moment, exchanging a look that feels like a silent conversation. Then Jason nods slowly, as though something has finally clicked.
“Right—how could I forget aboutthat thing.” He chuckles, and Kaden lets out a slightly awkward laugh in response.
I bite back a grin at their clumsy attempt at subtlety. They might think they’re being clever, but I know exactly what they’re doing, and I let them have it.
“Alright, now that that’s sorted, should we take the bench out the back?” I murmur.
