All that went through her head in a flash, and the only thing she could think to say was, “I’m really happy he’s found someone. I mean, totally surprised about three wolves sharing a hawk, but it seems to work.”
Knife smiled. “Yeah. To be a fly on the wall, right? None of our business how things go with four people in a bed, but the mind still wonders.”
She laughed. “It does, and Willow doesn’t give anyone details. I think my grandmother might know — she’s good at digging things up — but she doesn’t share. Not even with me.”
“Smart woman.”
“The smartest.”
She had the feeling he hadn’t been home long when he called, but now he looked… settled. A man on his mountain, comfortable in his domain.
And it was a ridge rather than a mountain, so he couldn’t own the whole thing, but his couple of acres was still his in every way. He’d probably spent a small fortune on the tall fence around the whole thing, so he couldchangewithout being seen.
And the truth was that she missed him. The distance was a physical ache in her heart.
“You’re all work when you’re out of town, aren’t you?” he asked. “I didn’t expect you to be working at eight o’clock on a Sunday night.”
“Yeah, pretty much. There are still construction people in the restaurant. Finishers, mostly in the restaurant area, making the bar, putting flooring down, putting up the fancy molding and all the other frou-frou details. The kitchen is mostly done – still waiting on some of the stainless work surfaces, that kind of thing, but there’s a big stainless table in the center we can work on, and we have plastic up between their work areas and the kitchen, to keep dust out. It’s kind of crazy though, and the construction crews aren’t there on the weekends, so we got a whole lot done yesterday and today. Tonight was just me figuring out if I can make an idea work. I can, so I’ll propose it tomorrow when we have our big dessert meeting.”
“It’s supposed to be pretty tomorrow,” he said, with a nonchalance that didn’t quite land as casual. “What time do you finish?”
“We’ve been working until eight,” she said carefully, “but I can get away with leaving at six. I can tell them I’ve scheduled a much-needed massage; you’ll just have to help out so I don’t have to lie about how good it was.”
He chuckled. “Little masochists need to be careful what they ask for, but yeah, I can manage that.”
Chapter 29
Tuesday held his gaze. “I’ll have a full day of work the next day, so I’ll need atleastsix hours of sleep. Good sleep.”
He smirked. “Of course.”
“My hotel is a half-block from the restaurant, and there’s an excellent little German restaurant close. I can pick up some rinderrouladen for us to eat in the room, if that works for you?”
“I have no idea what that is.”
“Oh, it’s German comfort food. Thinly sliced beef — and it’s so good, I’m pretty sure this place uses sirloin, but I figure you’ll know for sure. Anyway, it’s rolled around a filling of bacon, onions, mustard, and pickles, and cooked in gravy. It comes with mashed potatoes and red cabbage.”
“I’m getting quite the food education with you, and I’m not complaining even a tiny bit. You seem to know my tastes, so I’ll take your word for it. I’ll plan to leave around twotomorrow. Put the order in and text me the address, and I’ll pick it up.”
Would it take that long to get here on backroads? Did he never take the interstate? “You’re going to drive four hours to come see me?”
He shook his head. “Two and a half if traffic cooperates, but I’ll drive to an Atlanta brother’s place to leave my bike where it’ll be safe. He’ll give me a ride to you, and I can get the food and meet you at your hotel.”
She wanted to say something to acknowledge how big this was, for him to drive so far for a night with her, but that was too much, and it would make things awkward.
She wasn’t going to make whatever-the-fuck this was into something it wasn’t ready to be yet, but it felt wrong to not acknowledge him willing to go out of his way to see her. Far out of his way.
But she only said, “Okay. I’ll text you the restaurant and address, along with the hotel and my room number tonight, and tomorrow I’ll let you know when I’ve placed the order. I’ll tell them you’ll pick it up at six. What name should I give them?”
“Harlan works. Businesses get nervous if someone named Knife is expected.”
- - -?- - -
Knife watched her expression and decided she was ready for a little playtime. Giving commands long-distance was alwaysa trick, figuring out when to start. How to start. How far to push.
“I assume your kitchenette has a spatula? A basic pancake flipper?”
She furrowed her brows at him but said, “Yes.”
