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“Yes, Hannah?”
“Nothing. I just love you.”
My heart aches as I smile at my best friend. She’s been by my side since the moment we met twenty-four years ago and I have no idea what I would do without her in my life. I never had parents or siblings, no aunts, uncles, or grandparents that loved me but I’ve always had Hannah.
“Love you, too.”
She stands up from her chair and pulls me into a hug. “Have a good night and call me tomorrow. We’ll grab lunch or something.”
“Sounds good, babe.”
After she releases me, she goes back to the front desk and I finish up cleaning the back room before grabbing my things and heading out to my truck. The feeling of being watched overwhelms me again but I shake it off as I slip behind the wheel, choosing to focus on my plans for the evening instead. There’s nothing I can do about Noah coming back into my life or all the baggage he brings with him but I won’t let him destroy everything I’ve managed to build in the last six years.
The cabin is peaceful as I pull into the driveway and I scan the tree line before turning off the truck and hopping out. Jack lets out a warning growl as I unlock the door but as soon as he sees me, he hops up, his tail wagging like crazy.
“Hi, Jackie. You have a good day?”
His butt wiggles back and forth as he runs across the room to see me and I laugh as he stops himself just before he crashes into my legs. As I run my hand over his head, he sits and looks up at me with his big, brown eyes full of devotion.
“Were you a good boy today?” I ask, scanning the room. Most days, I have nothing to worry about when it comes to Jack but every once in a while, he gets a wild hair and I’ll come home to toilet paper all over the cabin or the fridge wide open and all its contents all over the floor. When I’m convinced that everything is as I left it, I shut the front door behind me and dump my bag on the desk in the corner with a sigh. I’m exhausted after working at the animal clinic all day and I’d love nothing more than to light a fire and read all night but I know I need to get out of the house. After Noah’s reappearance in my life, I haven’t been able to stop looking over my shoulder and being out here, all alone, will only drive me crazy.
Jack barks and I whip toward the door as the motion detector starts going off. I order Jack to his bed.
“Who is it, Jack?” I whisper, creeping toward the window and peeking out of the curtains. Mason, in all his good old southern boy charm, flashes me a grin from his spot in the driveway and I shake my head. The large bouquet of flowers in his hand is complete overkill but I’m not having that argument again. Stepping away from the window, I let the curtains fall back into place. Jack jumps up from the bed and follows at my side as I approach the door and swing it open.
“I thought you said an hour?” I call to Mason and he chuckles before shaking his head as he walks up the front walk.
“Well, I did but you know how impatient I can be.” He stops in front of me and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me close. “Besides, you look so damn cute in your scrubs.”
I smirk. “Pretty sure I’m covered in pee and poop.”
“It just adds to your charm.” He leans in, placing a kiss on my cheek and I laugh, slapping my hand on his chest as I wiggle out of his hold.
“Be that as it may, I need to get changed so we can grab dinner.”
He nods, holding up the flowers. “I’ll just put these in some water while you get changed.”
As he heads off into the kitchen, I walk into the bedroom and strip my shirt over my head before tossing it into the hamper.
“Uh, baby?”
I poke my head out of the bedroom. “Yeah?”
“Why do you have a shotgun laying on your table?”
Sighing, I grab a shirt and walk into the living room. He meets my gaze with an arched brow.
“I had an unexpected visitor yesterday.”
His brows creep higher. “Meaning?”
“Meaning that my ex is back in town.”
“I see,” he murmurs, staring at the floor for a second before glancing up at me. “Are you in danger?”
“Not from him.”
He nods. “Do I have anything to worry about?”
