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I snickered. “Eric, it’s a bed-and-breakfast—a cottage.” I shook my head. “Kiki is right. You are old.”
“Not too old for you, apparently.”
I never felt my heart drop into my stomach so hard in my life. Right as I turned to snap back at him, he tipped his head back and exploded with laughter. He looked so good doing it that I didn’t stop him.
Humor—that was the theme of the weekend.
Even if that was all I ever got to do with him.
Chapter 7 - Eric
I wasn’t about to admit it, but the cottage was just the right amount of lovely for the stressful weekend we were about to have. It was tucked away down a dirt road with an electric fence, tall hedges, and plenty of trees to block any nosy people from spying in on a guy just trying to shift into his wolf form.
My heart softened as I approached the door with our bags in tow. I watched Regina punch a code into a lockbox to retrieve the key for the cottage. She’d chosen this remote spot precisely to fit my needs, and I felt grateful that she thought of it at all. Nobody had done that for me in the past.
But then again, nobody had truly been given the chance since Teresa pulled that stunt on me so many years ago.
Regina unlocked the door and held it open for me. I wandered into a snug den with wheat-beige wooden floors, soil-brown couches, and coffee-brown accents on the pale blue walls. Framed pictures of potted plants hung over a flat-screen television to the left, with miniature canvas landscapes hanging above the couches on the right.
Ahead of me was a tiny dining area with a set of tight stairs to the left and a door beyond the modern dark brown table that led into the expansive backyard. I saw the edge of a hot tub and glanced with playful irritation at Regina. I could have guessed she’d make that the number one need, but I couldn’t deny her way of including me without asking.
And without me having to ask.
That was just unusual.
As I walked toward the dining area, the roof arched up to reveal a chandelier of crystalline glass. To the right was a kitchenette with enough space to make a meal for two, and that was about it.
I dropped our bags, turning three-hundred and sixty degrees until I faced Regina again. “Where’s my room?”
“Well, I…” She gestured at the den. “This is it.”
My face drooped. “You’re just full of jokes today, aren’t you?”
“Nope. The place might be small, but it’s affordable, and there’s a pull-out couch.”
I pointed to the stairs. “What about those?”
“That leads to the loft.”
“And why can’t I sleep up there?”
She shrugged her right shoulder while floating past me with a grin as wide as a Cheshire cat. “Because that’s where I’m going to sleep.”
This wasn’t the time or the place to be getting agitated over sleeping arrangements, but I was a picky fella. My back couldn’t handle much less than properly firm mattresses, so a pull-out couch was about the least attractive thing for my muscles to use. But seeing as Regina had already claimed her spot—and was now making her way up the tight stairs with her curvy hips swaying adorably—I couldn’t argue with her.
I took a deep, steadying breath and turned to the couch, grimacing as I stepped toward it in two long strides and pushed on the cushions. Alright, it wasn’t terrible. But I wasn’t about to keep the complaints to myself. Sure, she’d considered my wolf needs when picking the place, but what about my human needs?
I glared at the white railing at the top of the steps where the loft began. The sounds of zippers and shuffling erupted, a sign of her unpacking her things. I couldn’t take those stairs with my hulking mass, and I might even break them.
Oh, she’d definitely considered that. No way did this woman pick this place without studying the pictures in-depth. I squinted up at her, silently cursing her in a way that didn’t feel too intrusive before searching for the bathroom. It was tucked away under the stairs with a clawfoot tub, a decent arrangement of white towels and soaps, and a lovely shade of salmon pink on the walls.
At least the tub was nice. I could fit my shoulders through the doorway, too.
I sighed. Step one is done. On to step two: locate Méndez.
***
Steak tips sizzled in the pan as Regina whipped up instant mashed potatoes using hot water and a dash of milk. Quick stuff was gross, but we were on the road, and we didn’t have much time to make everything from scratch.
