She stood, smoothing down her maternity sweater. “Don’t worry about it. Houston mentioned that you’d been busy. He said you keep the town’s finances running smoothly while he manages the people side of things.”
“He’s being generous. I mostly just make sure he actually sends invoices instead of letting people pay him in baked goods.” Ginger’s smile turned impish. “Though to be fair, Mrs. Riley’s lemon bars are worth at least twenty dollars.”
She laughed.
“I brought tea.” Ginger held up a thermos. “I thought you might appreciate something warm. It’s chamomile—safe for pregnancy.”
The thoughtful gesture sent unexpected tears rushing to her eyes.
“Oh no, I’m sorry!” Ginger rushed forward. “I didn’t mean to—is it the wrong tea? Are you allergic to chamomile? Houston always says I’m too pushy?—”
“It’s perfect.” She swiped at her eyes, and gave the other woman a shaky smile. “I’m just emotional because of the pregnancy hormones. Someone could hand me a sandwich and I’d probably cry about it.”
“In that case…” Ginger pulled a wrapped package from her bag. “I definitely didn’t bring peanut butter and honey sandwiches. That would be terrible.”
She laughed and gestured to the small seating area that had appeared in the corner a few days ago. “I hope you can spare a few minutes because I’d love some company. And it’s a perfect opportunity to try out these chairs that your husband brought down.”
Ginger raised an eyebrow as she settled into one of the chairs.
“It would be, except he didn’t put them here.”
“He didn’t?” A sudden suspicion crossed her mind. “How about the desk and the work table? All the other equipment?”
“Nope. He intended to,” Ginger added quickly. “But by the time he got round to it. It had already been done. You seem to have a mysterious benefactor.”
Victor, she thought immediately, and warmth spread through her chest. Even when he was trying to stay away from her, he was looking after her.
Ginger poured tea into two mugs she also pulled out of her bag. “How are you settling in? Houston said you’re in the old Thornhill cabin.”
“It’s lovely. Cozy. Very…” She searched for the right word. “Quiet.”
“Lonely?” Ginger asked gently.
“Sometimes.” She wrapped her hands around the warm cup. “I wanted a fresh start, and Fairhaven Falls seemed perfect. I also thought I’d enjoy being surrounded by nature. But I didn’t really think about how it would feel to be completely on my own.”
“You’re not, though. On your own, I mean.” Ginger took a sip of her tea. “Small towns are nosy and overwhelming and everyone knows your business before you do. But they’re also…” She paused, considering. “They’re family, if you let them be.”
“Is that how you felt when you came here?”
“I actually grew up here so I was used to it. I didn’t realize how much I’d miss it after my family moved away.”
“But you came back?”
“Yes. although it took me a while. Things were… complicated.”
She leaned forward. “Complicated how?”
“He was my older brother’s best friend. I knew—we both knew—that we should be together, but he didn’t say anything because he thought I was too young and innocent.” Ginger rolled her eyes. “Minotaurs and their protective instincts. It’s sweet andinfuriating in equal measure. And then my family had to… leave town. We spent a long time apart, too long.”
Her chest suddenly ached. Were she and Victor going to end up separated because of his protective instincts? Because he was afraid of hurting her?
“What changed?” she asked quietly.
“A lot of things. I came back to town. And Flora happened.” Ginger grinned. “She engineered a storm which left us trapped together.” She waggled her eyebrows. “A cabin, a blizzard, a big minotaur. What’s a girl to do?”
She laughed, but the story sent a shiver down her spine. A cabin, a storm, a male fighting against his instincts. It sounded familiar.
“And he just… got over it? His protective instincts?”
