I peeked over at Delaney, who took a sip of coffee, looking as innocent as can be.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “That one. He’s a better guy than he is a boss, if you know what I mean.”
“I totally do. Some people are great to hang out with, not so great to work for.”
“Exactly.”
“What are the other benefits?”
“It’s a specialized expertise with higher margins since log cabins are considered premium properties. They’re also usually built using sustainable materials, which is good for the environment.”
“Sounds to me like you should go to that workshop.”
I took my hand off the wall and closed the distance between us. Without a word, I took her coffee cup and put both hers and my own on the closest table. Making my way back to her, I wrapped my hands around the back of her neck, pulling Delaney close.
The kiss was slow. Deliberate.
It told Delaney how glad I was to be here with her. How much I didn’t want to leave. How much I’d enjoyed our night together. With her arms around my waist, like before, we fit together as if Delaney and I were made for each other.
Never stay the night.
We made it a rule with good reason. If the goal was not to fall for a woman, not to fall in love, not to get married, spending an entire night pleasing and holding each other like we had was, without a doubt, counterproductive. At the time, I hadn’t hesitated. Seeing the dark hole my mother had fallen down after my father’s betrayal, pretending to be fine when we knew she wasn’t, had affected me deeply.
I shook off the memory.
“It’s hard to believe,” Delaney said when we stopped, “that I’m kissing you, with that view, but soon I’ll be standing behind a counter for eight hours with probably very few customers, bored to tears.”
“Snow?” I asked.
“Yeah. You’d think living in upstate New York people would be a bit hardier. More than an inch or two, the place is dead.”
“They’ve gotten spoiled around the lake. Back home, no one would blink at three inches.”
“Why does it snow less on the lake anyway?”
“It has to do with the lake temperature and moisture absorption. And wind patterns too.”
“Interesting.”
“You know what’s even more interesting?”
“No,” she said, her arms tightening around me, as if I’d planned on going anywhere. “What?”
“You. Everything about you interests me, Delaney. Let me bring you dinner tonight. Keep you company.”
She made a face. “You really want to spend your night in an empty pharmacy?”
“It won’t be empty. You’ll be there. So yes. I do. Very much.”
23
DELANEY
Done.
I put the bracelet on myself. It was easy enough to make, just some leather strips, stainless steel clips and beads. With my signature boho vibes and adjustable closure, it was almost an identical one to Pia’s and ready to be shipped to her former guest.
Taking it off, I stood up and stretched, heading from my second-floor studio to the kitchen for a water refill. As I suspected, it had only taken about an hour to make, so there was plenty of time before I headed down to Heritage Hill.
