“Jesus, there you are. I’ve been looking for you for hours. Mom said you were here.” I finally sat still long enough for him to find me in the living room stocking the firewood up for the night.
“I’m here. Just tackling some of the chores.” I don’t look back. Not ready for the conversation that is about to happen.
“Well, can I talk to you for a minute?” He sits on the couch. “It’s kind of important.”
Closing my eyes, I suck in a breath. “I know you want the cabin. I already talked to Tommy about potentially renting the one on his property. I’ll let you know when I’ll be out.”
“It’s not… Emma just wants to rent it out for the weddings coming this Spring. Now that Hunter’s done. I have other spots for you to go—”
I cut him off, saving him from his misery. “It’s fine really. I knew this day would come. And honestly, I’m tired of living out of suitcases. I want my own homebase. Plus, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“You don’t want to work here anymore. You want to work with Tommy,” he says flatly.
“I’m sorry. But with the blog up and running, I need to spend more time there, and that doesn’t leave me with a ton of time. I don’t want to stop helping Tommy. I actually enjoy planning the events with him. Aubrey and I are—”
“Oooh, you and Aubrey, huh?” he teases me.
“It’s not like that. She’s helping me with the clues for the scavenger hunt, and Lily invited me over for dinner.”
He smiles, and I know that I’ve lost him to the girls. They’ve pulled him into their gossip committee and he thinks he’s sitting with the next big headline.
“Okay. I’ve gotta go before you have Ma over here planning a wedding with you.” I roll my eyes before finding my coat and leaving.
That conversation went better than I hoped. He doesn’t seem mad at me, so that’s already better than what I anticipated.
Before I feel fully prepared for a night with Aubrey, I’m knocking on her door.
She whips open the door frazzled, her hair in a messy bun sticking out everywhere, and what I assume to be is pancakebatter smeared across her cheek. From somewhere in the house I hear a wailing Lily.
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. Please feel free to turn and run. I’m the worst mother ever because I asked her to clean up her toys. And then she tried to lick the pancake batter and I stopped her. And then she got popped with bacon grease because she didn’t believe me that it spits hot grease—”
“Hey, it’s okay. Tell me what you need from me. I’m here to help, not to stress you out more.”
She runs a hand through her hair until she hits the clip that holds it together. “I just… can you hang out with her so I can just finish cooking?”
“Sure thing. I’m here for duty.” Saluting her gets me a small smile and I’m counting it as a win.
I follow her through the living room where I see the floor covered in dolls and doll clothes, and one crying little girl.
“Coopa!” She wails my name.
“What happened here?” I gesture to the dolls.
“Mommy… yell me… cwean up, now!” she gets out in between hysterical sobs.
I can practically feel Aubrey tense next to me before she starts to defend herself. “I didn’t yell…”
“Well Ms. Lily May. I can see why. I don’t even know what color the floor is. Think I could help you clean up so we can enjoy our dinner together?”
She nods her head, wiping at her chubby cheeks. Kneeling down on the floor, I can feel Aubrey’s eyes on me, watching my moves. Whether it’s because she thinks I’m crazy for not running, doesn’t trust me with her daughter, or a combination of both I’m not sure. But I’m not leaving until she tells me too.
“I guess I’m going to finish cooking.” Aubrey slowly walks out of the room, back into the kitchen. I watch her go, while she watches me.
I still can’t shake this feeling that there’s something about her. Something familiar and comforting.
Home,my brain keeps shouting.
The bacon pops once more, breaking our spell and I return my attention to helping Lily.
