Lennox
WhenIarrivedonthe vineyard property this time, I didn’t park in front of the main house; instead, I continued on down the one-lane gravel road through the copse of gnarly oaks and skinny alders.She’d told me about her little cottage, but I still had no idea what to expect until it came into view.And it was adorable.Complete with window flower boxes teeming with vibrant red geraniums and hanging baskets on either side of the porch with red and purple petunias spilling out.I wasn’t a flower guy, per se, but Dawn had a greener thumb than anyone I’d ever met, and she schooled me on some of her preferred annual blooms.
The shake cedar siding was clean, almost like it’d been freshly pressure-washed, and even the windows seemed to sparkle without a smudge or streak.
I parked my truck next to Naomi’s SUV and turned off the ignition.
It was nice and protected in here with decent shade, but lots of dappling sunlight to keep the dark winters from making things too gloomy.
I walked up to the front porch and was about to knock when the door opened, my fist poised in the air.Honor stood in front of me.“Hi,” she said.
“Hi, Honor.How are you?”
“I’m fine.Where are you taking my mom on your date?”
I should have been used to blunt kids with direct questions, considering I had one of my own and I worked at a school, but this was an entirely different rodeo.This was the kid of the woman I was pursuing.Andshe was one of my students.I needed to tread lighter than normal.
I cleared my throat and tossed on a big smile.“I think we’re just going to go have a picnic somewhere.I’ve packed lots of yummy snacks—”
“Did you pack alcohol?”
“Honor, lay off,” Naomi said, coming down a narrow set of stairs looking absolutely gorgeous.“Hey,” she said, her thick, brunette curls bouncing over her shoulders.For possibly the first time since I met her, she wasn’t wearing overalls.To be honest, I kind of missed them.But in loose-fitting jeans and a baggy, black croptop that showed off her tight stomach, she also looked hot.Her top slid off one shoulder provocatively, revealing the strap of a red bra, and my mouth went a little dry.
“Hey,” I finally croaked out, unable to take my eyes off her.
“Are you taking alcohol?”Honor asked me again, shaking me out of my trance.
“I, uh … your mom said she was going to bring a bottle of wine.But I doubt we’ll drink the whole thing.It’s a school and work night.”
“We can each have a glass, honey,” Naomi said, running her hand down the back of her daughter’s head before kissing the crown.“Nobody is going to drive drunk or anything.”She beamed at me before her eyes wandered down my body and turned heated, hopefully with appreciation.She met my gaze again.“You look nice.”
“Uh … thanks.S-so do you.You look great.”
She rocked back on her heels.“Been ages since I’ve worn anything but overalls.”She patted her chest, then the sides of her legs.“I kind of feel naked not having as many handy pockets.”
Honor snorted and rolled her eyes.
“Where’s your brother?”Naomi asked her daughter.
“He went to find Damon and Marco to play Hacky Sack.”
“And you’re heading to the main house to see Laurel and Sam and have dinner?”
“Sam’s at Tom’s with Danica, but yeah, I’m going to go hang out with Laurel.”
“Find your brother on the way over there and remind him Aunt Gabrielle is feeding you two dinner tonight.Please.”
Honor nodded.
Naomi grabbed a green cardigan off a coatrack and slung it over her arm, then picked up a tote bag, which I guessed had the wine, from the round kitchen table.“Ready?”she asked me.
“Totally!”
Honor stepped out with us, and after getting another kiss on the head from her mother, she skipped off down the gravel laneway toward the main house.
“Your place is really cool,” I said to Naomi as we climbed into the truck.
“Thanks.I love it.It’s small for sure, but we make it work.We live minimally, do our laundry at the main house, but in the winter when the wind and rain are trying to sink the island, it’s so cozy.We have a woodstove and I put on a new roof and installed extra insulation on the place two summers ago.The thing could withstand a new ice age or a tsunami.”
