But it looked brand-new. As she examined it, Jannie swore she remembered his mother showing up in it to pick him up from school. “Wait. Is that the same truck …?”
He smiled. “Yeah. It’s my mom’s Tahoe. Don’t tell me you remember it.”
“I do.”
Something in her throat pinched at the sight of the grin he gave her. Something else suddenly tightened too. She’d had a dull pain in her lower belly and a low-grade headache all day, and now a cramp gripped her.
Oh, no.
Her cycles had been wonky since she’d been discharged from the hospital. She grimaced. Of all the times for it to show up. Maybe it was just a random cramp. Hopefully.
“How are you feeling?” His dark eyes looked her over from head to toe.
Jannie realized she’d pressed her palm to her lower belly and quickly drew her hand away. She wasn’t used to being so … seen.
“I could use a drink,” she said.
“Regular or adult?”
She pondered for a moment. “Both.”
“I like your way of thinkin’.” He glanced at Rolf, who was busy sniffing the ground. “Want me to take him out back so you can freshen up?”
She’d used the restroom at the FBO. And she could use a few minutes away from Nick’s penetrating gaze, which seemed to miss nothing. “I’m good for now. He needs to do his business. I can take him.”
Nick nodded, slamming the cargo door shut and motioning with his chin toward the tall wrought iron gate. “How about I take the luggage inside and join you back there with drinks and snacks? There’s patio furniture out back. Unless you’d rather sit inside.”
“Outside is good.” Fresh air sounded great after being in cars and planes for so many hours.
“Here.” Nick reached into his flight bag and pulled out …
Rolf sat, eyes bright, his tail waving madly, round brown eyes shifting from his favorite toy to Nick’s face.
Warmth spread in Jannie’s chest. “You packed his periwinkle dragon?”
Nick held it out. “He brought it to me just as I was heading out the door, so I stuffed it in my bag.”
She shook her head, smiling as she took the toy and led Rolf to the backyard.
Rolf took off as soon as he heard the click of his leash unclipping. Jannie surveyed the neatly mowed grass. More tan than green but still a great thing. The gravel out front would have been rough on Rolf’s paws.
She threw the toy. The yard was much longer than it was wide, with a couple of palm trees in the very back and a double glider on the stone patio. She spotted a small wrought iron table and a storage box in the far corner. Nothing else.
Rolf had trees to mark and space to run at full speed. Perfect.
She heard a knock on the sliding glass door and turned to see Nick standing there, both hands full. She hurried to slide open the door, andhe stepped outside, holding a tray with cubed cheese and ham, cherry tomatoes, crackers, and cut fruit. In his other hand, he held three glass bottles by the neck: two of Corona and one of …
“Dr Pepper?”
“As promised. I had a friend bring a few supplies; figured we could go grocery shopping when you want to.”
He’d thought of everything. A sparkly sensation fluttered in her chest.
She took the tray from Nick and set it on the table, watching him head to a wall-mounted bottle opener and pop off the caps.
He held out the Dr Pepper and Corona, and she took the beer and placed it beside the food tray.
He held up his beer. “Here’s to …”
