“You think I should take him there?”
“Might be good to have some time to talk before he’s supposed to leave.”
I remembered confiding in her how I felt about him on the eve of her and Fitz’s wedding.
“Yeah, it might be good,” I muttered.
She surveyed me for a moment, then pressed a few buttons. “I just booked the place for two nights. As your boss’s wife, I give you the rest of the day off, and take it as a thank you for everything. Go, get your man, Lewis.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded, for a long moment, fighting back my tears.
“I’ll text you the details, go on. It’s beautiful there, you’re going to love it. It even has a hot tub.”
“Thank you, Maddie.”
“Not for this.” She hugged me around the waist, then urged me to get a move on again.
Lewis: Pack a bag for three days
Lewis: I’ll pick you up in about forty-five minutes
Noah: What? Where are we going?
Lewis: That’s a surprise
Lewis: Bring warm clothes and swimming trunks
Lewis: And don’t forget the lube, Puppy
I smirked at the lip-biting emoji he sent in reply.
I’ll make sure to make the weekend count.
I dashed back upstairs and threw some clothes into a bag. Thank fuck Declan had sent swimming shorts from theirsummer drop. I dug them out of a drawer and tossed them in the back, too.
“Perla, could you take care of Mr Pickles for the weekend? I’m taking Noah to Nairn,” I blurted out the minute I set foot into the brewery.
“Yes, sure. Just leave the keys under the flower pot again.”
“You know, maybe you could bring him here. Noah will be gone soon.” My voice cracked. “And I don’t want him to be alone then.”
She reached out and squeezed my forearm.
“Yeah, I’ll do that. Do you want me to keep him in your apartment, so he can get settled in? You’re going to keep him when he’s gone, aren’t you?” Perla asked in a gentle voice.
This time my voice failed me. I nodded.
“Okay. See you on Monday?”
“Yeah.” I reached out and hugged her. “Thank you.”
“Not for that,” she huffed, but brushed a tear off her cheek when I backed away.
Almost exactly three-quarters of an hour after my text, I pulled up outside Noah’s shack. I’d barely stopped the car when the door burst open.
My puppy dashed out, hair flying before he one-handedly wrestled his beanie over his head while balancing his bag and locking up behind him.
God, he’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
