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As soon as I turn down the old gravel road that leads me toward my parents’ place, my cell phone rings. Mom’s name flashes on the dash, and I hit accept. “Hey, Mom.”
“Are you hungry? I’ve got lunch ready.”
“Starving.”
She laughs. “I figured as much. How did it go in town? How were things at the mill this morning?”
“Busy like it always is the first thing. I stopped by the salon and had them give me a trim.”
“Both of them?” she asks. There’s humor in her voice.
I clear my throat. “Riley this time. Raven was busy.”
“You know you should make an appointment. Those girls are too nice to turn you away.”
“She had time. I got lucky.”
“Still. You should make an appointment.”
“The sign on the door even says walk-ins welcome when the schedule allows.”
“Oh, Hudson,” she sighs. “What am I going to do with you?” There is nothing but affection in her tone.
She’s right. I should, but then I wouldn’t be able to sit in Riley’s chair sometimes. I knew Raven would be busy this morning. I talked to her last night, and she told me her morning was swamped. That’s part of the reason I chose today to stop in. I’ll just feign innocence and act like I forgot if she brings it up. It had been a few days since I’d seen Riley, and I needed my fix. It all worked out.
It’s a good thing that I like to keep my hair high and tight. I have to fight a groan when I think about putting my foot in my mouth earlier. “Love me,” I finally answer.
“Those girls spoil you.”
“That they do.” I can’t argue that.
“All right, well, lunch is ready. Are you close?”
“I just pulled in. I’ll be right there.”
“Sounds good. Make sure you take off your boots on the porch. I just mopped.”
I laugh. “Yes, Mom.” Her laughter fades away as the line goes dead. Pulling my keys from the ignition and grabbing my phone from the cupholder, I head inside.
It’s almost seven by the time I’m finished for the day. I head home, which happens to be on my family’s property. I built this place myself, and I love it. It’s a four-bedroom barn dominium with an open-floor plan and vaulted ceilings. It’s definitely my labor of love. It’s taken me three years, but it’s finally complete, and I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out. Lucky for me, I had my dad to help. It took time and often I’d have to wait until I had the cash to finish a certain area, but it was worth it in the end. After grabbing a quick shower, I head toward town to meet my friend Clayton for a drink. He’s leaving town soon, so nights like these are going to be few and far between.
The Pour House is packed when I pull in. Not that I would expect otherwise on a Friday night. There’s not much to do in this small town. We have a bowling alley that houses the senior league on most nights or birthday parties for kids, and that’s about it as far as entertainment goes. If we want to see a movie, we have to go to the town next to ours, which is about a thirty-minute drive. Not far in the grand scheme of things, but not as convenient as The Pour House either. So the town is mostly divided. Those under the age of twenty-one and the senior bowling league go one way, and the rest of the adults who don’t want to stay home or drive to the next town come here. It looks like half the town is here from the number of cars in the parking lot.
I find a spot in the back and make my way inside. When I pull open the door, the sounds of the mingling voices and the country music blaring over the speakers washes over me. I scan the room, looking for Clayton, and I can’t stop my grin when I find him. He’s sitting at the back of the bar, surrounded by our group of friends. The group contains lots of familiar faces but only one captures my full attention.
Riley.
It’s only been a few hours since I laid eyes on her, but still, my heart rate kicks up, and I have to fight the urge to rush toward her, pull her into my arms, and kiss the hell out of her. I’ve imagined doing that very thing so many times.
Instead, I steel my resolve and make my way to the back two tables that have been pushed together. I’m still a few strides away when Bruce spots me.
“It’s about damn time you got here.” He holds up his beer bottle in salute. “We started without you.” His smile is wide, and his eyes are a little glassy, which tells me he has more than just started. He’s well on his way to buzzed.
