AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She reached over and squeezed his hand in thanks. He declined her offer to help him cook, instead encouraging her to relax and let him do all the work. Wyatt led the conversation, keeping it light. He didn’t bring up her meltdown or push her to talk about her mother. Instead, he told her more about the other residents of Silverbell Shore. Despite what Leni had told her, it appeared he was far more observant than anyone gave him credit for, and the secrets he spilled made her laugh for the first time in a long while.
“You’re lying!”
“I’m not.” He gave her a wide grin. “Old Mrs. Westwood once told me she’d chosen endangered plants for her garden so if she ever needed to bury a body, she would place it underneath them because it would be illegal for the authorities to dig them up.”
Beth had never heard of such a thing before, and she found it both preposterous and a stroke of genius. “But does she actually have a body buried under the plants?”
Wyatt paused for a few moments before answering, and the tension was delicious. “Nobody knows.”
She laughed again as the omelets laden with bacon, peppers, and cheese he’d made sizzled under the heat. They smelled delicious, and she was suddenly incredibly hungry.
By the time they sat down at the gorgeous, hand-carved dining table Wyatt had made, it was all Beth could do not to chow down the entire meal in ten seconds flat. He’d dished them up on large, stone, handmade plates purchased at a local store, and every mouthful made her taste buds dance.
Freya sat next to her master, even though she’d had her breakfast before them, and waited patiently for scraps. “The world’s biggest mooch thinks I won’t notice her practically sitting on my lap,” he remarked mildly, and Beth couldn’t help but smile.
“She knows Daddy’s cooking is excellent. I don’t blame her.” Downing the last of her juice, she watched as Wyatt pretended to covertly slip his dog a piece of bacon. Freya ate it whole, gulping it down greedily then shuffling forward for more. “May I?” Beth pointed to her plate, which contained nothing but a small portion of bacon and toast she’d purposely set aside for Freya.
“Be my guest, but know if you do it, she’ll never leave you alone during mealtime.”
“I’ll chance it. Freya!” The dog’s head swiveled toward her, and two seconds later she’d managed to skirt around the table to plonk herself by Beth’s side, her snout on her lap. “Here you go, sweetie.” She fed Freya the scraps, and the canine licked her fingers clean before nuzzling her side in thanks. Before Beth could blink, Freya was back around the other side of the table, sitting next to her dad once more.
“Nope, you’ve had enough to eat this morning. We have to get ready for work.” Freya barked her disapproval at the command, and Wyatt gave her a stern glance. “Don’t you bark at me, young lady! You do what Daddy tells you. We’ll go for a walk later.”
Freya woofed in lazy protest before trotting into the living room and curling up on the sofa. Beth helped Wyatt clear the table and thanked him for the meal. She didn’t want to leave his side, but she had to shower and get ready for work. Being near him had comforted her in ways she couldn’t express with words, but she was so tired. Exhausted. Being on the run while trying to grieve was its own special kind of hell, but she wasn’t going to give up.
She’d run forever if it meant she never had to see Miles again.
“Did you want to meet out front in about half an hour?”
Wyatt’s question brought her out of her trance. “Huh?”
“For work. You okay with starting today?”
She nodded. “Yes, of course. Sorry.”
“Nothing to apologize for.” He closed the distance between them, tipped her chin up, and pressed his lips to hers gently. “Bad night?”
She nodded. “I miss my mom.”
“I know you do, honey. Grief is a strange beast, isn’t it? You can be fine one minute and want to hibernate for a year the next.”
If anyone could understand what she was going through, it was the incredible man standing before her. “Yes. I have moments where it’s so painful I can barely breathe.”
He kissed her forehead. “I know. It’s so hard. But I’m always here if you need to talk it out, or just need me to hold you.”
She stepped into him and closed her eyes as his arms wrapped around her. They didn’t speak for a long time, just holding each other, until Beth felt strong enough to face the day. “Thank you, Wyatt.”
His brows furrowed. “For what?”
“For being there for me. For holding me while I cried. For cooking me breakfast. Just for… being you.”
The corners of his mouth turned up, his blue eyes gazing into her soul. “You’re very welcome.” He kissed her once more, then let her go. “Meet you out front?”
“Yep. I won’t be long.”
She went out the back door and to her cabin, then showered and dressed for the day. Wyatt had assured her she didn’t need to dress up, and after seeing the mess she would be dealing with the previous day, she felt comfortable enough dressing casually. She was going to be moving a lot of paperwork around, so comfort was the priority.
They made it to the office half an hour later, and Beth looked around the large room at the back once again. She spotted a kitchenette she hadn’t noticed the day before, as well as a closed door she assumed led to a bathroom. She’d been too distracted by the mountains of paperwork it would take her God knows how long to sort and file away. “Okay, so how many years’ worth of paperwork is here, would you say?”
