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His dad exited with Zander and his mom lingered. Henry took Everleigh's hand and led her to the kitchen, suddenly he felt entirely different about a few things. Thoughts swirled through his head. The farm. The work. The HOG. Everleigh. His parents. Did he want this furniture? What would he work on first? So much.
12
Everleigh shifted as she sat in Henry's truck. "You didn't tell me your mom is gorgeous."
He glanced at her then back to the road. His right shoulder hitched up then dropped. "I guess she's just my mom. I mean, I know she's beautiful, but to tell others that seems weird."
She chuckled. "I suppose it does. But she is absolutely stunning."
"I'll let her know you think so."
"Oh, god no. Don't do that. That would seem weird."
He laughed and she stared at him. His smile was stunning. When he laughed he didn't look as broody as usual.
"If you want to join us at the HOG, you're more than welcome."
She turned to face the windshield. "I appreciate it. And maybe there will be another day you'll invite me. But I really need to prepare for meeting Carson Simek tomorrow. I'd love to meet everyone, but I also have to make sure I'm ready for work."
"I understand. I just wanted you to know you’re welcome."
"Thank you."
Her mind wandered to all they'd done today. "How many pieces of furniture are your parents going home with?"
He threw his head back and laughed. "I was thinking about that. My dad was eyeing my mom and she was eyeing up piece after piece. Thing is, she has a great eye for that stuff and she'll freshen it up and either use it at the farm or sell it."
"That's a great skill to have."
"Have you ever refinished furniture?"
Her heart felt heavy, like a rock dropping down a well. "No. My parents weren’t into that sort of thing. Usually, we used whatever furniture was available on base.”
"I can't imagine. So much of who I am is wrapped up in living in a home with people I love."
She turned her head toward him. "You're fortunate. So many people wish for a life like that."
They drove in silence for a bit. "Do you? Wish for a life like that?"
Tears rushed to her eyes and she blinked furiously to dry them. Taking a cleansing breath, she responded, "Yeah. I do. I'm going to have to decide what to do for a living before that can ever happen though."
"Ah, yes. That's the rub isn't it?"
"Yes. I suppose it is."
Henry pulled into the parking lot at the hotel and she sucked in enough air to fill her lungs. "Thank you for the great evening. I enjoyed seeing your new place. And meeting your parents."
"I'm glad you joined us. I'll be here a little after eight in the morning to make sure you arrive on time for your meeting with Simek."
"Thank you. Have a great night."
Henry started to open his door and she touched his arm. "Don't bother. I can manage. Thank you. See you in the morning."
Before she did something stupid like cry, she opened her door and jumped from the truck. She waved and smiled, then turned and hurried into the hotel. The lobby was blissfully empty, and she hustled to the elevator and sighed when it opened quickly.
Exiting on her floor she wasted no time hurrying to her door. Once inside, she let the tears fall for about five minutes. Then, she splashed water on her face in the bathroom, dabbed her face dry on the hand towel, looked at herself in the mirror and said out loud, "Get a grip. Get to work. Stop being a crybaby."
It was something her father had told her over and over all her life. Leaving the bathroom, she went straight to her desk and opened her computer. She read over her notes from her meeting today, edited typos, and created a list of questions to ask Carson Simek tomorrow. Then, she'd prepare to meet the infamous Craig Howard. After meeting with Craig, she'd pull together an agreement for all of the parties to look over and from there, tweaks and edits would take place. But, she'd likely be gone by late next week.
