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“You didn’thave totalk to him just then. It’s nothing he didn’t already tell you, right?”
“Tyler, you know Coach. He doesn’task, he tells. I had no choice but to hear him out. By the time I got to the parking lot, you were gone. I did look for you. After showering and changing at Eddie’s, I came to the library to talk to you.”
Before I can say anymore, her doubtful expression becomes more conciliatory as does her tone. “You found the library closed because we didn’t have any power. I wasn’t here.”
“Right.”
The storm knocked out the power, and during the night it came back on at the high school. This wasn’t the case for other areas of the town. The library was among some of the businesses closed the following day due to the power outage.
“Okay, so that was yesterday. What about last night? Or all day today?” She isn’t letting me off the hook and I can’t blame her. I’d probably do the same in her shoes.
“I went to your house and you weren’t there either. Then Eddie called, needing help at the garage. He didn’t have any power either. After helping him and a few others in town, I went back to your place but you still weren’t there.”
She nibbles on her lip. “It sounds like we had the same kind of day. I ended up helping Pop at the Grill. The restaurant didn’t have any electricity either, but you know him. That man is stubborn. He insisted on opening.”
“Sounds about right. How were you able to cook without power?” I clench my jaw and internally admonish myself for not going to her family’s restaurant. That’s on me for assuming the Grill was closed like so many other businesses that day.
“You remember the portable gas grill he’d bring when we went camping?” Her silly smile causes the corners of my mouth to lift, and I nod.
We’re probably thinking about the same thing—all those summers we spent during our childhood in the mountains camping with her parents. And even after her mom died, Pop still took us. Fishing, hiking, and roasting marshmallows by the campfire.
“He had four portable grills. Don’t ask me why. Percy trimmed down the menu and we opened for lunch, closed for a few hours, and opened again for the dinner rush. It really helped some of the families in town who didn’t have any electricity.”
“That’s Pop for you.” I can picture him manning those small grills like a fully functional, state-of-the-art kitchen. “Where did you end up going after that? I came by your place at nearly ten last night.”
“I stayed at Pop’s in my old room. I do that sometimes even though I’ve been out on my own for a while now.” She shrugs and her gaze drifts from mine.
Her obvious evasion causes me to wonder what she might be holding back. I don’t want her to keep things from me or to second-guess what she can and can’t say around me.
Cautiously, I walk toward her like she’s a skittish cat, and I fear she may flee.
“I’m sorry I didn’t find you yesterday.”
To my relief, she stays put, expression inviting, almost eager. My hand wraps around the nape of her elegant neck, and her lashes flutter as her eyes close. Soft floral notes mixed with the warm inviting scent of Wren hit my senses. Instantly, I’m complete and, for the first time since we parted at the gym, calm.
“And today, well…” I hate to bring up the one person who is sure to kill the mood, but I don’t want secrets between us or half-truths. “I had to speak to Dot. Tell her about us before she heard around town, and well, that became a thing.”
Her eyes flash wide as clouds of worry blanket her usually glittering eyes. “How so?”
“I couldn’t find her.”
“What do you mean?”
“I looked for her in the usual places but nothing. I texted her and I’m still unread. And while I didn’t want to go by the house, I eventually did. Again, she wasn’t there.”
I didn’t actually go inside the house. Not since I no longer live there, and her car wasn’t in the driveway.
“Are you worried about her?”
I chuckle to lessen the apprehension etching her brow. I’m not in the least bit concerned, not in the way Wren implies. Dot isn’t a nice person, and if anyone will come out on top, no matter the situation, it’s Dot.
My need to tell her is more about testing the waters, so to speak. Even though we’ve been over for a couple of years, she won’t take the news well. And there’s nothing worse than a scorned Dot Malone.
“No. For all I know, she’s at her parents’ place or went out of town for a few days. She’s usually at the Nest on Tuesdays so I’ll talk to her there tomorrow.”
At the mention of my business, I grimace at the sudden foul taste in my mouth. Dot won’t sell me her half of the Nest, not to mention what her father might do once he hears I want it back—that I’ve left Dot. I’m gearing up for a battle on all fronts.
Dammit. I don’t like regretting things. But one thing is for sure; I regret Dot.
