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CHAPTER7
Standingon the porch of Cygny’s tiny house, Leo remembered something his grandfather had told him from time to time.
“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”
While he’d never thought to ask his grandfather what mice had to do with it, Leo had always understood the gist of the pithy little quote.
After the training event in Wyoming, everyone had gone their separate ways to pack up and move to Fool’s Gold, Colorado. While he’d been given Cygny’s contact information along with everyone else’s, he hadn’t actually called.
Neither had she, he reminded himself.
They’d texted a few times.
Logistics.
Updates.
But nothing personal.
Leo lifted his hand to knock and then dropped it back down to his side.
Maybe this wasn’t the day to show up.
He’d already moved into his apartment a week ago, having surprisingly little to pack up. The temporary accommodations in Fool’s Gold suited him just fine. He really didn’t want to rush into buying anything.
Call it being a little gun shy, he wanted to get the feel of the town first before picking a place to settle down.
Looking at the cozy little home he was standing before, he had to admit it was homey.
It looked… lived in.
Established.
Turning his head, he peered through the long rectangular window beside the door, wondering for the first time if he’d misread the address on the contact form and was standing on the wrong porch. Cygny said she’d bought a new home and he just couldn’t be sure.
Shaking his head, Leo turned to leave and heard the door lock behind him click open.
When he looked back, he didn’t see anyone, but he heard her.
“Door’s open. Come on in.”
How had she?
Right.
She had a camera doorbell.
He should have expected that.
Dragging one boot against the mat and then the other, Leo reached for the doorknob.
It opened easily enough under his hand, and he stepped inside.
He paused just a foot inside the doorway and looked around.
Confused, he took a quick look at the size of the porch again before closing the door behind him.
The lock clicked into place, and he shook his head.
“Automated?”
Cygny got up from her desk and pushed her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. “I had it installed when I bought the place.”
Short answer.
To the point.
Okay.
“When you said you bought a new house, I almost expected to come and find a bare plot of land with a house on it.”
“Huh,” she cocked her head to the side as she looked at him. “Why would you think that?”
Yeah. Why did he?
“I talked to Roman, and he said you’d bought a small house, so I guessed that it was a new house that you had brought to Fool’s Gold.”
She nodded and smiled, some of the initial tension leaving her body. “Fair enough. Roman and Beck stopped by the other day to see it.” Cygny gestured at the kitchen counter and sighed. “They brought me an aloe plant. Beck says I can’t possibly kill it.”
Leo grimaced and reached up a hand to rub at his neck. “I guess we’ll have to see how hearty that thing is then.”
“She said I should start with one plant and see how that goes. She said that it’s good for the kitchen in case I cut or burn myself.”
They shared a smile, and he took a few steps, putting him in the center of what looked like the main room of the house. A couch on one side and a large screen on the wall served as the living space. A kitchen ran the length of the room beside the couch and a rather impressive computer desk took up the other side of the room with a couple of doors to the back of the room.
“This place looks pretty settled into its surroundings.”
