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He cleared his throat. "How about we go to Porter's Steakhouse and have an early dinner. Then, I'll take you to the hotel so you can change before we head over to meet my parents."
"Without sounding like I'm trying to be difficult, can we go to the hotel first? I'd love to put on some comfortable clothes and get my feet out of these heels."
He grinned and a ribbon of excitement twirled in her belly. "Deal."
He turned the truck toward the Homeland Guest House. She turned to him and smiled. "Do you mind telling me about Glen Hollow? Where everything is. What you like? Places you enjoy?"
His chuckle was comforting, a sigh escaped her lungs, and her shoulders began to relax.
"Sure, this road is DeWitt Road. It's named after the man I'm buying my farm from. His family settled here close to one hundred years ago. He and his wife built the farm I'm buying. We can turn right, out of the driveway, and that will turn into First Street where a good many businesses are located. If we turn left, it will take us past where my colleagues and I live now. It used to be an old sewing factory but our company, GHOST, converted it last year into living, working, work out quarters. We call it the HOG. Home. Office. Garage."
His smile spread across his face, and she saw the hint of a dimple on his right cheek.
She laughed. "That makes perfect sense."
His head bobbed. "Right now, we're in the middle of a renovation on the second floor of the HOG. Tate, our leader, and his wife, Lara, who by the way makes the best cookies you'll ever eat, and has a little bakery on First Street, Lara's Delights, just announced they're expecting a baby in January. So, they're planning on moving upstairs and there will be room for more team members and their children in the future."
"Wow. That's wonderful. How many of your teammates are married?"
"Tate and Lara. Aidyn married Elena. They moved back to Indiana though. Elena lived up on the mountain and was the brewer of the elixir. Aidyn killed Craig's father, the former president. It wasn't safe for them to stay. But they have a baby now, Teagan, a little girl. And Spencer and Kenna married last week."
"Okay. So more babies could be coming sooner rather than later?"
He shrugged. "I suppose so."
"Is that all of you then?"
"No. Addie, Adelaide Masters, and her cousins, Maya Sager, and her twin brother Myles Sager, live there. And, of course me. But I'll be moving on soon.
"There are a lot of you there. Does that get hectic?"
He laughed and she loved the sound of his deep, throaty laugh. "Sometimes. But the HOG is big. And, we've all grown up with each other our entire lives. Our parents, one or the other and in Myles and Maya's case, both parents, all work for GHOST. We've been together since birth. So, it's the usual for us."
"Your house is going to feel very quiet."
She saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "I know."
"Does that worry you?"
He turned and stared into her eyes a moment, then turned to watch the road. "A little. I can always go to the HOG and stay if I need to or want to. They can always come out by me. We're close. I'm not breaking up with them or leaving them. Just like when I was little, my parents whisked my sister and I away to our farm every chance they got. So, I guess, I'm used to straddling both worlds."
He turned the truck into the parking lot of the Homeland Guest House. She hesitated before asking, "Did you want to come in while I change?"
He grinned. "I need to look this offer over my mom emailed. I can do that out here."
"Or at the desk in the lobby." She smiled at him, to ease the awkwardness of the moment.
"Or the desk in the lobby." He chuckled.
He opened her door and they walked side by side to the front door. Inside, she pointed to the little office space set up in the corner. "I'll be down soon."
"Take your time." He moved off to the desk and she hesitated briefly as she watched his stride. Confident. Sure of himself. Yet, she felt sorry for him in some way. Like he was all alone.
Letting out a breath, she went to the elevator and stepped inside.
As she entered her room, she let her shoulders slump against the door, her back pressed tightly to it. She let her head rest on the door as well and focused on regular breathing and relaxation. It was only four o'clock, but it had been a full day already. Still, she was grateful to spend time with Henry. She wouldn't be alone this evening, which made her feel so much better than she had earlier. Life on the road sucked most times.
9
