Page 25 of A Little Thankful

“Sweetheart, I know it’s a different time now, and you’re very cool, but I’m not too fond of words like shit. Can you find something else that doesn’t conjure up the bathroom,” Gram said.

“Stuff… and all thatstuff.Is that better, Grammy?” Sami asked, looking sincere.

“Yes, my pet,” Gram said. “Was that so difficult?”

“No, but it just doesn’t have the power thatshitdoes.”

“Fine, but please use those kinds of words sparingly. They hurt my ears,” Gram told her with a smile.

It was something she always said to me when I was growing up. If she didn’t like what I said, she’d tell me that it hurt her ears, and I certainly never wanted to cause her any pain. I’d usually stop whatever it was that caused her ears to hurt, even if it meant that I couldn’t speak for awhile.

“I made reservations for seven, and they were hard to come by,” Hunter insisted. “But I get it if you want to stay. I’ll call and see if I can push our reservation forward.”

“Sweetheart, why don’t you two run along to your dinner,” Gram said, looking a bit concerned. “I’ll text you the good or bad news and Sami is the designated photographer, so she’ll send you all the pictures you need. Your mom has been doing this contest since you were a little girl. Spending time with Hunter is much more important. Go on now. I’ll take care of your mom.”

“If this were my night with you, I sure as hell wouldn’t want to give up one minute of it,” Forrest said, looking adorable in his attempt to look casual. He still wore dress pants, but at least he wore a dark-blue, Blue Angels t-shirt. The t-shirt was beyond cool, especially the way it hugged his pecks and arms, so it made up for his conservative pants and black loafers.

“I have to agree,” Mace said. “It’s your time to be with Hunter. It’s a time for you two to get to know each other better. A lot depends on it. Your mom will understand, and if she doesn’t, we’re all here to convince her. Now get out of here, before she shows up and guilts you into staying,”

Hunter reached out to take my hand. “C’mon. Let’s blow this pop stand.”

Sami’s forehead furrowed. “How oldareyou?”

“Old enough to know when to leave,” Hunter said, and I took his hand and blew past everyone as we headed out.

FOOD THERAPY HAD always been my favorite high-end, low-light restaurant in town, and Beau Hutton was my favorite chef. He loved to come out and talk to his patrons from time to time, and tonight was one of those times. We were just finishing our amazing dinner of wild caught king salmon poached in butter and lemon with a few sprigs of some kind of herb I couldn’t recognize, with fingerling potatoes, and steamed baby carrots when he showed up at our table.

We sat together in one of those half-round booths, a seating arrangement I preferred, especially with Hunter, who radiated a sexy heat whenever I was close to him.

Beau and Hunter immediately exchanged one of those guy handshakes, like they’ve known each other since forever, which they had. They couldn’t have been more than a year or two apart in age, and had probably been on the same sports’ teams growing up. I loved how Hunter’s face lit up when he saw someone he truly admired, and apparently Hunter truly admired Beau.

“I heard you were back in town, Sage. Nice to see you. I hope your dinner didn’t disappoint. Did you enjoy the salmon?” he asked.

Beau was one of those drop-dead gorgeous men, with thick, ultra-dark hair, baby blue eyes, a square jaw, and a body meant for sin. He even looked sexy in a chef’s coat, and that said a lot.

“Best salmon I’ve ever had. Superb,” I told him, happy to see him again.

Beau was in a group relationship, a relationship, that by anyone’s standards, could simply only be described as amazing. Jess Hall, from Dragonfly Designs, just happened to be his wife. Her other two husbands were, Anton and Galen, both amazing craftsmen in their own right.

She and her team more or less saved this town from anonymity. They redesigned most of the shops in our business district after the many floods had damaged them beyond recognition. Our town doesn’t flood anymore due to our great mayor, but for most of its existence, there was some sort of flooding almost every single year. The roads still sometimes flooded on the outskirts of town, especially near the cabins along the river, but the business section was now safe.

“Really great, Beau,” Hunter told him. “I don’t normally eat salmon at a restaurant. I’m usually a steak kind of guy, but every time I come here, I can’t resist. It’s so damn good.”

“You’ll have to come back soon and try our filet mignon. Like fucking butter. Just sayin’.” Then he turned back to me. “Rumor has it that you’re a mom, Sage. Congratulations! Hope you’ll hang around for a while so we can meet your baby. Jess would love that.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing yet. Scheduled to drive back to the city this Saturday. I have to be back for a meeting with my staff and a very important, disgruntled client on Monday morning. I can’t get out of it. She’s flying in from Switzerland just for the meeting. I can’t miss it. Things like that keep me working in the city.”

“Too bad. I’m sure your family and Hunter would love for you to stay.”

Beau wasn’t getting it. I was a mom now, a mom with financial obligations to my daughter. Nothing could get in the way of that. I needed to be able to provide for her, to take care of her, to be a role model for her. I would do and give up anything for her well-being, including my own happiness. But he should understand that. He had children of his own.

“I’m trying to convince her to stay,” Hunter added. “I think I’m having an impact, but she still hasn’t committed yet.”

“I know exactly what you’re going through. Jess took some convincing as well, but once she saw how much this town needed her, she never looked back. Might work for you, too.”

“Thanks for the tip,” Hunter told him.

“This sounds like some sort of conspiracy,” I told them, chuckling, but enjoying the warmth from both men. I’ve been so focused on working and my baby girl, that taking any time for myself, or feeling as though any other adult truly cared about me seemed foreign.

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