Page 43 of One Last Promise

“Axel told me about you.” He winked.

Moose closed his eyes, shook his head.

“Moose needs a friend who isn’t in the rescue business. You’re welcome as long as you’d like to stay.”

And another ball filled her throat.

Moose picked up the box and headed outside. “Sorry. That’s what happens when you’re single too long.”

She glanced at him. “You’ve been single too long?”

He put the box into the bed of his truck, then grabbed a mesh bag. “I’ve always been single. By choice. We need to stop at Gigi’s.”

He walked down the sidewalk toward a cabin-turned-store just down the street from the pizza place. The scent of roasted tomato sauce lifted into theair as they passed.

Her stomach growled.

“Really?”

“It’s just a reflex. I love pizza.”

“Noted.” He turned into the store. The grocery store had once been a cabin with many small rooms, all of them like mini departments now. Moose headed toward the fresh produce and picked through a bin of potatoes.

“Mom’s making a roast tonight.” He put the potatoes into a bag, grabbed a bunch of carrots, a bag of onions.

She went quiet behind him, all the way until he paid and walked out onto the street.

“You okay?”

“I just . . . you make it all feel so normal.”

“What?”

“This. Me landing on your doorstep. Your mom, making breakfast, a roast for dinner. Who are you?”

He glanced over at her. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I guess I mean . . . thank you.”

His eyebrow went up, but he smiled and turned to her. “For a year, Tillie, you’ve been serving me chicken, making me shakes, and listening to my post-rescue rants. Thankyou.”

Okay, sure. Yes. Of course all of this was just about friendship, and maybe that was for the best.

Definitely for the best.

Besides,“I’ve always been single. By choice.”

Interesting. Especially in light of his late-night chicken commitment.

Except, perhaps she had been single too long too, and read into this more than it was.

He dropped the food into the bed of his truck. “Listen, it’s too early for pizza, but how about a cup of cocoa at the coffee shop? They make an amazing spiced nutmeg hot cocoa.”

“It’s thelast week of August.”

“In Alaska.”

“Good point.”

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