Page 45 of Unhurried Hearts

My throat aches and I dab at the corner of my eyes with the napkin next to my uneaten cookie, unwilling to completely crumble in a coffee shop. Never is a long time. I don’twantto stay mad at her forever, but I need some time to process this.

“You’re right. This is weird over the phone.”

Her laugh is familiar and sounds as choked up as mine.

“Where are you living?”

“I moved in with Auntie Tara for a while, until I can start working again.”

Thad had insisted Mom quit her job right after they were married. We lost touch with old friends. Small changes that, over time, changed her.

“A fresh start.”

“A fresh start,” she agrees. “Well, I’m going to go sob now.”

Her laugh is stronger this time.

After we say our goodbyes, I settle back into the armchair that’s angled towards the window, sipping my coffee and eating my cookie. My lips can’t decide whether they want to tremble or curve into a smile, so I let them alternate between the two as I let out a shaky breath.

Fresh starts sound nice, but they don’t erase everything. This will take some time.

Chapter twenty

Chris

“Do you know what this is about?” Dean asks, tapping the toe of his boot on Isaac’s workshop floor.

“No clue.” I shrug and check my watch again.

It’s Friday at lunchtime and Isaac promised us a half-day. The Jeep is loaded up for the trip with Anna. Coincidentally, today also marks the end of the six-month goal I’d set. There’s a part of me that planned this trip so I wouldn’t do something stupid like run off the first woman I could find. Now that I’ve seen who I can be, and what Anna and I can be together, the idea of being with anyoneelse makes me sick. Pacing the length of the workshop, I try to chill out even though I'm raring to go.

“Ihappen to be going on a much-anticipated hike. What are you so eager to get out of here for?”

“Stuff to do at the marina.”

I give him a thumbs up. Dean is the king of vague answers.

Berg, yawning into his fist. “I want a nap.”

Moments later, Isaac fills the doorframe.

“About time,” I say.

Ashlyn files in behind him which is weird since I thought this was a work meeting. Speaking of significant others, Anna walks in next, shutting the old wood door behind her with a shiver. It’s chillier than the forecast had originally called for, but I’m committed to the trip. At the sight of her, my heart leaps into my throat. Since the day we went shopping and decided we were a couple, we’ve barely seen each other. For Anna to get this last-minute weekend off she had to bump up a few of her clients. I planned to pick her up downtown after this and head out. Seeing her an hour early shouldn’t be a big deal, but I’m practically giddy at the opportunity for a few more minutes in her presence. Adorably, she’s looking anywhere but at me. She goes from examining the wide-plank floors to pretending a hammer is really interesting. Her hair shines under thebright industrial lights and I’m failing hard at not remembering her naked. I start to stiffen in my Carhartts but it’s a fabric that doesn’t allow for much growth. I grip the table behind me. If she wants to ignore me, that’s fine. In an hour she’ll be mine for the whole weekend. She’s dressed in black leggings and a thick fleecy zip up that reminds me of a sheep, and when my gaze falls to her feet, I have to bite my lip, so I don’t start smiling like a lunatic. She’s wearing the hiking boots I bought her. The red wool socks she chose peek up a couple inches above the boots, matching the laces. There’s not an inch of skin showing but she looks damn gorgeous, and it doesn’t stop me from picturing the soft curves I know are beneath that cute as fuck outfit. When she finally spares me a glance, I’m leaning against a workbench, arms crossed over my chest. She’s pasted an indifferent cool-girl expression on her face but I don’t miss the way her eyes light up. A subtle flush of colour washes across her cheekbones and I smirk, smug that the fingers she’s running nervously through her silky hair were recently clutched around my cock. Isaac steers Ashlyn further into the workshop by her shoulders, clears his throat, and holds up an envelope. He withdraws a sheet of cream paper.

“I received a nice piece of correspondence this morning.”

I begrudgingly tear my eyes from Anna to pay better attention.

“This,” he waves the tri-folded sheet, “is a notification that we’ve been nominated for an award for the Amberley Avenue house restoration. The Island Home awards have a category that recognizes restorations done on houses with character status and, well, we’re in the running to win.”

The group breaks into a polite round of applause and Ashlyn is looking at Isaac like he’s been nominated for a Nobel prize.

“The invitation states that two people can represent each nomination. The awards night is in Victoria in two weeks. Right when Ashlyn and I will be in Ontario visiting her family for Christmas.”

Ashlyn looks apologetic as she rests her head on his shoulder.

“We’ll go,” Dean pipes up, ruffling my hair. “We can take the boat down the coast.”

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