Page 77 of Call It Home

“Oh, I love you already. So many people bend over so low to kiss his ass, they end up biting their own.”

I couldn’t hold back my snort. I bet Keeley was a lot of fun to be around.

“I’ve been to your charming town of Sterling Mill before,” she continued, “and I want to book Connor at the same place I stayed, The Dogtrot.”

“Oh!” I lit up. “That’s my cousin’s bed-and-breakfast. He’ll love it there.”

“Emalee is your cousin?”

“Well,” I amended, “not my first cousin, but we’re related. She’s really more like a sister to me.”

“She’s a sweetheart. She made us feel so welcome. I just loved it there. It was so beautiful—old-fashioned charm without feeling old.”

“I’m glad you think so. That’s the exact vibe we were going for when I helped her design the space to update it.” I figured if she liked it, maybe she’d throw in a good word to her boss that my designs were special outside of just the Grandview Lodge.

“Oh, my gosh, you’re behind those designs? I love the fabrics and patterns you picked out. I’m going to tell Connor if he doesn’t hire you, he’s an idiot.”

“You go ahead and try that, sweetheart. See how much good that does,” a deep voice that sounded a lot like Connor’s said in the background.

I heard a muffled “shh” in the background, then an amused Keeley came back on the line. “Sorry. That was Connor’s brother, Logan. You’ll be meeting him, too, at some point. Now, let’s see what date we can work out. I have the dates The Dogtrot is available, which is really limited, so I’m hoping I can make one of those work with you.”

“I can be pretty flexible, so let’s hear what you have.”

Five minutes later, we’d arranged days for Connor to be in Sterling Mill, along with a specific time to meet and discuss his vision for The Laurel Ridge Hotel.

“It was lovely to talk with you, Ms. Allen. I’m really pulling for you more than ever onRenovation Station.I mean, I was already. And your partner? Whew. I don’t know how you got any work done around him. I’d just want to stare at him.”

“What does that mean?” that same voice commented from the background. I wondered if Keeley was more than just an assistant to Conner. She seemed pretty close to his brother.

“Thank you, Keeley. And please, call me Cam. And if you ever head back to Sterling Mill, please, let’s get together. We’ll invite Em and my sister and go out.”

“That sounds fantastic. Worth a trip just for that.”

“Oh, Keeley? Does this mean the NDA is still in place? I don’t want to say anything public, but I would like to bounce the idea off of Mac.”

“Well, we haven’t made a public announcement, but it is public record now. And I believe the NDA was only until such time as it was still in negotiations, so yes, you can tell him. I know Connor would appreciate keeping it quiet from the rest of your friends, however.” She cleared her throat. “I know how small towns can work.”

“Not a problem. I don’t want anyone to know about my involvement yet either. Not until I make a decision on my end.”

“Good enough. We’ll talk soon.”

* * *

I couldn’t wait to share my news with Mac. He’d been more reserved than ever since he’d come home from visiting his brother last weekend. I’d tried to ask if everything was okay with his brother, but anytime I mentioned him, Mac got quieter. If we were going to have a real chance at a relationship, he was going to have to let me in. But pushing him on the subject only seemed to make him retreat further. So today, I wanted to do something nice for him and try to put things back on track. I left work early to stop at the grocery store and pick up a few items to make the one dinner I was competent enough to make. At least, I hoped so.

As I drove toward Mac’s cabin, the familiar feeling of calm washed over me. The first time I made this drive, I had felt like I’d been on a fool’s errand, desperate but determined. It felt isolated. Now, I appreciated the beauty and quiet of the area. The lush green of the countryside stretched out before me, a carpet of crops and fields dotted by red barns or white houses. Rows of corn stalks towered high on either side of the road swayed in the breeze, accompanied by the songs of crickets and locusts.

I rounded a curve, and the fields once again yielded to a denser forest. I spotted the faded white and chipped mailbox at the end of the lane, the only sign there was a house off to my right.

I turned onto the long driveway, the canopy of leaves dappling sunlight across my windshield as it lowered in the sky. Finally, I reached the clearing where Mac’s cabin stood, grateful to see his truck wasn’t there yet.

After shutting off the engine, I stepped out and took a deep breath of the air that was sweetened by the mountain honeysuckle. I lugged the grocery bags into the small kitchen. I wouldn’t have a lot of time before Mac would be home, and I wanted to have everything ready and in the oven.

Thirty-five minutes later, I had assembled a messy but hopefully edible lasagna. I hadn’t bothered making my own sauce. Rather, I’d browned some meat to throw in with a good jarred version, mixed the cheeses, and layered all the goodies. I popped it into the oven just as I heard the crunch of tires on the gravel.

Wishing I had time to change and greet him wearing only an apron and heels, I had to settle for opening the door and greeting him with a huge smile.

“Hey,” he said, his tired eyes brightening. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

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