Page 83 of Poppy Kisses
“She should still call first.”
Poppy finally lifted her tentative attention to meet mine. “Feels a little awkward.”
“That’s one word for it. Look, I don’t know why she suddenly showed up, but it’s suspicious that she finds out I’m getting married, and now she’s on my doorstep.” If this had been five years ago, I’d have been flattered. I might’ve even stayed married. Some efforts came too late.
“She must care about you.”
Only when it was convenient. Rather, in most cases, inconvenient. We were being watched, and I wanted to shield Poppy from any backlash. “We should go in. See if there’s a reason for her to be here.”
Poppy dropped her focus to her hands again. I hopped out. I was running around to open her door, but she beat me to it. She stuffed her hands in her pockets, but I took one last look at the legs that had been wrapped around me earlier. I suppressed my sigh. Things couldn’t be fucked up between us. Not this soon.
“Hey,” Hassie drawled. The slight southern accent she’d picked up over the years didn’t grate on my nerves as much as it used to. I had once viewed it as a sign that we were growing further apart and that she’d been getting closer to others in a way that had torn through me. Now, it only highlighted the distance that had always been there. Some closures couldn’t be forced. “Poppy. Long time, huh?”
“Hi, Hassie.” Poppy’s usual exuberance was gone, and I missed that light. This was the Poppy who left when life punched down. Could she trust in me a little longer? Figure this out together?
Hassie pointed a bright smile my way. “Erin said Saturdays are date night?”
I’d like to keep it that way. “Something wrong?” Might as well get straight to the point.
Her smile dipped. “I missed Auggie, and I have a break in my schedule.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Actually, I’m on hiatus. I’ve been preparing for my next phase in life.” She shrugged and stuffed her hands in the back pockets of her booty shorts. “It’s a good time for the transition, so I’m opening a barrel racing training school. I can be closer to my son.”
“Auggie?” The incredulity in my voice made her brows lift.
The sassy attitude that drew men like moths to her flame flared in her expression. “I don’t have more than one.”
How often did she remember she was even a mom? Each year, I anticipated Auggie’s birthday phone call from her. Would this be the year she forgot?
Getting upset wouldn’t help.
“I should go in.” Poppy started for the house. She nodded between us. “Let you two talk.”
I wanted to yank her back into me. I’d dealt with Hassie on my own for so long, and no one understood. She was the belle of the ball, and I’d always been the average Joe who should’ve been grateful for her scraps of attention no matter how much I’d had to scramble for them.
I watched Poppy disappear inside, then I caught Hassie scrutinizing me.
“Where are you moving to?” I asked, bracing myself for her answer.
She snapped out of her inspection and adopted a smile that held a hint of sexiness. “Here, silly. I’m coming home.”
“What?” I’d carved out my own spot in Coal Haven, and Poppy was helping me secure it. Hassie moving back shouldn’t change a thing. So why did it feel like my world teetered on an edge?
“Honey wants to sell.” Honey was an older woman Hassie had befriended when we were kids. Honey raised horses and competed with them. Thankfully, our paths rarely crossed. “Said I can buy the house and the acreage the shop is on. She’ll still rent out the pastures, and eventually, if she sells, I get first dibs. Then Auggie can get more experience with horses.”
“What if he doesn’t want more experience with horses?”
She scoffed. “My kid is not going to spend more time playingsoccerthan he does riding.”
I ground my teeth together. There was nothing wrong with soccer, and it was a fuck ton cheaper. “He enjoys soccer. He’s not scared of it.”
She sauntered closer to me. “He just needs more time. Horses are therapy, and I’ll work with him.”
“It’s getting late. We can talk in the morning.” I started for the house, not letting her cross to me. Was Poppy talking to Mom? Did she retreat to the bedroom? How was Auggie dealing with his mom’s arrival, or did she show after bedtime? And if she arrived when she knew he’d be in bed, why? Long day on the road, or was she up to something?
Poppy’s form was in the window. She was chatting with Mom. She hadn’t gone to bed yet. I kicked up my pace and took the porch stairs in two bounds.
“Jensen, about that?—”
I stepped into the house before Hassie finished. When I said we could talk in the morning, I meant it. I’d quit going by her schedule a long time ago.
