Page 55 of The Pink House

“Pink in the distance, through the trees. I thought to myself, could we really be this close to the pink house? But, hey, stranger things. Of course the pink disappeared when I began walking in that direction." Her laugh held an embarrassed edge.

“The house is here somewhere.” Charlie spoke confidently. “You’ll find it again. Or Maisie will find you. I just don’t understand why, if you saw it—or thought you did—you didn’t wake me to go with you.”

“I would have. I just didn’t want to wake you if it was simply some crazy reflection.”

Something in her voice had him tipping her chin back so their eyes met. “Do you think it was a crazy reflection?”

“I don’t know what to think.” She blew out a breath. “The house is here, then it’s not.”

She sounded so miserable that Charlie’s heart swelled in sympathy. With a tenderness that surprised them both, he planted a kiss on her forehead. “The pink house is real, Hannah. One day, when the time is right, you’ll find it again.”

She heaved a sigh. “But not tonight.”

“Probably not.” He gave her a squeeze, then dropped his arms. “Ready to head back to camp?”

Her blue eyes, so dark in the dim light, searched his. “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”

In an attempt to lighten the mood, he shot her a wink. “Anytime a fisher-cat has your back up against a tree, I’m your man.”

“I’m going to hold you to that promise.” Brushing his mouth with hers, Hannah turned back toward camp.

* * *

Hannah kept busy over the weekend. She tried not to think of the fact that she’d kissed Charlie Rogan. Well, technically, he’d kissed her first. But his kiss had landed on her forehead, so it barely counted. She’d gone for the mouth.

While the contact had been brief, the feel of her lips on his had unsettled her. She hadn’t kissed anyone but Brian for what felt like forever. What was she doing kissing Charlie anyway? And why was she having these feelings for Charlie?

When they’d lowered Brian’s casket into the ground, Hannah had vowed that she’d never love anyone else. Now, as the pain of Brian’s passing had begun to ease, she realized she had to continue living.

No amount of grieving would bring Brian back. She understood that. Her friendship with Charlie didn’t trouble her. It was the desire for him she’d started to experience and a caring that went beyond friendship.

Was this the right time to jump into a relationship? Or was it too soon? Brian’s illness and death and all that had followed had changed her in ways she was just now exploring.

Besides, she didn’t even know if Charlie’s feelings for her went beyond friendship.

Hannah expected—hoped—he might stop by in the days following their camping trip, but she didn’t see him, not even out in the yard. On Tuesday, his mother mentioned he was in Baltimore on a business trip.

It was a relief to know he hadn’t been avoiding her, that there was a reason for his absence. She could go about her own business without thinking of him. At least for a few days.

When she’d moved back to GraceTown, after what felt like a lifetime of schedules, Hannah had been determined to enjoy the summer and simply take each day as it came.

Yet, every day, even without setting the alarm on her phone, she woke at seven. By seven thirty, the coffee was ready, and she was streaming a yoga workout.

By eight thirty, she was usually on her third cup of coffee, the breakfast dishes were in the dishwasher, and she was ready to work on the house.

Though she’d told herself to forget about Charlie, he was constantly on her mind.

Lisa had mentioned Charlie should be back by Friday, but that day came, and Hannah noticed his truck still wasn’t in the driveway. Not that she’d been counting down the days or anything. Like she’d told Mackenna, she and Charlie were neighbors and friends, nothing more.

It was thenothing morethat didn’t ring true. While she certainly didn’t want to date him, she enjoyed spending time with him. Enjoyed it a lot.

When Saturday evening rolled around, and his truck still hadn’t made an appearance, she decided the neighborly thing to do would be to stop next door and make sure all was well with Lisa.

If, by some chance, she’d missed Charlie pulling his truck into the garage, well, it would be good to see him.

Standing on the Rogans’ porch, Hannah noticed the inside of the house was quiet and dark. She gave the door a couple of hard raps. When she got no response, she tried the bell. She knew it worked, because she could hear it ringing.

Hannah waited an extra-long time because, depending on the day, Lisa might be moving slowly. She knocked one more time for good measure and called out, “Lisa, it’s Hannah.”

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