Page 44 of Making New Plans

Hunter

With a gasp, I woke with my bedsheets twisted around my legs and my comforter on the floor. Must’ve thrown it off sometime in the night. I groaned and scrubbed my hands over my face. The vestiges of a blurry, glowing dream still hung around the corners of my mind, but I couldn’t remember what I’d been dreaming about. Probably her. It’d been her for the last few nights. But waking up with my heart pounding and my mouth dry, I guessed I was dreaming about how I wished last night would’ve gone.

Stupid Kostellos. Why did all the older people get lucky around here and not me? Granted, Chloe had been upset and vulnerable, and maybe the thought should’ve never crossed my mind to pull her onto my lap, cup her face with my hands, and sink my lips into hers for hours. My desire for her had been so damn vivid it’d morphed into dreams that I wished I could remember.

Groaning again, I checked my phone. No new messages. From anybody. And I was up before my alarm. Whatever.

I showered and dressed then sat at the small table by my window. The river sparkled between the trees, and faint bird calls trilled from the shore. Glancing down, I remembered that I’d sat here last night and read the end of The Two Towers. And apparently sketched. I’d been so exhausted yet restless and emotionally wrecked from the book’s ending that I’d taken my sketchbook out of my suitcase. Even though it’d been ages since I’d used it for anything other than work, I still traveled with it out of habit.

I skimmed my adequate sketch. Since I was more of a building guy versus a people guy, I’d spent much more time detailing the whimsical architecture from the story than I had on the blurry figures of two lovers. But I’d had clandestine meetings on my mind.

I rubbed my thumb over the smudged pencil markings, inhaling the scent of lead. I should sketch more for pleasure. I missed it.

But now I needed the next book from Owen. Despite the second taking longer to read than the first, I’d thoroughly enjoyed it. Even the desperation to know what happened next was oddly exciting.

That meant I needed to talk to two people today. I decided to bite the bullet and get the hard one out of the way first.

She picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, Sal, it’s Hunter.”

“Hmph. You’re up early. Is the lodge doing fine?”

“Yep.”

She paused, waiting for me. When I didn’t say anything, she sighed loudly. “Out with it, boy.”

“Why isn’t the house cleaned out?”

“Just hadn’t gotten around to it.”

Maybe I wasn’t the only one avoiding my baggage. “Well, can you? It’s going to have to be done one way or the other by the time I leave.”

“Then you do it. You’re going to own it soon enough.”

I grimaced, every part of me revolting at the idea of going back in there. Groveling it was then. “Please, Sal.”

“I’ll make you a deal. Come to my fitness class tonight at Uffda, and I’ll make sure it’s cleaned out.”

I was silent for a moment, mostly because I didn’t want to give in right away.

She took my silence as hesitation. “Chloe will be there.”

“Why would that matter?” I said a little too quickly. I could practically hear her grin through the phone.

“Just thought you’d want to know. What’ll it be?”

“I guess I could make that work.” I hoped it wasn’t hot yoga or something like that. Kickboxing I could do. “What time?”

“Six. Show up early to stretch.”

“Will do.”

We said goodbye and ended the call. Sal’s bargain would benefit me in more ways than one. A smile lingered on my mouth at the idea of working out with Chloe tonight. So what if Sal guessed my attraction to Chloe. If it got me closer to Chloe, I could use a scheming grandmother in my corner.

Then another thought occurred to me. Three birds, one stone. I texted Owen, asking if he could bring the next book to Sal’s fitness class. A few minutes later, he agreed but warned me to mentally and physically prepare myself for the class. When I asked why, he sent me a GIF of a guy zipping his lips shut. Great. Now I was picturing Sal in some medieval torture dungeon, luring in unsuspecting Tangled River residents.

Noticing the time, I checked myself in the mirror one more time then headed down to the kitchen. Mable had been keeping various pastries aside for me when she realized how much I liked them. She still pressed me for information like an expert CIA agent, but those pastries were too good to pass up. Plus, the coffee machine resided in the kitchen. And where there was coffee, there was Chloe.

---