I called her to prevent August from asking me anymore questions.
“Querida!” she exclaimed, ridding me of a couple decibels of hearing. “You are alive! Dios mio, I thought… I thought. Do not do this to my poor corazón or I will not make old bones!”
I smiled at the butchered expression, at the love that seeped out of all the Spanish interjections. “I’m so sorry. I had dinner with a friend and lost track of time. Are you still at the inn?”
“I waited forever, but Frank insisted on taking me home. He said you went out for a run with a friend. I do not like you running around the woods at night.”
I tightened my hold on the hem of the flannel shirt. “I was in… in my other form. It’s safer for us at night than during the day. Besides, like Frank said, I was not alone.”
“Are you coming over now? I made your bed.”
A made bed in a house with Evelyn sounded like heaven. I checked the clock on my phone and cringed when I noticed it was almost ten-thirty. I still needed to grab stuff from the inn, drop it off at my new place, shower, and change.
“I can be there in an hour. Is that too late?”
“What sort of question is that?” She sounded insulted. “You don’t think I would wait all night for you?”
Her words filled me with affection. “Okay. I’ll be there in an hour then.” I added a whisper-soft, “I love you.”
Not for the first time, I silently thanked Frank for having placed Evelyn in my life. What would I have done without her?
“Not as much as I love you,” she answered.
After I disconnected, I drove the heel of my palm into one eye and then into the other. Even though I’d napped in the woods, I felt exhausted. Surely an accumulation of too many short nights and too many high-stress days.
When the pickup slowed in the inn’s circular driveway, I balled up my clothes and bag.
“Thanks for coming to find me, August.” I smiled at him before hopping out of the car and shutting the door.
As I started toward the entrance, another car door clicked shut.
I spun around to find August ambling toward me. “What are you doing?”
He frowned. “What do you mean, what am I doing?”
I looked at his parked car, then at him. “You can go home.”
“If I go home, how will you get to your new apartment? And then to Frank’s?” A gust of cool wind stole the sandalwood scent off his skin and batted it toward me.
How could he smell so good after running through the woods? I didn’t dare sniff myself. I bet I reeked of dried perspiration and dank mud.
“I can cab it,” I finally said.
A crooked smile turned up one corner of his mouth. “Surprisingly, I have no other engagements this evening.”
“Aww. You canceled all your hot dates?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time, now would it?”
I grinned. “Whatever are you talking about?”
I knew exactly what he was talking about, though. When I was still living in Boulder, I’d beg him to take me to a movie or bowling or build a campfire to grill s’mores without enquiring if he had other plans.
I hadn’t wanted to share August with his girlfriends or friends.
I’d wanted him all to myself.
The awareness of how greedy I’d been dimmed my smile. “I’m sorry.”
His eyebrows bent. “For what?”
“For having been such a demanding and selfish kid.”
“You weren’t.”
“I took advantage of you. Of your kindness.”
“Dimples-”
“Same way I’m doing right now.” The heat of his half-naked body wrapped so thickly around me that I stepped away from him and then pushed through the revolving doors.
Emmy, who was manning the bell desk, clapped her chest. “Holy mother of God, you just gave me a heart attack.”
I knew I looked awful, but that awful?
“Sorry,” I said sheepishly.
She didn’t seem to hear my apology, too fixated on the body behind mine. Her face lit up with a smirk that was almost as bright as the row of silver hoops lining the shell of her ear.
“What have you two been up to? Mud-wrestling?”
“Um. I was helping him fix a leak at the warehouse.” The lie came out way too easily. To drive it home, I brandished my wet clothes. “I wasn’t much help.”
“Must’ve been a real bad leak.” Her smile told me that not only did she not buy my stupid story, but that she’d also added a ton of dirty extrapolations to it.
“Her plumbing skills need some improvement,” August added.
Emmy shot him a pointed look. “Never belittle a woman’s plumbing skills.”
Although I appreciated her coming to my defense, this was getting weird. “I need to shower and grab some stuff. Is everything okay here?”
“Yes. Well, except-” She flicked her gaze up to the first-floor landing. “Your uncle finally came out of his room this afternoon. He was in a strange mood. A tad manic. He must’ve looked through every ledger and dossier in the back office. It was like a bomb detonated in there. We tidied up with Isobel, but we weren’t sure where things were supposed to be put away, so we just made a big pile.”
I glanced at the staircase. “Lucy and him are… esitated a second before adding, “divorcing.” It was an easier explanation than the truth. “He and I are actually moving out.”
Her mouth gaped.
“Please don’t tell anyone yet. I mean you can tell Skylar, but no one else. I don’t want the staff to worry how the divorce will affect the inn.”