“Maybe you should stay the night,” she advised, studying his face.
Toby shook his head. “Addy’s expecting me. Besides,” he hoisted himself forcibly up, more to ease her mind that he was all right than anything else. “I’m fine now.”
A neatly defined eyebrow lifted. “You only just took those pills. No way they kicked in that quickly.”
Rather than respond, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks for the lunch. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Her lips pursed, but she didn’t stop him when he made his way outside. Damon stood by the jeep, phone mashed to his ear. His face was bunched in concentration.
“Eggs and toilet paper. Yeah, I’ll get them on my way home. Love you, too.”
“Willa?” Toby asked once his brother had hung up.
Damon shoved the phone into his pocket and circled around to the driver’s side door. “Yeah, needs me to grab a few things from the store.”
They got in. Toby waved at his mother as they backed out of the parking spot.
“Thanks for helping me,” he said.
Damon nodded. “What are big brothers for?”
Toby raised an eyebrow. “Buying beer when you’re underage?”
Damon snorted. “You’re twenty-seven. I think you can buy your own beer.”
“True, true, but I owe you one.”
“All right, you’re buying Friday.”
Laughing, Toby nodded. “Deal.”
They drove for some time before Damon broke the silence.
“So, you and the innkeeper, eh?”
Toby glanced over at the other man. “Whada-ya mean?”
Damon jerked a shoulder. “Nothing. Willa likes her. Says she’s real nice.”
Still not understanding the direction of his brother’s cryptic remarks, Toby nodded slowly. “Yeah, she is.”
“She’s got kids.”
Muscles tensed along Toby’s shoulders. “Yeah, I’ve met them.”
There must have been a warning note in his tone, because Damon put up a hand to ward off anything Toby was about to say.
“Calm down, I’m not insinuating anything. I’m only making sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. That’s my job, to look out for you.”
“I’m not getting myself into anything.”
“Dude, who are you trying to lie to? I am the king of hiding my feelings. I was twenty-five before I told Willa I loved her. I get it. But if you go down this path—”
“What path?”
“Fine,” Damon muttered. “Be like that. Just be careful. It’s not just your heart on the line.”
Neither said a word until Damon pulled into the inn’s driveway. He hopped out while Toby was still untangling himself from his seatbelt and reaching for his cane. His duffle and suitcase were taken inside. Damon was waiting in the foyer for him when Toby caught up.
“My mom is busy,” Sean was telling Damon when Toby joined them. “I can help you if you’re looking for a room.”
Toby shut the door and the kid’s brown eyes shot to him. He offered Sean a small grin.
“Hey, this is my brother, and Owen’s dad, Damon,” he introduced. “This is Sean.”
Damon inclined his head. “We met briefly.”
Sean looked from Damon to Toby and back again like he was trying to piece together a complex puzzle. But whatever was on his mind, he never said it out loud.
“Mom told me you’ll be staying with us,” he said instead. “Your room has been prepared. I just need a credit card on file.”
Toby, having already experienced the kid’s incredible brilliance, never batted an eyelash as he passed over his card.
Damon was less impressed. “Maybe we should wait for your mom…”
“It’s fine,” Toby said for Sean. “Sean’s the lord and master of this here passageway.”
Sean’s bland expression never changed as he accepted the card. He rang it through the computer, made Toby sign the reservation and policy documents and passed over a silver key hooked to a soft, leather keychain.
“You’re booked in our Victorian room.” He hopped off his stool, practically disappearing under the edge of the counter as he circled around to their side. “It’s the one closest to the kitchen and has a wonderful view of the forest. I can take your bags.”
“I’ve got them,” Damon said quickly when Sean reached for the suitcase. “Why don’t you just lead the way?”
Sean hesitated, but he stepped back and let his hands drop down to his sides. “Breakfast is at seven, lunch at one. Supper is held in the dining room promptly at six. Please don’t be late. We also offer carriage rides, but let us know a day in advance when you wish to take the trip. There is to be no alcohol, smoking, or drugs in the rooms. Any damages caused to the rooms will be taken off your credit card and you will not be allowed back.”
Damon shot Toby a glance when Sean’s back was turned. Toby just shrugged.
“This way please.”
They were led down the hallway, past the parlor and kitchen. The corridor curved, veering left. The passageway came to an abrupt halt before a wooden door. Sean pushed it open and stepped aside to allow them to pass.
The room opened to a spacious chamber straight out of a Victorian romance novel. Burgundy wallpaper stamped with gold leaves lined the walls over mahogany paneling. Dark, rich wood made up a king sized bed with high posts and an honest to goodness canopy with thick drapes fastened to the carved beams. The same wood was used for the vanity with its oval mirror, the trio of dressers and the two end tables on either side of the bed. On the floor, an area rug covered the stubbornly polished hardwood. Off to one side, facing a wood fire place, was a small sitting area.
“For maximum privacy, your room comes with its own Jacuzzi,” Sean went on, talking like a miniature-sized guidebook. He headed towards a set of doors tucked away across the room and threw back the heavy drapes keeping out the late afternoon sun. “You also have your own set of terrace doors out onto the back deck.”
Damon peered over at Toby and grinned. “This is a very nice room. Perfect for you.”
Sean turned then, saving Damon the finger Toby was about to flip him. “Is there anything you’ll need before supper?”
Toby shook his head. “Nope, this is great. Thank you.”
With a quick bob of his head, Sean hurried back to the door. “Then I’ll leave you to unpack. Thank you for staying with us.”
Then he was gone.
Damon snickered as he pushed his way into the room and dumped Toby’s bags down on the bed bench. He stepped back and surveyed the room more closely.
“Willa would like this room,” he mused.
“Well, it’s a place to sleep, so I’m not picky.”
Damon tucked his hands into his pockets and wandered his way to the door. “Yeah, I have to get going.”
“You’ve arrived!” Addy appeared in the doorway behind Toby. Her brown eyes sparkled with delight at the sight of them. It brought a flush to her cheeks that matched the soft pink of her mouth. She must have been outside, because she wore her coat over her jeans and flats. “Were you able to find everything?”
Toby nodded. “Everything’s great.”
“Good!” She turned her attention to Damon. “Hello Mr. McClain. Will you be joining us for supper?”
Damon shook his head, already edging his way out. “Promised Willa I’d pick up a few things from the market before heading home, so I should be on my way, and it’s Damon, please. We’ll be here a lot the next few months and Mr. McClain will get very confusing.”
Addy smiled wide. “You’re right. Thank you for coming.”
Damon inclined his head before glancing back at Toby. “You good?”
“Yup.”
With a final nod, his brother left and Toby was alone with the woman of his fascinations.
“Is the room all right?” she asked quietly when the awkward silence strained into minutes.
Toby nodded. “It’s very ni
ce.”
She eased a step closer, but stopped when she was balanced on the threshold. “It’s the only one on the ground floor and I thought it would be easiest for you.”
It was. Not having to climb stairs made his life very easy.
“I appreciate that.”
That awkward silence returned. The one that made him painfully aware of how odd their situation really was; he’d never lived with a woman before.
“I should get supper ready,” she said, breaking the silence. “Is there anything I can do for you before I go?”
Toby shook his head. “No, thank you. I’m set.”
Nodding, she started to back away slowly. “Supper’s at six in the dining room. I’ll send Sean to get you.”
He started to tell her not to bother the boy, but she was already hurrying away. He shut the door and made his way to the bed. His cane was propped against the nightstand as he lowered himself down.
The mattress cushioned his backside like a pair of lover’s hands and his entire body sank into tufts of downy comfort. Every muscle groaned with pure bliss as he reclined. He shut his eyes and let the bed hug his frame into the first peaceful sleep he’d had in weeks.
He’d been dreaming about ham sandwiches, an ice cold Corona, and white sandy beaches when the knocking began. It rode up over the soft whoosh of ocean lapping against the shore and the cawing of the seagulls. His peaceful bubble wavered and the slow rise of reality shot cracks through his peaceful slumber.
“No…” His low groan went ignored as the thumping persisted.
He cracked one eye open and squinted at the mute darkness creeping through the unfamiliar room. The unfamiliar alarm clock winked at just a little after six. The glowing red numbers reminded him of demon eyes.
Across the room, a thin, pale line appeared where the door was being pried open. It grew wider until the light was a square hole in the wall broken by a tiny figure. It hesitated on the threshold before tiptoeing to the bed.
“Hello?” a tiny voice whispered. “Mr. Toby McClain?”
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, but he kept his features perfectly unresponsive, just to see what the pint-size would do.
She stabbed him … in the ribs, with a pointy little finger. The assault on his tickle spot nearly sent Toby leaping off the bed. His yelp of surprise tore a scream from the girl, who jumped as well.
“I’m sorry!” Toby said hurriedly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Hanna?” Addy appeared in the doorway as though materializing out of thin air. The light was snapped on and Toby winced. “What’s going on?”
“I was trying to wake him up like you said,” Hanna stated, still wide eyed and visibly freaked out.
“It was my fault,” Toby groaned, pushing up.
“Hanna!” Addy took a long stride deeper into the room. “I told you to knock and if no one answers, leave Mr. McClain to rest!”
Big brown eyes blinked. “I did knock.”
Realizing the girl just wasn’t getting it, she sighed and turned her attention to Toby. “I am so sorry.” She fixed her gaze on her daughter once more. “Go back to the kitchen. I’ll be there in a second.”
Hanna left with a skip. They heard the soft patter of her feet fade towards the front of the house.
“I’m fine,” Toby assured Addy. “Really.”
“I really am so sorry,” she said again. “Please. Go back to sleep.”
She started to turn away.
Toby reached for his cane and heaved his legs over the edge of the mattress. He rose, realizing with some embarrassment that he still wore his shoes and was fully dressed.
“Let me just clean up,” he mumbled.
“You don’t have to—”
“Addy.” He waited until her eyes were on him before speaking again. “I’ll be there.”
She hesitated a full second before giving a slight nod of her head. “All right.”
He watched her leave and shut the door behind her with a soft click. He listened to her footsteps fade away before making his way to the bathroom.
It was a fairly large room with a Jacuzzi tub built into one corner, a stand up shower in the other, and a counter with two sinks in the third. Unlike the bedroom, the walls were a soft, eggshell white. The floors were white tiles and the whole place smelled of cinnamon and roses from the bowl of potpourri sitting between the two sinks.
Toby shuffled forward and propped his cane against the smooth marble. Water rushed into the white porcelain with just a twist of his wrist. He shrugged out of his coat, tossed it into the second sink and hurriedly splashed water on his face. He located his toothbrush next and scrubbed the pasty sleep from his mouth. Satisfied that he was as refreshed as he was going to get, Toby left the room.
The warm scent of tomato sauce, fried meat, and spices greeted him the moment he threw the door open. It punched him in the nose and toyed with his rumbling belly all the way to the dining room.
Sean and Hanna glanced up when he entered. They were the only two in the room, sitting on opposite sides of the neatly set table. Neither said a word as Toby edged a few steps in.
“There you are.” Addy hurried out of the kitchen, a steaming casserole dish clasped between mitted hands. “Please. Take any seat.”
There were only four chairs. The table was the kind his mom and dad had bought when family dinners had become a tradition. It was the kind that expanded to seat up to fifteen people if need be. The middle leafs must have been removed because this table could only fit six. He wasn’t sure where the sections were, but he took the only other chair at the end of the table. Addy took the opposite end and set the pan in her hand down in the middle.
Lasagna. He couldn’t even remember when he’d last had lasagna, but he knew it had never smelled as incredible as this one did. Maybe it was because he was starving, but it was taking all his control not to scoop it up with his bare hands.
“Did you both wash your hands?” Addy asked of the other two in the room, and Toby was amused at how much she sounded like his own mother.
Both children nodded.
Addy cut the thick slab of pasta, sauce and meat with a knife. Steam plumed up from the gash and further perfumed the air with its succulent scent.
“Mr. McClain?”
Toby jolted and lifted his gaze up to the woman watching him. “Sorry?”
Christ, was he drooling? He tried not to check.
Addy smiled. “I asked if you would like to sit.”
“Right!” He tugged out his chair and lowered himself into it. He leaned his cane against the side and went back to watching her cut neat squares. “That looks delicious.”
She offered him the first slice. Toby almost groaned as he was forced to wait until everyone else had their plates in front of them. Then for Addy to properly seat herself and reach for her fork and knife first.
“Do you normally say grace?” she asked, her expression endearingly concerned.
Toby shook his head. “We do during weekend dinners, but it’s not something I enforce when my Aunt Lily isn’t around.”
She nodded acceptingly and cut into her meal.
“Do you?” he asked. “Because I don’t mind—”
“No,” she said with a finality that bordered on sharp warning. She seemed to realize her tone and repeated more gently. “No.” She cleared her throat. “Would you like a drink? I can bring you a beer or a soda?”
Toby shook his head. “Water’s fine.”
She relented and returned her attention to her own plate.
The meal tasted like something baked in the glory of heaven. Every mouthful burned his tongue and seared a painful path down his esophagus, but Christ, it was worth the suffering. He couldn’t even tell what it was about the dish that made it irresistible, but he was on his fifth slice before he even recalled finishing his first.
Silence strained, occasionally broken by the clink of silverware, the creak of a chair beneath a shifting body, and the scrape of w
ater glasses on wood. Having come from a large family and weekend dinners that consisted of fourteen people all talking at once, laughter and stories being shared, the somber atmosphere filled him with a discomfort he wasn’t used to. Even during his years in the military, it was really hard to get that many men quiet.
“Does anyone have plans for tomorrow?” he asked at last, unable to stand it any longer.
Hanna shook her head first. “Weekends are clean up days.”
“We also have guests coming tomorrow,” Addy piped in. “But Hanna’s right. Weekends are usually reserved for cleaning.” She took a bite of her lasagna, chewed and swallowed before speaking. “Do you have plans, Mr. McClain?”
Her insistence to continuously call him Mr. McClain was riding on his last damn nerve.
“I usually spend it with my family,” he stated. “It’s a weekend long event so you might not see me until Monday.”
Addy’s head came up, her eyebrows lifted with interest. “Do you leave town or…?”
He shook his head. “Not always. Mostly we just … hang.”
Interest folded into genuine confusion. “Hang?”
“It means spend time together,” Sean explained to his mother.
“I know what hang means!” she muttered with a twitch in her lips. “I don’t understand how one … hangs an entire weekend.”
Toby chuckled. “Oh, trust me, my family has been doing this for years. We are amazing at hanging out and doing nothing but spend time together.”
She seemed to deliberate his remark while cutting her lasagna into neat little squares.
“Can we come?” Hanna blurted. “I want to hang with Kari—”
“Hanna! We do not invite ourselves to places!”
Hanna’s thin shoulders lifted up around her ears. She sunk lower in her seat until all he could make out was the red of her forehead.
“Sorry.”
“No,” Toby said quickly. “Don’t be sorry. It’s fine. I know Kari would love to have you there. It’s normally her against the boys.”
Hanna said nothing.
“So the whole family goes?” Addy broke in.
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