“There’s so much stuff,” he said, his voice filled with awe. “How do the customers find anything?”
Everly smiled. “Simple. The aisles are organized by type of craft. We have a sewing aisle, photo album aisle, stampers aisle, needlepoint aisle, and that’s just to start.”
“Wow.”
Meow.
Snatches was hungry too.
Austin turned to her. “Is that your non-cat-lady cat?”
“It is.” Everly opened the staircase door and flipped on the light. “She’s waiting for her dinner.”
“Then by all means, let’s eat.”
Everly laughed and headed up the stairs. Austin followed her, and she could only hope that she’d made her bed that morning and straightened things up. From her perch at the top of the steps, Snatches took one look at Austin and darted away.
“Sorry, she might be afraid of you,” Everly said.
They reached the landing, and Everly waved toward the room beyond. It was divided into a kitchen area, sitting area, and bedroom. Sort of.
“Have a seat,” Everly said. “I’ll find something to cook up.” She wasn’t entirely sure what she’d make, but hopefully he wasn’t picky.
Austin didn’t sit on the loveseat or at the half-sized kitchen table. Instead, he wandered around the living space.
Everly tried not to let it bother her that he was scrutinizing her art, which hung in frames on the walls. If he said he didn’t like it, maybe she’d tell him she’d bought it somewhere, although that was now impossible because he’d leaned forward to read the artist’s name in the corner. Hers.
“You must like old movies?” he said after a moment.
Yeah, the art canvases were portraits of movie stars from eras before. No one modern. Portraits of Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, and other 1920s and 1930s film icons.
“I do, in fact,” she said, checking on the lettuce in her fridge. It still looked good, and she still had the ground meat she’d bought last weekend and put in the freezer after cooking it up. “Does taco salad sound okay?”
She turned to find Austin only a few feet from her.
“You’re a talented artist,” he said, his brown eyes on hers.
“Are you an art connoisseur or something?” she teased because his compliment was making her feel warm.
“Do I have to be?” he asked, the edge of his mouth lifting. “Can I like something without comparing it?”
Her own smile grew. “You can.” Then she shrugged. “I don’t paint anymore. Those are all from my failed year at college. Instead of studying for my tests, I got on a huge kick of painting retro actors.”
“And the result is on your walls?”
“Correct.”
Austin was studying her like he was trying to figure her out. “Why don’t you paint anymore?”
“Gotta pay the bills,” she said as nonchalantly as she could. That was only part of the reason. When Brock had seen her work, he’d asked if being a copy artist was legal. As in, he thought everything she painted should have been original. But it wasn’t only that. She had entered multiple art contests and never received any sort of recognition.
“Then pay the bills,” Austin said, his voice low. “But don’t give up what you love.”
His comment surprised her. So opposite of Brock, not that she was comparing. Okay, so she was.
“Well, I don’t have to deal with rejection anymore,” she said. “I used to try to get into the local art galleries, but never did. One year I set up a booth to sell my work at the Hidden Hollows art fair. Sold two pieces—both to my mom.”
“Your mom has good taste then.”
“You’re sweet,” she said. She might also be blushing again. “But the door’s closed on my angsty past.”
His gaze was thoughtful, then he looked past her to the counter. “I can help.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “It won’t take long. The meat is precooked.”
He moved to the sink and turned on the water. Then he began washing his hands.
All right, then . . .
“Give me a job,” he said, his smile something she found hard to turn down. “I’m not going to sit around while you’re cooking dinner.”
So, he tore up the lettuce and chopped a couple of tomatoes while she warmed up the meat and assembled the rest of the ingredients.
Snatches came out from under the bed as the meat was warming up and jumped onto the table, her shyness long forgotten.
“Hey there,” Austin said. “I think she wants what we’re having.”
Everly scooped up the cat. “You know you’re not supposed to be on the table.” With one hand, she got the cat’s food ready, then set Snatches in front of it.
She ate, but kept an ear tuned to the rest of the dinner preparations.
Everly wanted to pinch herself for the fact that a man was in her apartment and they were making dinner together. Not that she could tell anyone, especially her mom who thought she was dating Tom Middleston.
She stroked Snatches for a moment while watching the real man in her kitchen pull down plates from one of the two cupboards she had.
“Am I setting the table for two or three?” Austin asked.
“Two,” Everly said. “Snatches will have to mind her manners.”
“Snatches, huh?” Austin looked over at her, his brown eyes amused.
So, as they finished setting the table, Everly told Austin of the cat’s sudden appearance.
“And you’ve been best friends ever since?” he said as they sat down at the table, both with plates piled with taco salad.
Everly considered his question. “Well, I do tell her a lot of things, and she does keep all of my secrets. Does that make me pathetic to say yes?”
“No, I get it,” Austin said. “I had a dog as a kid, and he was definitely my best friend.” He started to eat, so Everly did too.
“This is great, thank you,” he said after a couple of bites
She shrugged. “It’s easy.”
Meow.
“Don’t you dare—”
But it was too late. Austin had given Snatches a bite of his meat. The cat promptly jumped into his lap and began to purr as she sniffed around for more.
“She likes it,” he said, looking at Everly with an innocent expression.
“Of course, she does, but now she’ll get into a bad habit of begging for food.”
Austin chuckled while he patted the cat’s head then set her down.
Everly had to smile at that because her cat was obviously smitten with the man. Not that she could argue with the animal’s taste in humans.
They continued eating, and Austin slipped meat to Snatches a couple more times, which made Everly laugh. When she rose to clear the table and do the dishes, Austin stood too.
“I can do that,” he said, reaching for the plate in her hand.
But she nudged him to the side and walked to the kitchen sink. “You’re my guest, Austin Hayes,” she said. “You helped me cook, you don’t have to clean up.”
He sidled next to her at the sink and washed out their drinking glasses. “I’ll wash, you dry. See, it goes faster with help.”
“Are you in a hurry?” she asked, then hoped she hadn’t sounded too flirty.
“I’m not in a hurry,” he said, his voice low. “I also don’t want to intrude.”
They weren’t touching, but it was like she could feel the heat of him. She watched his hands making quick work of washing the dishes, so she used a dish towel to start drying them.
She looked up at him as he turned off the water. His brown eyes held hers, and she swallowed against her suddenly-dry throat. “You’re not intruding.”
Was he leaning closer? Had his eyes just dipped to her mouth? Don’t panic, Everly. Breathe.
His hand brushed hers, and she thought surely, he was going to pull her close. But no, he took the dishcloth from her hands and dried his own hands.
Why was she feeling disappointe
d? It wasn’t like she could expect him to sweep her in his arms and kiss her or anything. Just because she too easily fantasized, didn’t mean he did. No, Austin Hayes was a perfectly level-headed man.
“What else is there to do in this small town?” he asked, using the damp towel to wipe down her single counter top.
She knew it was futile to tell him he didn’t have to keep cleaning. “Well, if you like hiking, Hidden Hollows is perfect for that,” she said. “But if you like beaches, we’re about a half day’s drive from one. Do you surf or anything?” She could imagine him a surfer in his younger days, and perhaps he still did.
He looked over at her, his mouth quirked. “No. I don’t surf. I grew up more inland, and my family rarely did beach stuff.”
She nodded. “What about sports?”
“Basketball in high school.”
She wasn’t surprised he played sports. “Were you any good?”
He leaned against the counter and folded his arms, studying her. “I was decent. Wasn’t good enough for college, but I could hold my own in high school. What about you? Any high school sports?”
His brown eyes were full humor. Was he mocking her?
She obviously didn’t have the height or body type for any type of sport. “Um, I was more of an art geek.”
His brows rose, the smile still in those warm brown eyes. “Are artists geeks?”
“Compared to jocks they are.”
“Can’t say I’ve known any artists, so I’ll have to get back to you on that assessment,” he said. “Besides, architecture has some similarities to art, right?”
Snatches rubbed against her legs, practically begging to be picked up. Everly obliged and held the cat close. “I think architecture is a lot more analytical than randomly painting something. But maybe that means you’re part geek, part jock.”
He chuckled. “I hated high school labels.”
“Me too.” She was pretty much smiling stupidly at him. She should be playing it cool, as if her skin wasn’t humming and her pulse wasn’t skipping ahead.
“What else does Hidden Hollows have?”
She wondered why he was so interested, but for the sake of conversation, she said, “We have a small amusement park, but it’s overrun with teens. The typical mall, one golf course, and a mini golf course—more teens abound there. Otherwise, places to eat like a burger joint, a pizza place, you know, all the standard stuff. Oh, and several of the hikes lead to waterfalls. One of them has a great swimming hole, although I haven’t been up there for a while.”
“We should check it out then.”
Had he just . . . invited her someplace? “Oh, uh, that might be fun.”
His gaze hadn’t moved from hers. “You don’t sound too excited.”
“I’m . . . surprised at the suggestion is all.” She bit her lip, silently telling herself to stop talking. But she kept rambling anyway because that’s apparently what she did around this hunky man with gorgeous brown eyes. “I didn’t think you’d want to hang out with me more than . . . now? I mean, you don’t owe my anything if that’s what you’re thinking. Dinner’s on me tonight, good neighbor stuff, and all.” Was her face red? She was pretty sure the answer was yes.
His brown gaze remained steady as if he was perfectly willing to let her dig her own hole deeper and deeper. “Is it Tom?” he asked, his mouth quirking at the corners. “Or is there a real boyfriend you haven’t told me about?”
She rolled her eyes. “No boyfriend. As if.”
His brows lifted, and she supposed she had to explain herself.
“I haven’t dated anyone more than a single date since Brock, uh, dumped me.” She set down Snatches because the cat was getting antsy. The cat promptly walked over to Austin and proceeded to nudge his legs. “Small towns are sort of hard to start a new relationship in. Everyone knows me, and I know everyone. The moment I show up somewhere with a guy, the news spreads to my mom and sister.”
“No privacy, huh?” he asked. “I think I got a dose of that with Gentry earlier today.”
Everly shook her head. “Yeah, watch out or Gentry will eat you for dinner.”
“She’s got to be in her fifties,” he said.
“Oh, she’s not picky.”
Austin laughed, and Everly grinned.
“So, if we go on a hike, then you’re saying the whole town will know about it?”
Everly felt like a hoard of butterflies had awakened in her belly. “Yep.”
“I have no problem with that, do you?”
She sighed with exaggeration to cover up what was sure to be another blush. “I’m going to have to break up with Tom first, because I don’t want him to think I’m two-timing him.”
Austin’s expression was perfectly straight when he said, “Let me know when you do.”
8
Austin
Once in a while, a full day would pass, and Austin would realize he hadn’t thought of Rachel at all. Today had been one of those days. It wasn’t until he called Jessica before her bedtime that Rachel even crossed his mind.
“What are you doing, Daddy?” Jessica asked, her sweet voice coming through the phone.
“Well, I’m cleaning up after dinner,” he said. “How was summer camp today?”
“Okay. I found a frog.”
“Really? What kind of frog?”
“I don’t know,” Jessica said with a sigh. “My friend Caleb said it was going to bite me. But do frogs have teeth?”
Austin had to think about that for a second. “I don’t think so,” he said. “Where did you see the frog?”
“By the trees.”
He smiled. It wasn’t like he’d get a ton of details out of a seven-year-old. “What did you have for dinner tonight?”
“Macaroni and cheese, then Grandma made me eat carrots.”
“They’re good for you,” Austin said.
“That’s what Grandma said.” She sighed again. “When are you coming home?”
“Well, I’ll be home in about a week for a visit,” he said. “But I have to come back here and work some more.”
“Can I come with you?” she asked, her tone brightening.
“Not this time, sweetheart,” Austin said. “I don’t have a bed for you, and I’m working very long days in order to get the job done sooner.”
“Okay, Daddy.” Another sigh.
He hated being away from her for long stretches. “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
Austin chuckled. “I love you more.”
This was their thing every night at bedtime, and Austin wouldn’t trade it for the world. They’d began it when Rachel had started staying in the city . . . with her boyfriend, apparently. And now, Austin was thinking of his wife. Bittersweet because he couldn’t even be mad at her—she’d taken that from him too.
But today had been different from many other days previous because his thoughts had been preoccupied all day with another woman. Everly. Last night’s dinner at her place had been impromptu and surprisingly fun. He hadn’t known exactly what to think when she told him she’d made up a boyfriend to get out of all the sympathy comments leading up to her sister’s wedding, but it sort of fit her quirky personality.
He’d left her apartment much later than he’d expected to. They’d talked late into the night about random stuff he’d never really discussed with anyone before. Or felt the need to. With Everly, it was different. Talking to her was easy. He’d told her all about Jessica and how he was already missing her. They talked about their childhoods, of all things. Everly laughed at his stories of his childhood, and he laughed at hers. Maybe too much.
At one point she slugged him in the arm, and he’d grabbed her hand and said, “Careful, or I might think you like me.”
She’d blushed then. A pretty pink.
At that moment, he realized he liked Everly. Well, he knew he liked her, but he liked her in a way that he hadn’t expected. He wanted to see her again. It was too late tonight, but maybe he could
text her? They hadn’t firmed up any plans to do something like go on a hike, but she hadn’t exactly turned him down either.
Austin sat on the edge of his bed, second guessing himself. He’d only be in Hidden Hollows for a couple of months. Dating a local woman probably wasn’t the best idea. He wasn’t looking for a fling, yet, he wasn’t looking for a commitment either. Having a daughter made dating seem very complicated.
Was he interested in Everly above other women because she was in Hidden Hollows? Because his life as a dad felt at a distance when he could only talk to his daughter on the phone? Dating a woman closer to home would involve so much more, and Jessica would be a part of that relationship too.
But here, in Hidden Hollows, Jessica wouldn’t even have to meet someone he dated. There’d be no disruption in her life as far as her dad bringing a new woman around.
Austin exhaled. His intentions toward Everly were . . . what? Friendly, he decided. He could have friends in Hidden Hollows, and one of them could be an interesting, beautiful single woman. Right?
It wasn’t like he was a player or a heartbreaker. If anything, his heart had been broken by his wife. Sometimes he wondered what would have happened to their marriage if Austin had found out about her affair before she got sick. Would they have split up?
The short answer was yes, but the long answer was murky. What if she’d apologized and asked for forgiveness? Austin knew he would have done almost anything to keep their family together. In the end, though, even forgiveness wouldn’t have been enough. Rachel had left them both permanently.
He could text Everly. See where it led. One step. That was all.
See any great movies lately?
Austin groaned when he realized it was after 11:00 pm. Even if she was a night owl, it wasn’t polite to text so late. Hopefully she turned her phone off at night. He set his phone on the bedside table, then changed for the night. By the time he settled into bed, Everly had texted back.
The Avengers was great. You should see it sometime.
Austin smiled. First, because she’d replied, and second, there was a hint of flirtation in her response. Haha, he wrote. I heard it puts grown men to sleep.
Loving Her Fling Page 5