A shadow fell over her. “Bad day?”
She looked over her shoulder to find Cannon. “You have no idea.” Cannon flopped on the ground next to her chair.
At the next Yes! Yes! Yes!, he laughed. “Oh, I get it.”
They both looked back at the last room, where the light seeped out from between the curtains.
She picked up the bottle of wine and emptied it. “They’ve been at it since they arrived. I don’t know if I should be jealous or annoyed. I’m leaning toward annoyed.”
Cannon leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his knees. “Why annoyed?”
She turned to face him. The moonlight caught the blue in his eyes. Maybe it was the wine or the constant soundtrack playing in the background, but he looked damn sexy.
“Seriously? I’m sitting out here in the cold while they’re doing . . . whatever they’re doing that requires a thousand Oh Gods and Yeses. I’m fairly certain the wall will have holes in it from the headboard banging.” She rocked the empty bottle between her thumb and finger and let it swing like a pendulum between them. “To make it worse, I’m out of wine. I can't even drown out the noise with alcohol."
He rose to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”
He left for a few minutes and returned with a chair, a blanket, a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Looked like you needed reinforcements.” He sat the chair next to hers, wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, and offered her a glass of wine.
While she tipped her glass back, Otis climbed under the tent the blanket created and groaned as if his life was perfect. To dogs, life was simple. Eat. Sleep. Eat some more. Sleep again.
“Do you think it’s wise to keep alcohol in the house with your father?” She didn’t want to create a divide between them again, but it wasn’t much different from offering a diabetic a candy bar.
Cannon stared at the wine in his glass. He twirled it around until the red liquid coated the inside. “There’s nothing he can access. I keep my stash in the gun safe, locked up.”
“That’s good.” Just having him near her was nice. “Thanks for the wine.”
“Here’s to being neighbors.” He raised his glass and tapped hers. “For as long as you stay, at least.”
Sage glanced over his shoulder to the cabin where he lived. It was dark and empty. “You should go inside. I’m pretty sure it’s warm and quiet in your house.”
He sipped at his wine and looked at her. “Probably, but it wouldn’t be neighborly to leave you out here by yourself. Besides, I like your company better than I like my own. I’d invite you in, but Dad is unpredictable.”
“Probably wise to stay put. At least less painful.” Too much wine gave Sage the giggles. “You could be out here until sunrise. I swear they have the stamina of Olympians.”
“I’ll stay with you until they wear themselves out.” He topped off both wine glasses and looked out to the lake.
“I’m not sure that’s possible. Have you ever . . . ?” Sage shook her head and dropped the sentence. She couldn’t believe she almost asked him if he had ever made a girl cry out like that.
“Yes.”
She snapped her head in his direction. “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“It’s easy to assume. There’s a triple-X-rated soundtrack playing in the background, and you have that wistful look about you.”
“It’s not wistful.” She held up her half-empty glass. “I’m drunk. You have no idea what I was about to say.”
He moved his chair closer and pulled the corner of the blanket around his shoulders, too. His body touching hers warmed up the part the wine hadn’t numbed.
“There are several questions I can deduce from that look. One is, have I ever stayed up having sex all night? Another would be, do I have the skills to make a woman cry out in ecstasy? Maybe you were simply thinking, have I ever wanted what they have? And the answer to all three is yes.”
She stared at his lips and wondered what they’d feel like on hers. Would the hands that held the glass so gently be as tender on her body? Caught gawking at him, she turned away in embarrassment. “You’re wrong. I was going to ask if you’ve ever sat outside because the noise inside was too much to take?”
Cannon chuckled. “Sure. That’s what you were thinking. The answer is also yes. My brother and his girlfriend were active and loud.”
“You have a brother?”
“Yep, he doesn’t live here anymore.” Cannon looked off toward his house as if he were recalling a memory. “They would lock me out of the house.” He picked up the bottle and divided the rest between the two glasses, then pointed to the dock. “I’ve spent many hours on that dock.”
Sage leaned in toward Cannon to soak up more of his body heat. “I could think of worse places to be stuck. If it wasn’t so cold, it would be perfect.”
“This feels kind of perfect.”
He adjusted the blanket and pulled her closer. The arm of her chair dug into her side, but she didn’t complain. For the first time since she arrived in Aspen Cove, she didn’t feel alone. It was an odd sensation to be so comfortable with a man who made her temper flare and her insides turn soft when he was near. The most interesting thing was he made her feel something other than empty. Sage would take rage and passion over apathy any day.
They sat there in companionable silence for minutes. Cannon turned toward her. His head tilted, and she knew the kiss was coming. She leaned in, softened her lips and inhaled. Just as the lids of her eyes fluttered closed, she felt him shift.
“I think they’re done,” he said. He rolled to his feet, taking the blanket with him. “Let’s get you inside and warm.” He offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet. “I’ll clean this up.” With his arm at her back, he led her to the door.
Sage wasn’t ready to say goodbye, but she knew it was the smart choice. There was no point in starting something that would go nowhere. She wrapped her arms around Cannon and hugged him tightly. “Thank you. This was probably the best night I’ve had in a while.”
His arms wrapped around her, and his lips touched the top of her head in a gentle kiss. “You need to get out more.”
“I do. I really do.”
“Tomorrow night, come to the bar.” He held her shoulders and pushed her away. “It’s karaoke night. Bring Otis.”
“Okay.” She nodded her head. It would be the first Saturday night where she wasn’t pulling a shift or spending it curled on the couch, watching reruns.
“It’s a date.” He stepped away and started down the stairs.
“It is?” Did he mean a real date, or was he using it as a figure of speech?
“Just come to the bar.” He disappeared into the night. She watched his outline as he picked up the glasses and bottles by the water and walked toward his cabin.
Sage giggled a little as she walked into the house. Suddenly, nothing bothered her. Not her nose. Not the newlyweds going at it like rabbits. Not the thought of being stuck here until the house sold. A voice from deep down told her she could be happy here if she’d let herself. Flopping onto her bed, she grinned up at the ceiling, thinking of the magical effect that a long hug and light kiss from the right man could have. She wasn’t sure if it was the wine talking or her hormones, but something was telling her to trust Cannon.
Chapter Eighteen
Sage barely peeled an eye open for Katie when she arrived at exactly seven-thirty to deliver muffins. The apple spice scent filled the air the minute she walked inside.
Not wanting to wake her guests, she pulled her finger to her lips in a “be quiet” motion and led Katie into the kitchen, where a decent cup of coffee awaited them.
“What do I owe you?” she whispered as she reached for her purse tucked under the sink. Sage lived by big city rules. She locked her doors at night and kept her purse hidden out of sight.
Katie shook her head. “You’re not paying me. I’m here because of you, and a bunch of lunatics that keep leaving flour and produce on my d
oorstep.”
“More?” Sage took a seat at the oak table and patted the chair next to her. “What came today?”
Katie slid a K-cup into the slot and pressed the brew button. “Bananas and walnuts.”
Sage bounced up and down in her seat. “I love banana nut muffins.” She took a twenty-dollar bill out of her purse and pushed it across the table. “Can I swing by in the morning and pick some up?”
Once she had her coffee, Katie sat in the chair next to Sage. She ignored the money and hummed at her first sip. “I’ll deliver if you make me a cup of coffee. I need to get one of these machines for the bakery.”
“Forget the Keurig. Go for an espresso machine.”
“An espresso machine is the dream.” She pointed to the pot on the counter. “For now, that will be the reality.”
Sage pushed the money closer to her friend. “This will get you closer to the dream.”
Katie stared at the money, as if warring with herself, but she must have known Sage would insist she take it. She picked it up and tucked it in the front pocket of her jeans.
“What about you? How are your first guests faring?”
Her cheeks heated. She leaned in toward Katie. “Oh my God. They haven’t stopped having sex. Even Otis climbed under the blanket around three in the morning to muffle the noise.”
“Shut up. Really?” She stared out the window. “I can’t remember a time when I had sex with a guy and wanted a repeat, nonetheless a marathon.”
“That bad?” Sage thought back to her relationship with Todd. It’s not that the sex was bad, but to call it good overstated his skill. There were certainly no Oh Gods or Yeses. Just sex. No foreplay. No cuddling. In hindsight, she realized that Todd took, and like her sister said, she always gave.
“Can’t say it was good.”
“You’ll have to change that. What about the sheriff?” She waggled her brows. “He likes your muffins.”
“And he’s willing to pay for them, but he’s not my type. First, he’s too old. He’s, like, forty. Second, I have a type.”
Sage looked at Katie. Her hair was styled. Her makeup perfect. Her clothes conservative, sweet, and expensive. She guessed her type to be trust fund baby or banker.
“Not sure if you’ll find the pretty boys here in Aspen Cove.”
Katie took a sip of coffee and laughed so hard, it dripped from the corners of her mouth. She rushed for a napkin to clean up the mess running down her chin. “You are so far off the mark. I like mine damaged, dark, and brooding. The kind of man that looks like he’ll murder you in your sleep, but in reality, he’s got you wrapped in his arms for protection.”
“I didn’t take you for the caveman type.” Sage reached into the box of muffins on the table and snatched one. She brought it to her nose and smiled. She imagined Bea serving muffins on this table to her family.
“Cavemen are hair pullers.” She ran her fingers through the perfect hot-ironed curls. “I’d kill a man who messed up my hair.”
Sage laughed and then remembered her sleeping guests. “You’re like Cinderella without her dress, glass slippers, and fairy godmother.”
“I’m pretty sure Bea was my fairy godmother. No-go on the slippers; imagine how awful those would have been? I had the dress at my cotillion. Not blue, but white and it rivaled the beauty of any wedding dress out there.”
“They still hold those?”
“Any southern girl worth her salt was drowned in etiquette and lace for that one day she’d be presented to society.” Katie’s southern accent came out stronger with each word.
“And I thought prom was a big deal.”
“I did that, too, but I wore red. My mama nearly fainted. She said wearing red was a sin.”
“It’s going to take me some time to figure you out.” Sage stood and pulled plates from the cupboard.
“Does that mean you’re going to stay?”
She shook her head. “I’m not quite there yet, but I’m not packing my bags today.” She set the table for the newlyweds and pulled out the various breakfast options she’d purchased. She laid out a spread ranging from cereal to yogurt to fruit. While she worked, she caught Katie up about the bird and Cannon.
“I still think you two would be cute together.”
Sage ignored the comment. She found Cannon Bishop to be cute and cantankerous at the same time. Not necessarily a good mix.
When the banging began, they looked toward the guest hallway. The newlyweds were awake.
“And so it begins.” Sage covered her face with her hands.
“On that note, I should go. Besides, the sheriff will be waiting at the door at eight.”
Sage ignored the all too familiar bang of the headboard against the wall. “Do you think he’s the one bringing the supplies?” She walked Katie to the door.
“I don’t know. That’s another mystery I’d like to solve.”
Sage stood at the door and watched her friend drive away.
She dressed, picked up the shoebox, fed Otis and retreated to the deck. She opened the lid carefully, looking in on the bird. It cowered in the corner of the box until she filled its bowl with seeds and creamed worms. With the lid open, she set it on the handrail to catch some fresh air and sun. When it was strong enough, she hoped it would take flight.
Off to the left, a deer leaned down to the lake to take a drink. He was a young buck with a small rack of antlers. It was the most beautiful sight Sage had ever seen. Otis growled, and she shushed him. The deer lifted its head, but it didn’t bolt. He looked at her, then bent to drink more.
Otis got to his feet and wagged his tail. Behind them, he must have seen the Morellos through the window.
“Good morning,” the husband said.
“Here.” Sage rose from the Adirondack chair. “Have the deck to yourselves.” She closed the lid on the bird and called Otis to follow her.
“No, it’s okay, we’re just grabbing a bite to eat and then taking a walk around the lake.”
Sage looked past him to his wife. With all the action they had, it was a wonder she could walk.
“We didn’t keep you up, did we?” Mrs. Morello asked. A blush covered the young girl’s cheeks.
It took everything in Sage not to roll her eyes or make a sound. “No, Otis and I hung out with a friend, so we weren’t around.”
Sage watched her relax. “Oh, good.” She bit into one of the muffins she grabbed on her way out and moaned. “These are amazing. Did you make them?”
“No, the bakery in town delivered them.” The couple took over Sage’s space on the deck as she moved into the house. “Have a good time on your walk.”
As soon as the newlyweds left the house, she entered their room to make up their bed. As a nurse, she’d been around a lot of body fluids, but something about touching the sheets on their bed made her skin crawl. Instead of making the bed, she stripped it and tossed the sheets into the washer. She started a whites cycle with hot water and extra soap, then remade the bed with fresh sheets before she raced to the bathroom and climbed into the shower to clean herself.
With the room back in order, Sage went to bed for a long nap. The headboard banging down the hall woke her. She’d slept long enough for the sun to set. Rather than stay for multiple rounds of newlywed bliss, she dressed and took Otis to the bar.
About a dozen people were inside when she arrived. She recognized a few from Bea’s funeral. She walked her dog to the end of the bar, where she took the stool, and Otis curled up in a ball at her feet.
Cannon put a coaster in front of her. “Beer? Wine?”
Another glass of wine would make her stomach turn and her head ache. She’d drank too much last night, but carbonation called to her. “Love a beer.”
The clank of pool balls grabbed her attention. A group of rough-looking men circled the table, and Sage thought about Katie.
“Glad you made it. Get any sleep?” He lifted one brow.
“Some. I took a nap after they left.”
&n
bsp; Cannon set the dark beer in front of her. It didn’t go unnoticed that he’d remembered what she drank the last time she sat on the same bar stool. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but it hadn’t even been a week. “Since you’re here, I’m assuming they’re back at it.” He slid a bowl of bar mix toward her.
“That’s not the only reason I came. I know the bartender, and he pulls a wicked beer.”
When Cannon smiled, he lit up the room. Sage understood why the girl at the liquor mart seemed disappointed. She’d probably seen that smile a time or two. Like peanut M&Ms or Skittles, it was addictive. A few here and there were never enough.
He leaned over the bar, and Sage thought he’d touch her—or give her another brush of his lips against her hair. He looked down at her dog. “Hey Otis, don’t eat Mike, okay?” He pushed back and walked down to the other end of the bar, leaving her alone.
Sage shot off a quick text to Katie, telling her to come over and have a beer.
Five minutes later, Katie walked in and turned every head at the pool table. It would seem that opposites did attract.
“Oh my.” She took the stool next to Sage. “There’s quite a selection tonight.”
The comment surprised Sage. “You’ve been here before?”
Katie lifted her shoulders. “I live across the street.” She pointed to the man who looked like a criminal, minus the cuffs. “That’s Dalton. You met him at the funeral. He’s a cook at the diner.”
“He looks right up your alley.”
“Not really. He’s a big teddy bear, but not my type.”
“He’s exactly your type. Big, burly, and dangerous-looking.” Sage sipped at her beer.
“You’d think, but I’ll know when I see the one. He’s not the one.” Katie looked around the room. “That young one over there is Mark. He’s the deputy sheriff.”
Sage remembered meeting most of the people in the bar except the men around the pool table.
“Those are Dalton’s biker friends.”
Someone dropped a coin into the jukebox, and a song began to play.
“Oh, I love this song.” Katie pulled the mug from Sage’s hand and dragged her to the one place in the room with space to move. “Dance with me.”
One Hundred Reasons Page 11
