Page 51 of Always Be Mine

“Yeah, I’ll think about it.” He was only half listening as he listened for the evidence of movement coming from her room. “I’ve got to go. We’ll talk later, okay?”

It was only after he’d hung up that Craig realized his best friend had very casually mentioned that he’d stay with his little sister when he came to town, and for the first time, he wondered how good of friends the two of them really were.

“Thank you.” Lucy accepted the glass of wine from Craig and took the seat across the living room from where he’d been sitting on the sofa.

“I hope red is okay.”

She nodded, a little uncertain about the entire situation. After she’d settled into her room, which hadn’t taken long considering she didn’t have a lot of things, Lucy hadn’t known what to do with herself. It felt strange to stay holed up in her bedroom, but also, she was off the clock, so she didn’t want Craig to feel like she was stepping on his toes in any way.

It was all still very, very new and considering they hadn’t discussed how to handle, well, anything, when he’d invited her to share a glass of wine with him after Meri went to bed so they could sort things out, she’d accepted the offer.

“Red is great.” She took a small sip. It was a delicious and light pinot noir. “This is nice.” She gestured to the glass in her hand. “But I have to admit, it feels a little strange to be drinking with my boss at my place of work.” She flinched a little at her own choice of words, but pushed the intruding thoughts out of her mind.

“That’s why I asked you to join me,” Craig said. “Because technically, you’re not at work right now. Well, youareat work. But I really don’t want you to feel like you have to stay cooped up in your room when you’re not on the clock, Lucy. I know this is all…well, I don’t really know how to do this either.”

He was so genuine and sweet, Lucy felt immediately at ease. “That actually makes me feel better because at least I’m not the only one.”

He chuckled. “You are definitely not.” He took a slow sip of his own wine, and Lucy followed suit. “I actually think this gives us a chance to get to know each other a little bit better. After all, the last few weeks have been kind of a whirlwind, haven’t they? I feel like I don’t know much about you at all.”

“The feeling is mutual.” She tried to keep her voice light and airy. She didn’t know how much she wanted Craig to know about her life back in Vancouver. He seemed to like this new Trickle Creek version of her, and she was doing a great job with Meri. That was really all he reallyneededto know.

“There’s not much to know,” she said after a moment. “I was a workaholic back in Vancouver.” That was the truth. “I didn’t have time for a lot of hobbies or interests outside of work.” That was mostly true.

“Is that why you came to Trickle Creek?”

She nodded, but then added a shrug, too. “Mostly. But I really just needed a change and to get away from…well…from everything.”

“A guy?”

Her head shot up, and she stared at Craig, open-mouthed.

“It’s okay,” he said. “You don’t have to tell me. I just…well, I kind of got the impression that maybe that’s why you were here. I find that people who come to the mountains are usually running away from something or looking for something. Maybe both.”

“Fair.” She nodded. “Maybe for me, it’s a bit of both.” Maybe it was the wine that gave her courage, or maybe she just needed to get it out. Either way, she surprised herself when she said, “I wouldn’t say I was running away from him, but I did recently end a relationship and I guess I just wanted a bit of space from that.” That was all true.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s fine.” She shrugged. More and more, every day, itwasfine. Ross was in her past. “It wasn’t meant to be. But it did help me realize I needed a change. And it’s been a change I’ve really been enjoying.” Her smile was honest and genuine. “What about you? Have you been in Trickle Creek your whole life?”

Craig laughed a little as he nodded. “When I was younger, I thought for sure I was going to get out of here the first chance I had. Teenagers know everything, right?”

She laughed.

“But what I didn’t know was that not only was I going to stay, but that I was going to love it. Trickle Creek is home, and it’s a great town to raise a child. I can’t see myself ever wanting to leave now.”

She knew she was prying, but Lucy couldn’t stop herself from asking the next question. “And Meri’s mom? Does she…well, is she…”

He shook his head. “She’s not from here. And she’s not here now.”

Craig spoke the words without emotion, just as the facts they were.

“Maybe I shouldn’t ask, but…does Meri know her mother?”

Again, Craig shook his head and sighed deeply. He glanced down the hall to Meri’s closed bedroom door. “We don’t talk about it,” he began. “Not that we won’t. But not yet. I don’t feel that she’s old enough yet to understand, and the last thing I ever want is for Meri to ever feel that she’s missing anything.”

Like a mother?

Despite the fact that she didn’t understand at all, Lucy nodded, and Craig continued.

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