Page 27 of Chocolate Cherry Cabin

“Louis shouldn’t have done that to Calvin.” He’d played to her ex’s insecurities and weaknesses.

She could see how easy it had been, but still.

And why hadn’t Louis stepped up with his big NHL coaching salary and bought a new piano if he was so intent on puffing out his chest?

Secretly, Hannah hoped Calvin would solve the community’s piano problem if for no other reason than to have Louis’s plan blow up in his face.

“And before you guilt-talk yourself too much about the piano, the one at the barnisold,” Cass said. “And it’s not like Calvin’s broke. Louis probably did you and the community a favor.” She moved toward the front door, hollering for Dusty, who had finished helping Thomas tidy up the toys they’d been playing with. They were now in that precious, momentary balance where it was imperative to extract the boys before the mess was recreated.

“And,” she added, reaching for the door even though her son was still in Thomas’s room, and by the sounds of it, trying to see who could launch LEGO pieces the farthest, “I also happen to agree with Louis that you should become a teacher.”

Hannah gave her a skeptical look.

“It’ll only take a few courses, right?”

Hannah folded her arms across her chest. It was more than “just a few.”

Cass lowered her voice. “Thomas really likes him and so does Obi.”

“So?”

Cassandra raised her brows, calling Hannah on her feigned obtuseness. It was impossible to overlook the way Louis was hitting some pretty important marks on a single mom’s potential-new-husband list. Good with your kid? Check. The dog likes him? Another check. He had earned himself a free pass straight to the inner circle, where his eligibility could be considered more fully. Because chances were that having earned those two checkmarks meant he was a good person.

Annoying, but good. Handsome, too.

“He likes a life full of adventure,” Hannah said. “He’s not looking to play daddy.”

Cassandra smirked, and Hannah paused, wondering why her excuse felt like a lie. Did he actually want a family? She almost felt as though he might. If she was a decent judge of character—and she liked to think that she was—it seemed as though he might actuallywanta cozy family life.

Hannah shook her head. She was projecting her own desires onto him. He was a pilot, a guy who’d had a million careers already and was currently coaching a professional hockey team over an hour away. He wasn’t about to spend an evening at home watching movies with her and the boys. Settling down and being part of a family wasn’t his lifestyle.

Cassandra hollered for Dusty again. “Come on, kid! Levi Wylder’s waiting for us to pick up that saddle blanket for Auntie Alexa. We need to get moving. Chop, chop!” She lowered her voice. “As for Louis, why don’t you kiss him and see if all this fighting is just chemistry with nowhere to go?”

Hannah gave a huff of amusement as Dusty surfaced from Thomas’s room, Wade appearing momentarily to wave goodbye. Cassandra plunked a red knitted hat on Dusty’s curls as he slipped on his boots. She had him out the door in seconds, adding, “Be like Nike, my friend. Just do it.”

Hannah waved goodbye and closed the door to find Wade already in front of the TV.

“Did I say yes to screen time?”

“Yup.”

“I didn’t. Turn it off.”

“But I’m tired and wanna watch.”

“Why don’t you and Thomas finish your letters to Santa so I can mail them? That way they’ll get to him in time for Christmas.”

Wade rolled his eyes, but kept his mouth shut about the existence of Santa Claus as Thomas tore into the kitchen, yelling, “Santa!” He yanked his half-written letter from the fridge, sending the magnet flying. As nice as the upcoming break would be while they were in France, she was going to miss her little whirlwind.

Just pretend he’s going to be over at Calvin’s for a week and not half a world away.

Hannah sighed and held up the list of things to pack for Wade and Thomas that Calvin had left with her. It was long, but she could see at a glance it was missing important items, such as Thomas’s favorite teddy bear and Wade’s allergy medication. She tossed the list aside, wondering what Calvin would do if she ignored it.

Right. He’d be steamed up, because it was Hannah who took care of the details, desperately hanging on to her sons and the idea of being needed.

What had changed, that she no longer relished the idea of being involved with the trip, even if it was just to help with packing? Was it her secret snarky side—usually reserved for Louis—rearing up and expanding into all areas of her life? Did she believe that if Calvin was going to take their sons on an international trip, then he should be in charge from start to finish? That he was on his own and could very well mess up and fail? Did she want the vacation to be miserable for her boys? For Calvin to be trekking out into the night to buy allergy tablets? Because that’s what could happen if she didn’t add items to his list.

“How do you spell ‘Mercedes’?” Thomas asked.

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