Page 26 of Chocolate Cherry Cabin

“We don’t hate each other,” Hannah snapped.

“Hey! Look who’s here,” Athena called from the doorway. “I thought I heard voices. How’s the piano?”

Obi scampered down the steps to circle the men before sitting at Hannah’s feet. He stretched his neck and nudged Louis’s hand, hoping for some attention, which Louis provided with a scratch behind the ears.

Calvin whistled for the dog, but Obi, now in ear-rubbing ecstasy, ignored him.

“The piano’s fine,” Hannah told Athena.

“Hannah won’t say it, but it could really use replacing,” Louis interjected. He locked his gaze on hers. “She’s too forgiving. She could do a lot better than settle.”

Hannah narrowed her eyes, and Louis guessed that rage was slowly building inside her, like lava in an active volcano. He really needed to stop pushing her buttons. One of these days he was going to be the victim of vehicular manslaughter or die of poisoned chocolate-cherry cookies.

“But don’t worry,” he added brightly. “Wonder boy here says he’ll get her one.” He jerked a thumb in Calvin’s direction.

“Really?” Athena’s forehead furrowed.

“I’ll look into getting something brought in,” Calvin said smoothly.

“Aren’t you leaving, like, tomorrow?” Athena asked.

“I’ve got this,” he assured her.

“I’m going to go next door,” Louis said, feeling like his work had been done and it was time to give it space to play out. He softly tapped Hannah’s shoulder. “Open your window and holler if you need anything.” He winked at her while giving Obi-Wan an extra goodbye scratch.

Hannah rolled onto the balls of her feet. She almost looked as though she didn’t want him to leave.

“She won’t need you,” Calvin said tightly, his hands curling into fists. “She has me.”

“In…Frankfurt, was it?”

“France.”

“Ah. Right.” He nodded, letting Calvin stew over the fact that while he was away, Louis was going to be living right next door to his ex.

* * *

“It doesn’t make sense,” Hannah complained to Cassandra, ten minutes after Louis had left, followed by Calvin and Athena.

“It makes total sense,” her friend replied, palms flat on the kitchen table. “Calvin’s jealous of Louis and vice versa.”

“It still doesn’t make sense.”

“Louis has a thing for you, which is driving Calvin nuts.”

“But Calvin doesn’t want me.” Never mind the erroneous fact that Louis wanted her. He wanted to irk, rile, pester and bother her. Nothing romantic.

“Just because Calvin is moving on doesn’t mean he wants his old rival to win you. And why else would Louis pretend he can tune a piano except for the fact that he likes you?” Cassandra laughed. She’d loved hearing the story of Louis’s moxie, going all the way to the barn and never quite admitting he was in over his head.

“He would do all of that to annoy me,” Hannah replied.

“It’s only annoying because you like him, but don’t want to.” She smiled as if she’d hit upon some truth—which she hadn’t.

Louis and Hannah? They were like ketchup on pudding. It just didn’t work.

“He’s annoying. He’s still pushy. And thinks he knows what’s best for me. He intentionally made Calvin jump in and say he’d secure a new piano.”

“Smart man.” Cassandra was grinning.

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