Page 18 of Love Notes

I was only jolted out of my hyperfocus when the old lady called, “I’m closing up for lunch now.”

“Oh.”I blinked myself free of research mode and carried the newspaper editor’s book over to the desk.“Is there any way I can borrow this?I’m not a resident.Well, I am for about another month, but usually I live in Ohio.”

She pushed her glasses further up onto the bridge of her nose.“Oh, where are you staying?”

“I’m renting Ryan Devlin’s cabin out on the lake.”

“Oh, you’re Rebecca’s guest,” the old woman said.“Well, you just write your phone number down for me, and I’ll make a note that you’ll return the book in a few weeks.”

“Oh, okay,” I said.“Great.You don’t need me to sign up for a library card?”

She studied me for a moment over the top of her glasses, and then said, “I don’t think that’s necessary.You have an honest face.”

How was this place even real?

Moments later, the book tucked under my arm, I headed for the bakery, looking forward to surprising Ryan with cupcakes back at the cabin.

I COULD HEARthe buzz of a power saw as I walked through the trees toward Ryan’s workshop, so I was reasonably confident I wouldn’t catch him with his pants down this time.A cat was skulking under a bush as I approached the workshop.It looked like the same one I’d spotted before on the porch swing.

“Hey,” I said.“Are you Ryan’s cat?”

I crouched down and held out my hand, and the cat stared at me for a moment before getting up to come and sniff my fingers.Then it wound itself in circles while I petted it, purring loudly.I didn’t realize the saw had been turned off until I heard Ryan say, “Hi.”

He was leaning in the open doorway.

“Oh, hey.”I stood up, and the cat wove figure eights around my ankles.“What’s your cat called?”

“Cat,” he said and looked faintly embarrassed at what I was sure was my judgmental expression.“She’s not my cat.She’s a stray.She doesn’t usually like anyone, including me.”

“What are you talking about?This is the friendliest cat in the world.”

As if to prove my point, the cat lifted herself up onto her hind legs to butt her head against my hand.

“She’s playing you,” he said.“Or she’s been playing me this whole time.She doesn’t even like Haider, and Haider is a total cat whisperer.”He glared at the cat for a moment and then snorted and shook his head, his expression softening with a smile.“It’s good to see you.”

“You too.”I lifted my grocery bag.“So, it’s lunch time.I have cupcakes.”

“Cupcakes for lunch?”

“I also bought subs.”

“Now you’re talking.Come on in.”

“What are you working on?”I asked as I followed him inside.

“Chairs,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

I studied the weird half-birdcage thing that was sitting on the bench.“That’s a chair?”

“It’s a sack-back Windsor chair,” he said.“Well, it’s part of it.Not my taste, but the guy wants eight of them.English-style too, which is narrower, so I’m using elm, which is stronger but a hell of a lot harder to shape in the steam box.”

“You just said a lot of words I didn’t understand.”

Ryan laughed faintly, looking at the ground while he rubbed the back of his neck again.

I didn’t like that he seemed unsure of whether or not I was praising him or making fun of him, so I said, “I think the stuff you can do is amazing.”

His cheeks pinked up, but he lifted his gaze and gave me a genuine smile.“Thanks.Most people zone out if I start talking about what I’m actually doing.”

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