Page 44 of I Still Do

After flipping the porch light on, they walked out to her car together. She set the pizza and her bag on the passenger seat first before going around to the driver’s side. Grey opened the door for her. She started to get in and then turned back to say something else. The words fled her mind, though, when he was standing right behind her, one hand on the door and the other on the roof of her car.

Their amazing, toe-curling kiss at the cabin replayed itself in her mind. Her heart begged for her to lean in for a repeat while her brain told her it was time to go before she did something stupid. She wasn’t sure she could start kissing him and ever stop. As she was still trying to decide which impulse was going to win out, Grey made the decision for her.

He pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek. “Be careful driving home. Will you let me know when you get there?”

“Of course.” She gave him a final smile before getting in. He shut the door for her. As she pulled away from the curb, she noticed he stood in front of his house until she was out of sight.

He’d been the perfect gentleman. Part of her was disappointed that he didn’t truly kiss her goodbye, but a bigger part of her appreciated the fact that he was taking her concerns seriously. She sensed he was letting her set the pace in this newfound relationship of theirs.

The truth was, she knew what she wanted. She was just afraid that saying it aloud would mean it’d be that much harder if things fell apart again between them.

Once she’d gone inside and locked the door behind her, she took her phone out and texted Grey. “Okay, I’m home.”

His reply came moments later. “Good. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

Her thumbs flew over the keyboard as she typed out her response. “Will do. I had fun tonight. I’ve missed you, Grey.” She hit send and then hoped she wasn’t being too emotional. But his response had her smiling again as she read it.

“I know what you mean. I’ve missed you, too.”

~*~

Over the next few days, Cora spoke to Grey daily on the phone, and sometimes their conversations stretched for two or more hours. Cora got to where she not only enjoyed their conversations but looked forward to them all day.

On Tuesday afternoon, Cora’s phone rang. Just hearing the sound made her smile. This time, the number showed it was Maria calling. “Hello?”

“Hi, Cora. It’s Maria. How are you doing this afternoon?”

Hearing her voice made Cora smile. “Hi! I’m doing well. How about you?”

“I’m doing wonderfully. I know I’m not giving you a lot of notice, but this month has just gotten away from me. I wanted to call because I’m hosting the family at my house for Thanksgiving this year, and I’d love it if you joined us.”

That was the last thing Cora expected to hear. Had Grey told Maria about their renewed relationship, or was this all Maria? If Cora did go, would she and Grey pretend they hadn’t started seeing each other again? What would Flynn say if he found out? All of the unknowns had her head swimming and nerves balling in her stomach. There was no way she could give an answer without talking to Grey first.

“I’m not sure about my schedule yet.” Which was true. She didn’t normally pay much attention beyond the current week because she rarely asked for extra time off. And Thanksgiving? She’d planned on buying a meal from Boston Market and eating it in front of the television.

“I completely understand. I know it’s a long way to come for a meal, too. But we thought that, if you drove in with Grey… Anyway, I want you to know that you’re welcome here. I have the food covered, so there’s no need to bring anything.” There was some noise in the background. “I’d better run. Think about it, Cora. I hope you’ll join us.”

“Thank you for the invitation, Maria, I appreciate it. I’ll let you know.”

“Sounds good. Bye, honey.”

“Bye.” Cora ended the call and sat staring at her phone. Her first instinct was to say no, that going to Maria’s house for Thanksgiving and having to see Flynn again would be anything but easy. Moments later, though, the thought of spending the holiday with Grey, Maria, and Dare had her smiling. She truly had no idea what she should do and decided she’d check with Grey first.

Later that evening, Cora got out of her car and headed for the hospital. She pulled her jacket closer to ward away the cold. It was only just before eight, but they were expecting a freeze tonight, the first of the season. Since it was already midway through November, they’d gotten away with warmer-than-normal weather for a while and couldn’t really complain.

At least she wouldn’t be working all night. Cora was covering for Jen until midnight when she’d come in and take her shift over again.

It turned out to be an insanely busy night where one new case arrived after another. By the time Jen came in, Cora was exhausted and ready to be home. They had a lull, though, so Cora told her about Maria’s phone call.

“Are you kidding? It’s a no-brainer.” Jen was staring at Cora as though she’d grown a third eye right in the middle of her forehead. “Go spend Thanksgiving with Grey. What’s holding you back?”

Cora blinked at her. “Seriously? Remember the whole tale about Flynn and how he reacted at the cabin?”

“I doubt Maria would’ve invited you if Flynn was so against it. Maybe he’s trying to bury the hatchet.” Jen raised an eyebrow. “What else do you have?”

“Let me see…” She dragged it out as though she really had to think about her answer. “Grey and I got divorced. Falling for him again is bad enough, but to go into enemy territory when everything is still new...”

“Oooh! You’re falling for him. Iknewit!”

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