Page 118 of This Time Around
Chapter 19
Allie handed a cup of chamomile tea to Skye and sat down beside her at her grandmother’s dining room table.
Across from them, Wade peered into his own teacup and swirled it around. “There’s no bourbon in this?”
“Just milk and sugar.” Allie stirred her own brew with one of her grandmother’s tiny teaspoons, then set the utensil on the saucer.
“This looks great,” Skye said as she blew into her own cup. “Not the tea. That looks great, too, but I meant the table.”
“Thanks,” Allie said. “It took a few tries, but I finally got all those scratches out and got the stain pretty close to what it used to be.”
“It’s better, I think,” Skye said. “Warmer. It looks more friendly. More like you.”
Allie smiled as a fluffy orange cat named Matt hopped into her lap and arranged himself across her thighs. He began to knead her with his oversized paws, making biscuits on the knees of her jeans. Allie took a sip of tea and reached for the box at the center of the table.
“You’re still snooping?” Wade asked, making Skye roll her eyes.
“It’s not snooping,” Skye retorted. “It’s her own history. Love letters between her mom and dad and her grandma and grandpa.”
“Or between grandma and one of her many lovers,” Wade pointed out. “Granny got around.”
Skye swatted at him, but Allie wasn’t offended. “I thought it might be creepy, reading all this mushy stuff between family members, but it’s not at all. It’s actually giving me some great insights.”
Wade snorted. “What, like the importance of burning all your dirty secrets before your grandkids find them?”
“No,” Allie said. “That love stories are complicated. No matter how perfect they look from the outside, there are ups and downs and ins and outs and?—”
“Whips and chains,” Wade added helpfully.
Skye gave him another swat, but Wade dodged back this time, so her blow landed on his chest instead of his shoulder. “Nice pecs,” Skye said, patting his chest before she drew her hand back. “Don’t be a jerk.”
“Don’t be a nag,” he replied, snatching her tea cup. He took a small sip, then shuddered as he handed it back to her. “You didn’t get bourbon, either.”
“Are you guys sure you don’t want to get back together?” Allie said, trying to keep the hopeful note from her voice. “You’re pretty much the perfect couple.”
“Thanks, but no thanks.” Skye picked up one of the sugar cookies Allie had baked earlier that day. “But we’ll be friends forever.”
“The story of my life,” Wade said, not sounding terribly bummed about it.
Still, Allie couldn’t help but wish for the happily-ever-after, even if it wasn’t going to happen. Not for Skye and Wade, and certainly not for her and Jack. After almost two weeks, she’d given up hope.
No, that wasn’t true. She hadn’t given up hope, exactly. She might not ever. Even now, knowing this stupid Pollyanna complex was probably her downfall, she couldn’t help it.
But she had given up calling Jack.
“The place is looking great, Albatross,” Wade said. “You’re pretty close to having it back up and running as a B&B?”
“Getting there,” she said. “My research trip to Seattle went well.”
He raised one skeptical brow. “You sandwiched visits to a cat café in between seeing your mom behind bars?”
“Cornucopia Books is more than just a cat café ,” Skye retorted. “They have a full bar and a gym and endless shelves of books, plus all these adoptable rescue cats just wandering around.”
“I got some good ideas,” Allie said. “The owner, Jonah Porter—he’s a brilliant marketer when it comes to cat-based business planning.”
“Cat-based business planning.” Wade picked up his teacup with a bemused expression. “Perhaps I should consider a new area of legal specialty.”
“Don’t be a dick.” Skye shot him a sweet smile and turned back to Allie. “I think it’s a fabulous idea. All your plans for reopening the bed and breakfast are finally taking shape.”
