Page 64 of This Time Around
“Oh yeah?”
“Yep. They’re having a great time eating Moroccan food and texting me how grateful they are I introduced them.”
“No kidding.” Jack made a face. “I wish I’d shown you a great time, too. Sorry the reunion was such a bust.”
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m thinking it might have gone better if I hadn’t joined you.”
“Definitely not true. The building could have caught on fire and it still would have been better with you than without you.”
She felt a smile tug the corners of her lips and lifted her glass to hide it. She took another sip of wine and glanced around the kitchen.
“Did all the cats run and hide after you got out that pill rocket?”
“Yes, but they came right back after I busted out a can of tuna.”
“Smart man,” she said. “So everyone’s been dosed with the necessary heart medicine or kitty Prozac or whatever the hell that was?”
“Yep. Smart of Skye to have to have a whole binder complete with cat photos and recommended dosages. There was even something that looked like a feline family tree.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. I found it in the cupboard right next to the pills. Some of the handwriting looked different, so maybe your grandma was the one who put it together.”
“I’ll have to check it out sometime.” She took another sip of wine. “It really went okay?”
“Yep.” Jack held out his right arm and Allie studied the ripple of muscle and the whorls of dark hair she knew would feel deliciously soft under her fingertips. It took her a few seconds to realize she was supposed to be checking out the web of scratches on his forearm.
“Yikes.” She grimaced and looked up at him, relieved to see he didn’t look too upset about it. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. I think I started to get the hang of it after the third cat. The trick is apparently to do it fast before they can start plotting an exit strategy.”
Allie laughed and went over to the pantry. Back when Rosewood operated as a B&B, her grandma kept the place well stocked with all kinds of gourmet eats. Most of what was in there now belonged to Skye, though Allie had brought some things over in the last few days.
“Sorry, I don’t have much to nibble on,” she said.
“We should have grabbed a to-go box at the reunion.”
“How do you feel about Ritz Crackers?”
“I feel good about them. I’d feel better if we took this little wine and cracker party into the parlor.”
“Deal. You take the wine, and I’ll throw some of these on a plate with some Laughing Cow cheese wedges I brought over yesterday.”
“Perfect.”
He turned and walked toward the parlor while Allie got the snacks together. She was glad he’d picked the parlor, since it offered the most privacy. Skye’s room was up on the third floor, but the parlor on the main floor had always been Allie’s favorite space in the house. It backed up to the Laurelwood room, which was the one she’d claimed for herself during the last round of cleanup. It was cozy with a big rosebush right outside a window that streamed rivers of natural sunlight. Sleeping there reminded her of her grandmother.
Scooping up the plate of crackers, Allie headed into the next room. Jack had already seated himself on the sofa and was holding a photo in an ornate silver frame. She couldn’t see the photo itself, but knew from the frame which one it was. An image snapped more than twenty years ago in the outdoor courtyard of the B&B. She was sitting at a table draped with a white-linen tablecloth, her parents beaming from either side of her as her grandma set a plate of tea sandwiches on the table.
Jack looked up and smiled. “I forgot you were such a cute kid.”
“Thanks. I was pretty close to Paige’s age in that one.”
“Oh yeah?” He looked at the photo again, his expression a little faraway this time.
“I heard from her, by the way,” Allie said. “Paige, I mean. You must’ve given her my number?”
“Yeah, sorry—I meant to tell you. I hope that’s okay?”
