Page 80 of Almost Perfect
Her fingers threaded through my hair and she shifted closer, hands running over my shoulders and one foot sliding up my leg.
A crash rattled the lamp on my side table—of course Warrick would come home now. I nuzzled into her for a moment, then deflated just as the loud bang of the garage door practically shook the whole house.
“Warrick, I’m guessing?”
“Mm-hmm.” I very reluctantly hauled myself to sitting upright.
She inched herself back so she was sitting against the headboard. “Guess I should get out of your—”
“Stay as long as you like. I’ll go deal with him.” I brought her hand to my lips and kissed it before dropping it and shuffling out the bedroom.
“So youdidsurvive the storm. Is Calla back home already?” Warrick asked, back to me as he loaded the fridge with groceries.
“Uh, no.”
“Guest room’s empty.”
He thunked down the eggs, as per usual, and I made a mental note to check them and make scrambled eggs with the ones that didn’t survive him.
When I didn’t answer, he glanced back at me, then did a double take and his eyes widened. An obnoxious smile lit up his dork face. “Ohhh, I get it.”
Then he turned and finished his unloading.
And I waited.
Because there was no way he didn’t have more to say on the matter, and I could practically feel the words jumping into the air, steaming out of his ears. He was doing a surprisingly good job at keeping himself under wraps.
“Go ahead,” I finally said, anxious to have him get through whatever was coming before Calla decided to come out and see what was going on.
He turned slowly, like he’d been waiting for the invitation. “Well… I’m just glad you were able to ride out the storm together.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. He giggled like he’d said the funniest thing of all time. “Hilarious.”
“Seriously. It’s wonderful you two were able to share body heat and keep each other warm.”
I nodded and made a “get it all out” gesture with my hand.
“Oh, come on, I just had the two. But seriously, is this a good thing?” His expression—part concern, part hope—cut through the joking tone of the last few minutes.
Was it a good thing? On one hand, how could it not be? And yet, on the other hand, this was me and Calla. Not a simple situation, no matter how we sliced it. “It’s good. Very good, I think.”
Warm hands slipped around my abdomen, and warmth pressed against my back as the woman in question hugged me to her from behind. “I’d say it’s very good, too.”
“Well, that’s great!” Warrick’s smile was genuine but fell in seconds.
“What?” I asked, the small hairs on the back of my neck rising.
“Someone in town is looking for you,” he said, right to Calla, who’d stepped to my side and leaned against me.
“Did you talk to this person? Did you get a name?”
Her body had tensed the minute he’d spoken, but if possible, she’d wound tighter by the second.
“I didn’t, but someone said he said he was a reporter. He’d heard you were in town, dating a local, and he’s trying to get a scoop.”
Calla stepped to the counter and slumped into a seat. “Crap.”
I exhaled, not fully understanding what this meant but knowing it couldn’t be anything good. “Do you need to talk to this person? Or to Kristoffer?”
