Page 31 of Rescue
We sit there, holding hands, until the sun sets below the horizon. Something about the moment feels almost emotional sitting here in the silence of the woods with Miles. Once the last rays of sun have gone down, I look up at him. He’s still staring at the last remnants of light and has an unreadable look on his face. Almost as though he’s lost in thought.
“How did you find this place?” I whisper, partially because it feels like this sacred moment deserves it, and partially because it’s so quiet I don’t want to disturb the peace.
He shifts so he’s looking at me and clears his throat. “As a kid I roamed all over these mountains. My mom used to have to beg me to come inside. I was just more comfortable clinging to the side of these rocks than being cooped up inside.” He looks back at the darkening sky. It feels like there’s more to this story, something he’s not saying. He looks so lost right now.
I shiver a little. Now that the sun has set, the chill is starting to set in. That seems to bring Miles back to me. He turns to me, and if it wasn’t so dark I would swear his cheeks are reddened from embarrassment. He has nothing to be embarrassed about as far as I’m concerned.
“Penny,” he says, pausing to search for the right words, “there’s some stuff in my past that I don’t usually talk about . . .” he stops, letting the words hang there between us like there’s more that he wants to say, he just doesn’t know how to say it.
“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” I say soothingly as I squeeze his hand. “When you’re ready, I’ll be here.”
Later, after Miles drops me off, I do some tidying up in the dining area and then head to the kitchen. I know I did everything that needs to be done tomorrow, but I just want to double check and be sure. I left in a bit of a rush and don’t want to have to scramble in the morning. I check the refrigerated dough and make sure the counters are clean and ready for the morning prep. Once I’m satisfied everything is good to go, I head upstairs for a long hot bath.
I’ll admit to Miles starring in more than one erotic fantasy and laying in the bath tonight I’m feeling rather frustrated. Other than a few passionate kisses, Miles has been the perfect gentleman, and therein lies the problem. I am so worked up that he probably wouldn’t even have to kiss me to get me there at this point.
Sighing, I sink further into the water and let my mind relax for a few minutes. It feels so good to just rest. I think about the events of the day and even though Spencer called today, he never once crosses my mind. It’s too busy with thoughts of Miles, our recent adventures, plans for the cafe, and when the right time to tell Nana will be. When I finish with my bath, I’m so tired I climb into bed and fall right to sleep.
The next morning my alarm goes off at 5:15. I do my morning routine and just as I’m about to head down the stairs to start opening up, my phone catches my eye and I remember that Spencer called. Realizing that I never checked it last night when I got home, I grab it and start going through my notifications as I walk down the stairs. I pause when I see that he didn’t just call once, but six times, and he’s left three voicemails.
There’s nothing else pressing on my phone, so I set it down on the counter and get the ovens loaded and the computer turned on. It takes time to get this place open, so I don’t have it to spend on whatever Spencer has deemed an emergency. I guess he’s getting a little taste of his own medicine.
Once everything is up and ready I have about 10 minutes before the cafe opens. I make myself a latte and sit down at one of the dining room tables to listen to whatever Spencer has to say. In the first voicemail he’s calm and patient, just saying he’d like to speak to me. Just as the second message starts, I hear a little knock on the front door. I flick my eyes to the clock and see we’ve still got 8 minutes before I unlock the doors.Come on, people.
When I look to the door to see who it is, I see Miles' adorable face through the window and hurry to the door to let him in. I mouth hello and point to the phone. I really don’t want to be doing this with him standing right in front of me, but it’s happening and there’s nothing I can do about it. I hold up a finger to him as if to say “hang on a second,” and turn around to finish listening to an increasingly angry Spencer. Where he was calm and friendly in the first, he’s curt and annoyed in the second and downright mean in the third, telling me I need to come get all of my stuff and get the hell out of his life if I can’t even be bothered to answer his phone calls.
By the time the third message ends I’m shocked at how awful Spencer was. How could I have ever thought we could have a future together when that’s how he treats people that he supposedly cares about? I hang up the phone and turn back around to Miles. This really isn’t how I wanted to start my morning and now he’s here to see it.
“Hey, sorry about that,” I say, not offering any details.
“That’s ok. I came by early thinking I would apologize for last night.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for. Last night was perfect.” I smile, hoping to reassure him. “Do you want your usual since you’re already here?”
I drop my phone into my apron and move behind the counter to start making his coffee hoping he doesn’t ask about the messages.
“You don’t have to do that,” he says belatedly. I’m already working on the coffee. “What was that all about?” he asks, gesturing towards my apron.
I glance at the clock again. Still 5 minutes until the cafe is supposed to open. I can’t use the excuse of being too busy to discuss it. I know we probably need to talk about Spencer at some point, but I was really hoping that day would come farther in the future. Much, much farther. Maybe never if I was lucky. Apparently today is just not my day. I let out a huge breath I didn’t realize I was holding and think about what I should say.
“Hey, there’s nothing to be worried about. You can tell me anything.”
“Right, well . . . when I left the city, I left some of my things at my old apartment with my ex. I was in a hurry and didn’t really have time to pack everything. He left a couple messages saying that he wants me to come get it.” I’m obviously way oversimplifying my answer, but I don’t have much time before the store opens and I really don’t want to be having this conversation right now.
“Do you need some help?”
I wince. I really do. I’ve got a couple big things that I need to figure out a way to get back here, but I’m not really sure I should bring Miles with me to my old apartment with Spencer. Not that I have anything to hide, but it just seems a little rude to bring a new guy I’m seeing with me to pack up my things from my old relationship. I don’t really have a lot of other options though so I think I should probably take him up on his offer.
“I probably should tell you no, but I really do. I’m definitely going to need a truck for some of my stuff. My BMW isn’t big enough to hold everything. I brought what I could when I left the first time, but I still have a lot of clothes and stuff that needs to be boxed up and brought back here.”
My mind is racing, thinking about everything that I might have to deal with in Los Angeles, but I can’t help it. My anxiety is through the roof and after those messages from Spencer I’m a little shaken up. I don’t want Miles to know how upset I am though, so I try to calm myself a little. I take another deep breath and try to calm myself a little.
Miles eyes me sort of curiously as though he’s not sure what to do with me, then I see a look of decision cross his face. Before I can process what he’s doing, he reaches out and grabs me. The next thing I know he’s wrapped me up in his strong muscled arms. The first thing I notice is his incredible masculine woodsy Miles scent. If I could bottle it, I’d probably be a millionaire. I take a deep breath, inhaling what is quickly becoming my favorite scent and let it all out, almost instantly feeling better.
“I hope this is ok. I couldn’t just stand there and let you stress. I’d be happy to come with you to the city to get your stuff. When should we go?” He leans back a little so that he can look down and see my face.
“It’s perfect, actually, thank you.” I enjoy his arms around me for a few more moments while I think about the best time to pick up my stuff. “Let me talk to Nana and see if she’s up for coming back for a day or two. Can I let you know after that?” I lean back and look up at his face. He looks down at me with his brow creased with worry.
“Yeah. Why don’t I stop by after work and we can put together a plan?”
