Page 106 of Lavender Lake
No.
But wekneweach other, the way two people are supposed to know each other.
The way my parents had known one another.
The way Hadley and Declan knew one another.
And I’d ruined it because my first instinct was to fight.
With a labored sigh, I threw off the covers and climbed out of bed. My bare feet touched the cool floorboards as I padded my way to the door.
I opened it slowly, hoping the hinges didn’t squeak. I went out into the hallway and listened for a moment at my father’s door, not sure what I was expecting to hear, but there was nothing. Not even the gentle sounds of his snoring.
The kitchen was dark and I moved toward the stove, careful not to bash my toe on the heavy wooden kitchen table leg. I turned on the burner and opened the spout of the tea kettle so it wouldn’t whistle and wake everyone up.
Just as the sound of frantic bubbles ricocheted through the copper tea kettle, the kitchen light flicked on.
I whirled.
Muddy stood with her arms crossed, the worn blue bathrobe tied around her waist, her silver hair braided down her back.
“Did I wake you?” I whispered.
She shook her head as she walked to the cabinet. She opened it and pulled out two mugs, and then she reached for the looseleaf tea in the mason jar by the stove.
I riffled through a drawer and extracted two tea strainers and handed them to her. While she filled the strainers, I put local crystalized honey into our mugs and poured in hot water.
Muddy opened the drawer and grabbed two teaspoons, and then handed me one. I stirred the water, watching the honey melt. She submerged a tea strainer into each of our mugs, and then waved me toward the den.
I sat down on the couch and held the hot steeping tea on my lap, wrapping my cold fingers around the mug.
Muddy closed the double doors, and then took a seat on the couch next to me. She set her tea on the end table.
“It’s time you and I had a talk,” she said. “I’ve bided my time. I’ve waited, but some things can’t wait anymore.”
I winced. “This is going to hurt, isn’t it?”
“I know about you and Bowman.”
I paused, and then nodded slowly. “Yes. He told me that. At the lake.”
“What the hell did you say to him?” she demanded, her brows slashing together.
“Is that really any of your business?” I fired back.
“Whatever you said made him take off on his motorcycle. So yeah, it is my business. This ranch is my business.Youare my business.”
I kept hold of the mug with one hand and with the other, I rubbed my third eye.
“Salem,” she said, her tone softening. “Who do you think has been pushing you two together?”
My head snapped up and I stared at her. “What?”
She smiled and let out a low chuckle. “I’ll give it to you both. You did well trying to hide what was going on beneath everyone’s noses. But you never fooled me.”
“When did you know?” I asked, still in shock.
“The moment he introduced himself at the hospital,” she said. “I knew what was going on between Declan and Hadley before they did. And I knew what was going on between you and Bowman before you did.”
