Page 36 of Hello Trouble

DELLA

I take back everything I said about no one waiting on me. Because when the doorbell rang at seven in the morning, I was just barely getting out of the shower.

Wrapping a towel around me, I got out my phone and dialed Hayes’s number.

A few rings later, an amused voice came over the phone. “Did I wake you?”

I rolled my eyes. “No, but I’m not ready yet. You can come in and wait in my living room. There’s coffee brewing in the kitchen too.”

“You sure? I can wait outside,” he said.

“Don’t be silly,” I replied. “I’ll be out in five.”

“I don’t know that anyone has ever described me as silly,” he replied, and I heard the doorknob turning in the background.

I had half a mind to drop the towel and strut to the living room, demanding to finish what we’d started the night before. But then Hayes said, “Take your time. I’ll have breakfast ready out here when you are.”

Smiling to myself, I said, “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

We hung up, and I set my phone back down on the vanity, smiling at myself in the foggy mirror.

For the first time in a relationship, I felt like I was with someone who truly listened.

All it took was me saying I liked pancakes in the morning, and here he was with pancakes.

I said helmets were safe, and I had a smarmy helmet pillow on my couch.

Relationships were a give and take, and Hayes seemed so much more focused on the giving part.

Eager to see him—and the breakfast he brought—I went through a quick morning routine, twisting my curls into a knot atop my head, putting on tinted sunscreen and mascara, and dressing casually in jeans and a T-shirt I’d gotten from donating in a blood drive.

When I came out of the bathroom, I could smell a mix of coffee and syrup, and my mouth watered. Then I rounded the corner and found Hayes setting the table for us.

A smile tilted my lips. Something about seeing him in my kitchen just felt right. “Hello, trouble,” I practically purred.

He glanced over his shoulder at me, blond hair falling across his forehead, and his smile could have competed with a sunrise. “Della.” The way he said my name had my heart turning to liquid gold.

He came to me, wrapping an arm around my waist and kissing me, the taste of coffee on his tongue. When we pulled apart, he nipped his nose over mine. “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

Begrudgingly, I agreed.

There were two plates on the table with pancakes, bacon, and eggs, along with a bottle of syrup, two cups of steaming coffee, and silverware. “Hope you didn’t mind me going through your cabinets,” he said. “Thought you’d like this better than Styrofoam.”

I nodded, feeling seen again. “Thank you.”

We both sat at the table, and I took a bite of pancake, immediately recognizing them as coming from Woody’s Diner. “So good,” I said.

He smiled. “Just missing the cuddles.”

With a chuckle, I said, “Guess you can’t have it all.”

But then he scooted his chair closer to mine so our shoulders brushed.

My heart warmed again, and I dropped my head to his shoulder for a moment. “Perfect.”

He kissed the top of my head, completing the moment, and then we went back to eating our breakfast.

“So what’s on the agenda?” I asked. “You never said last night.”

“I didn’t, did I?” He shrugged, then drew a bite of pancake to his mouth.

I hit his shoulder, and he pretended to be wounded.

“Tell me,” I said with a laugh.

“It’s something I think we’ll both enjoy,” he finally replied.

Realizing he was just as stubborn as me, I gave up, eating my breakfast and sipping coffee instead. It felt nice to have him in my kitchen, seeing him first thing in the morning. It felt right, somehow.

“Did you sleep okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Is it lame to say my bed felt lonely without you?”

He shook his head. “Not when I was thinking the same damn thing.”

The answer made me chuckle, and then I took my last bite of breakfast, feeling full.

I made to get up and clear my spot, but Hayes said, “Let me.” He took my plate and his, clearing them in the trash and then handwashing them in the sink and putting them in the strainer. I stared at him, so impressed.

Was he naturally this thoughtful? Or was this him putting his best foot forward?

I wish I had more time to know. More time to decide before choosing a job and a move that would change my life forever.

“Ready?” Hayes asked, drawing me from my thoughts.

I took a last sip of my coffee and nodded.

We walked out to his truck, and as he drove, I watched our surroundings curiously, looking for clues as to where we were going. But then he pulled out onto the highway leading away from Cottonwood Falls, and I really had no idea.

“We’re going to another town?” I asked.

“Not exactly...” We were a couple miles from town when he pulled onto a dirt road.

“So there was this older woman who wanted her late husband’s car looked after, even though she couldn’t drive it.

It was sentimental. So I went out there a couple times a month to turn it on, drive it around a bit, and make sure it stayed in good condition. ”

I leaned my head against Hayes’s shoulder, thinking of him making time for a sweet older lady and a car that mattered so much to her. “That’s really nice of you.”

He squeezed my shoulder a bit. “She passed away a few weeks ago.”

My heart constricted. “Hayes... I’m so sorry.”

“Me too. But she had been telling me for months she was ready whenever God was. She wanted to see her Herbert again.”

The thought of them being reunited had tears pricking at my eyes. That was the love I wanted—one that transcended earthly responsibilities and hindrances. One that would last forever. “You’re going to make me cry.”

His soft chuckle wasn’t derisive, but appreciative. “There’s a shoulder here if you want.”

I smiled, leaning into him. “Please tell me we’re not going to a funeral.”

He laughed. “Let me finish my story, woman.”

I shook my head at him calling me woman. But he continued, “Her son lives in Dallas, and he was so thankful for what I was doing, he said I could come to the estate sale before they opened it to the public. And I thought you might enjoy it too.”

I sat up straight, staring at him in surprise. “You’re taking me to an estate sale?”

He nodded, glancing my way. “You like antiquing and thrifting, right?”

An excited little hum went through my veins. “I don’t like it. I love it.”

He grinned, turning off the dirt road toward a beautiful, well-kept country home.