Page 75 of Hope After Loss

“You want me to be mean? Because I can do mean,” I tease.

“I’m serious. I’m just a hot-mess single mom you got roped into hiring, and somehow, you’ve become one of my closest friends and confidants. I don’t think that was part of the deal.”

“You stopped being just my employee a long time ago,” I whisper into her hair.

She releases the crib and crosses her arms over mine.

“I’m scared,” she admits.

“I am too. Scared I’ll say or do the wrong thing and lose you. Scared I’ll misread the situation at any given time and overstep. I’m not the man who ever has something to lose, and now that I do, it scares the shit out of me.”

“You think Kaela and I are something to lose?”

“I think you two are a couple of the few things that I have worth losing.” I utter the admission, and it lingers in the air between us.

She doesn’t reply. She just stands there as we both watch her daughter sleep.

“I’d better go,” I whisper.

“Not yet,” she says.

So, I hold her, and we watch Kaela sleep a few minutes more before I head home.

Weston

Iwalk into the brewery for a cold one before heading home. I’ve spent the last two days in Colorado, meeting with some hemp farmers out there, learning a few new growing tricks and getting their advice on this year’s crops.

I spot Erin and Brandee at the bar, chatting with Maxi, and make my way to them.

“Hey, ladies. Where’s Anna?” I ask.

Erin shrugs. “How would we know?”

“Langford said Isley has Kaela. That usually means she’s out with you guys.”

Erin shakes her head. “Nope. I’m waiting for Ted. He’s taking me to see the new Marvel movie tonight.”

My eyes slide to Brandee, who is sucking on the straw in her empty cocktail glass.

“Brandee?”

She looks up, and her cheeks turn pink. “Yes?” she squeaks.

“Have you seen Anna today?” I ask.

“Yeah, she, um … she’s on a date.”

A date?

“What? It’s that guy from the from the café, isn’t it?” Erin asks.

Brandee grins. “Yep.”

Erin squeals, “I was hoping she’d accept his offer to buy her dinner.”

“I know. Me too. She told me about it last night. Apparently, he’s friends with one of the other firefighters, and his wife has been trying to talk Anna into going out with him. When we ran into them at the café, he asked if she’d like to go to a low-country boil down by Coyote Lake with a few of his friends. She accepted but stressed that it was just dinner and they were going only as friends. But I was outside when he showed up to pick her up, and he was beaming. Clearly, he’s hoping it turns into something romantic, and poor Anna, she was a nervous wreck,” Brandee spills.

“Hey, at least she’s putting herself out there,” Erin states.