Page 14 of Sunny Skies Ahead (Watford Sweethearts #2)

Chapter nine

Imogen

M y day at Winding Road was largely uneventful after we toured the pasture.

Kam showed me the orchard and some of the crop fields, and took me to visit the hen house, where I got to meet Old Gram and Rambo in the flesh.

I still couldn’t believe Kameron would name one of his hens Rambo, but when I thought more about the company he kept, I supposed it made sense.

Kameron and I parted ways at my car, with me promising to text him when I left on Friday night to head back here.

We’d worked out a schedule where I’d spend the weekends here at Winding Road, and most of the work week back in Watford.

Given that this was supposed to be a part time position, and that most of the work that needed doing around Winding Road took place on the weekends, that arrangement made the most sense .

The moment I walked in the door of my farmhouse, I dropped my bag, flopped onto my couch, and let out a long sigh of relief.

It was good for me to get a change of pace. But nothing compared to the comfort of this couch, and being back in my safe place.

I only had a few minutes of peace before my phone rang. When I saw it was Abbie, I quickly sat up, smashing the answer button.

“Hi Abbie!”

No answer.

“Abbie?”

Just as I was about to panic, believing my friend had been kidnapped in a foreign country, I heard the faint rustling of sheets in the background.

“Hellooo,” I said, rolling my eyes when I heard giggling in the background.

“Hi, sorry,” Abbie said, out of breath.

“I know you are not calling me while you’re in bed with Connor.”

“We just woke up!” Abbie insisted. “I know it’s getting late there, and it’s almost time for your evening ‘me time.’ I wanted to hear your voice before you went to sleep. How are things?”

I smiled, leaning back against the couch cushions.

“They’re good. I just got back from Winding Road a few minutes ago, actually.”

“Oh?” Abbie said, intrigued. “Did you have fun? ”

There was a muffled sound against the receiver, as if she’d covered the speaker phone with her hand while discussing something she didn’t want me to hear.

I let out a long sigh.

“I’m there to work, Abbie. As nice as it is working for friends, I do still have to work.”

“Of course,” Abbie said. “I don’t mean to downplay that part of it. I guess we’re all still adjusting to the change in dynamic.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, not to get too deep into the romance novel weeds here, but isn’t Kameron technically your boss now?”

Something in my body flashed hot, and I shook my head, even though Abbie couldn’t see me.

“Technically, yes. I didn’t realize how much these guys hated checking their email. The Winding Road inbox is seriously neglected.”

“And. . . you’re okay? Outside of work, I mean.”

I pressed my lips together. Abbie didn’t mean anything negative by it.

I knew she was asking out of genuine concern for my wellbeing.

It also made me feel icky, to know she was on her honeymoon and still worried about me.

Like I was back in the mental state I was years ago, unable to be alone with my thoughts and memories.

“I’m doing great,” I said earnestly. Even if I hadn’t been fine, there’s a good chance I would have lied to Abbie.

At the very least, I would have tried. The last thing I wanted was for her to be thinking about me while she was supposed to be enjoying newlywed bliss with the love of her life.

“Did you know about the tiny house Kameron built at the farm? It’s stunning. ”

Another pause stretched between us.

“Well, honestly, Kameron didn’t make plans to have the house put in until after you accepted the job.”

That brought me up short. “What?”

“He always had plans to put a tiny house or two on the property, thinking he could eventually rent them out if we ever needed extra cash, but that project was put on the back-burner after the festival,” Connor explained, his voice louder than Abbie’s, like he was calling out from another room.

“After you took the job, Kameron went back to the builders and gave them the green light to build the first one. They just installed it in the last few days.”

My heart squeezed in my chest. My mind spiraled into thoughts of why Kameron would do that. They all came back to one answer I couldn’t wrap my mind around.

He wanted me to have a place. A place that wasn’t the farmhouse. Where I could be alone without the presence of other people bothering me.

I quickly shoved that thought of my head. Not only was it egotistical and completely ridiculous to insinuate that Kameron had literally built me a house, but it also didn’t help my tendency to overthink things when it came to my friends.

Connor coughed to clear his throat, and I remembered it was my turn to talk.

“That’s nice,” I said weakly.

“Go away,” Abbie said. “I need to talk to my best friend for a minute. Alone.”

Connor made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a whine, followed seconds later by the closing of a door. I smiled to myself. The three of us liked to poke fun at Abbie and Connor for being lovesick idiots, but I didn’t blame them. They’d spent years apart, and had a lot of time to make up for.

“How are the Netherlands?”

“Gorgeous,” Abbie said. “We’re visiting one of the tulip farms later today, and I am buzzing with excitement.

Thank you for organizing this trip, Imogen.

It’s been so nice to be able to actually enjoy my honeymoon without overthinking everything.

I would have been stressed the whole time if I had planned this. ”

I smiled, slouching back on the couch, and picking up the remote to scroll through my various streaming apps to find something to watch.

“I’m so glad everything’s gone smoothly. I tried to pick a mix of activities that I thought you and Connor would both enjoy.”

“You’ve done a great job,” Abbie said.

There was a pause while Abbie considered her next words and I continued my scroll to find something interesting to watch tonight.

“How is Lucas?”

“Weird,” I sighed. “The divorce proceedings are stalled yet again. He’s going back to Seattle at the end of this month for another meeting. I don’t know. It’s complicated and I don’t really understand it.”

Abbie let out a low whistle. “She has to be running out of things to do to stall it. Based on what I know, all evidence points to her being the instigator here. ”

I shrugged, ironically landing on a docuseries about crazy exes and murder. I hesitated briefly, wondering if it might be too triggering for me, before I hit play. Screw it.

“Yeah. She doesn’t seem like a very nice person.”

“And Kameron?”

“He’s fine,” I said, far too quickly. “He’s done surprisingly well with Connor’s absence. The two of them are like peas in a pod.”

Abbie let out a loving chuckle. “Yeah they are. I’m glad things are going well. We miss you guys and are looking forward to being home.”

“We miss you guys, too. Be safe. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“I’m not dignifying that with a response,” Abbie said. “Love you.”

“Love you,” I replied before ending the call.

I made myself a bowl of popcorn and a cup of hot chocolate—my go-to comfort snack, much to Abbie’s horror—and settled into the couch. I reached for my favorite fuzzy blanket, draping it over my legs as I hit play on the docuseries.

Nights at home truly were my favorite thing. But tonight, I wondered what it would be like if someone was here beside me, curled up next to me with their own mug of hot chocolate and an extra bowl of popcorn.