Page 65 of You Chive Me Crazy

I could hear him laughing inside the bathroom.

It was annoyingly cute.

Thirty minutes later, I headed downstairs with Lucas, armed with a to-do list a mile long since it was the day before the festival.

“Good morning,” Betsy said. “Look at you two early birds.”

“We’ve got lots of prep,” I said. “Plus, I’m going to stop by and see Dr. Bonebrake before we pick up the food truck from Axel.”

“We can just grab a quick bite while we’re out, since we’re too early for breakfast,” Lucas said. “Can you recommend a coffee shop?”

“Nonsense,” Betsy said. “I’ve got freshly baked blueberry muffins and some coffee you can take to go.”

“That sounds perfect—thank you,” I said.

“Give me a minute and you’ll be on your way,” she said, turning toward the kitchen, then stopping and flipping back around. “And just so you know, Damian checked out late last night.”

“Wow,” Lucas said. “That’s a surprise.”

“Not that I’m complaining, but did he say why?” I asked.

Betsy shook her head. “I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to delay him or give him time to change his mind. Sorry, but I was relieved he left. What an awful man.”

“That’s for sure,” I said. “Did Savannah leave with him?”

“No. He told her to pack, and she said she wasn’t going anywhere, which is fine by me, since the room was already paid for. Anyway, I thought you should know. I’ll be right back with your muffins and coffee.” She turned and disappeared into the kitchen.

“That’s great news—Damian leaving,” I said.

“Yeah, but it makes little sense since he’s here to review the festival,” Lucas said. “Call me crazy, but that’s more than enough proof that he’s up to something. I don’t trust him. We still need to be careful.”

I nodded. “I think you’re right.”

As we sat in Lucas’s car and finished our muffins in the parking lot of the clinic, he glanced over at me and said, “I can’t take you anywhere.”

I hesitated. “Why? What did I do now?”

“You’ve got blueberries smeared on your face.”

I grabbed a napkin and wiped my mouth.

Lucas was quick to correct me. “Other side.” Then he shook his head and said, “Uh-uh” when I missed it again.

I was about to lower the visor to check in the mirror when he reached across his seat and used his thumb to swipe my face, his eyes now focused on my lips and nothing else.

“Did you get it?” I asked, barely in a whisper, as I swallowed hard. I hoped this wasn’t an encore of that touchy-feely game we’d played at dinner, because he was much better at it than I was, plus I wasn’t convinced I could control myself the way he was looking at me.

“Got it.” He shot another look at my lips before leaning back in his chair.

I cleared my throat. “You’resucha gentleman.”

“I do what I can.” He chuckled and got out of the car, coming around to open the door for me.

Lita was at the reception desk of the clinic again, and she beamed as we walked through the front door. “Good morning! What a treat to see you both again!”

I smiled, wondering how many cups of coffee she’d had, as she seemed to vibrate with the same frequency as a jackhammer.

“Good morning,” I said, looking around the empty waiting area. “It looks like we picked a good time to stop by.”