Chapter 2 #3
“Yep. I wasn’t sure if you’d be bringing bedding or not.
If so, I can take away the quilt.” Mila walked over to the bed, running her hand over the handmade quilt.
“My grandma Sheila made it. She was Queen of the Quilting Bee around here, so we’re in possession of many, many quilts.
If you don’t like this one, I can show you some other options and you can pick your own.
I wasn’t sure if you were a pastel or primary color girl. ”
Sadie giggled, the sound nearly knocking Boone over. How long had it been since he’d heard her little-girl laugh?
“This one is perfect. I love it.” Sadie crossed the room to climb onto the bed, bouncing a couple of times on her knees before flopping to her back dramatically, sighing as she sank into the soft mattress.
Boone took a moment to glance around. In addition to the bed, the room also had a dresser, two nightstands, and a full-length mirror. There was a large window, covered with gauzy white curtains, as well as a door that led to the front porch.
“And this is your bathroom,” Mila said.
Sadie’s eyes widened and she climbed off the bed to look. “My own bathroom?”
Boone was pretty impressed by that feature as well.
The two of them had shared one bathroom in their old apartment, something that had led to countless arguments the past six months, as Sadie had discovered makeup and curling irons and straighteners and a whole bunch of other shit that covered the sink counter.
Boone marveled at Sadie’s awestruck face as she spun around the room, dashing over to open the closet doors. It wasn’t a walk-in, but the way his daughter reacted, it might as well have been.
“There’s so much room for all my stuff!”
Mila smiled. “I’m glad you like it.” Then she looked at him, pointing across the great room. “Your room is on the opposite side of the cabin. It’s similar to this one, but a bit bigger.”
Again, Boone followed Mila’s lead, but Sadie didn’t join them, too busy exploring her own space.
Mila opened the door, stepping in more timidly than she had when showing Sadie her room, hovering in the doorway. That shyness stirred something in Boone that he was hard-pressed to ignore.
Forcing one foot in front of the other, he entered the room. It was similarly decorated to Sadie’s, but he had a king-sized bed and, instead of just a shower, his bathroom also had a whirlpool tub.
“We upgraded half of the cabins a few years back, making them less rustic and more luxurious. That way, guests can decide if they want the pampered experience or if they’d rather rough it,” Mila explained.
“We didn’t need anything this fancy. We would have been fine in a more rustic one.”
Mila glanced over her shoulder toward Sadie’s room. “I’m sure you would have, but I was twelve once, and I would have killed for my own bathroom. My sister Remi was the worst when it came to globs of toothpaste in the sink and wet towels on the floor.”
Boone was touched by the way Mila continued to consider Sadie’s feelings.
Lena had left him—them—when Sadie was two, declaring she didn’t want to be a wife or a mother anymore.
She’d given him full custody as she flitted off, doing whatever the hell captured her fancy.
Back when she’d lived in Williamsburg, she’d take Sadie for one weekend a month, and in the summer, she’d keep her for a week.
Since moving to Florida, the visits had dwindled down significantly.
In the past year, Sadie had only seen her mother twice, once when Boone had paid to fly her to Florida for a week, and then one day over the holidays.
During Sadie’s time with Lena, bedtime was forgotten, meals consisted of junk food or McDonald’s, and showers and toothbrushing was optional.
It took a good couple of weeks for Boone to break the bad habits Lena instilled during her time in charge and get his daughter back to her normal, healthy routines.
Boone had taken to calling Lena Sadie’s fun aunt—only in his head, not in front of Sadie—because she sure as shit wasn’t a mother to her daughter.
Since their divorce, Boone had sworn off love and relationships, because he was dedicated to raising Sadie in a stable environment.
Dating, in his mind, was too chaotic and not at all conducive to that goal.
He’d been burned bad in the romance department, and he was not about to sign up for that shit again.
Boone caught sight of Sadie taking a picture of her new bed with her phone.
He’d finally broken down and gotten her one for Christmas because, of course—according to Sadie—Stella and every other kid in her class had their own.
He tried to convince himself it was because she was old enough, but he knew the gift was also a way to assuage his guilt over the move.
No doubt she was texting pics of her room to Stella and Lena, the latter of which—despite moving all the way to fucking Florida—had been pissed about him taking the job in Gracemont, claiming it would make her infrequent visits to Virginia more difficult.
He racked his brain to try to remember when Lena had ever taken Sadie’s needs into account, and he came up with nothing.
Meanwhile, Mila, a stranger, was going out of her way to make sure Sadie felt comfortable in her new home.
“Speaking of Sadie…” Once again, Mila checked behind her to make sure they were still alone, then lowered her voice.
“My family always does a big Sunday dinner. What don’t you and Sadie join us tonight?
After all, you’ve had a long drive, and I know Levi will drag you all over the farm because he loves showing it off, so I doubt you’ll have time to go the grocery store today. ”
Boone opened his mouth to refuse, because he really was tired and he didn’t want to crash a family meal, but Mila cut him off at the pass.
“And before you say no, trust me when I say that Sunday dinner isn’t limited to just family.
We always have friends joining us. Plus…
” Mila leaned toward him, speaking even more softly.
“If you’d like…I was thinking of inviting Lark McCoy to come tonight.
She performs weekends at the brewery and winery.
She’s an amazing singer and guitar player. ”
Boone didn’t have a clue where Mila was going with that. Was she trying to set him up? He wasn’t sure why the idea of her trying to hook him up with another woman pissed him off, but the idea of Mila not wanting him…
Boone clenched his jaw. Mila is too young. She’s a Storm. She’s dangerous.
Dangerous.
“Mila,” he started again, but she clearly wasn’t planning on taking no for an answer.
“Lark’s little sister, Piper, is in seventh grade at Gracemont Middle School. She’ll be in Sadie’s classes. I was thinking maybe it would help make Sadie’s first day easier if she had a friend going in. I’m sure Lark wouldn’t mind coming to dinner and bringing Piper along.”
Boone’s refusal vanished into thin air, and he struggled to respond. Not because he didn’t want to accept, but because Mila was truly going the extra mile to make not only him but his daughter feel welcome.
He wasn’t sure he’d ever met anyone so damn thoughtful and sweet.
“That’s a kind offer.” Boone knew his daughter well enough to know that a lot of her quietness today was driven not so much by that damn silent treatment of hers, but because she was genuinely nervous about starting at a new school.
Between finishing at his previous job, the holidays, and packing their apartment, Boone hadn’t been able to get them here before now.
Which meant that, in addition to him beginning work tomorrow, Sadie was starting at her new school.
It was a less-than-ideal situation, but there simply hadn’t been enough time to do everything they needed to.
“Piper is super-outgoing. I swear the girl never stops talking, but she’s also very nice and makes friends easily. I’m sure she’d show Sadie around school and introduce her to the other kids. And I promise you, Piper is a really good kid. One of the top students in the seventh grade.”
With every word Mila spoke, Boone felt himself more and more drawn to her. She was honey and he was the bee. If he was smart, he’d put as much distance between them as he could.
However, she’d just made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“We’d love to come to dinner.” Giving his daughter the chance to make a friend prior to sending her into a new school where she knew no one was the least he could do, considering he was the one who’d uprooted her and dragged her across the state.
“Awesome.” Mila pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Let me step outside to call Lark really quick and see if they can make it. I don’t want Sadie to overhear me and get her hopes up if they’re busy.”
Boone followed Mila through to the great room, then out onto the front porch, where she could speak to her friend in private.
Sadie had already grabbed one of her suitcases from the truck and was dragging it to her room, looking a lot less sullen than she had an hour ago.
“You got it, Donut?” he asked his daughter. “Need help?”
“I’m good,” Sadie called over her shoulder.
Boone listened as Mila explained the reason for the last-minute dinner invitation, then he walked to the truck to retrieve a couple boxes, not wanting to eavesdrop.
Returning to the porch, he heard Mila say, “That’s fantastic.
See you both at six.” She hung up the phone.
“It’s all set. Piper’s excited to meet Sadie. ”
“Thank you for this, Mila. It’s a very thoughtful offer.”
Mila brushed away his gratitude with a wave of her hand.
He couldn’t help but notice she wasn’t good at accepting compliments, always downplaying her actions.
“It’s nothing, really. One of the great things about small towns is everybody knows everybody else, so it’s easy to know who to call on for help with pretty much any situation.
Of course, the bad thing about small towns is, everybody knows everybody else. ”
She had a light, tinkling laugh that Boone found incredibly adorable.
“I texted Levi when I was grabbing the cabin keys to let him know to come straight here for your meeting. He’s probably on his way.”
“Is Levi your brother?” Boone asked, in the dark about who was who on the farm.
Mila shook her head. “He’s my cousin. I have seven of them, all guys.”
“Ah, that’s right. The frat house.” Boone dug deep to recall all the things Mila had said in the truck on the way here, while he’d been lost in thought about her pretty smile and sexy body and… “And you have two sisters,” he said.
“Nope. Three. My third sister moved to Philadelphia just over a year ago, so that’s why it’s just me, Nora, and Remi in our farmhouse. You’ll meet everyone tonight, and I promise to give you a rundown of who’s who.”
He smiled appreciatively. “Should I bring a notebook?”
Mila laughed. “Might not be a bad idea. Okay,” she said. “I’ve overstayed my welcome. I’m sure you two are exhausted and anxious to unpack. Dinner is back at the B&B where we met, at six.”
Boone nodded, then frowned when Mila stepped off the front porch. “Wait. Where are you going?”
“Home,” she replied simply.
“I drove you here,” he reminded her.
She lifted one shoulder casually. “I know, but I’m not walking back to the B&B. Just to my house. It’s a lot closer.”
“No,” he snapped. “It’s cold out, Mila. I’m driving you.”
Mila froze for just a moment, her pupils dilating in response to his tone, which had been sharper than he’d intended.
However, she recovered quickly, brushing his words away with a sunny smile as the sun hit her chestnut-colored hair, revealing auburn highlights.
“Walking is the main form of transportation around the farm…in all seasons,” she explained.
Boone was about to insist she let him drive her, unhappy with the idea of her traipsing through the woods on a winter’s day, but as she turned away, another vehicle appeared.
Mila glanced over her shoulder at him. “There’s Levi now,” she announced, she and her cousin exchanging waves as he drove by her and Mila continued down the lane.
He watched her go, his hands itching to drag her back and spank that perky little ass of hers until she promised to do as he said. But that was a completely ridiculous thought. Because she wasn’t his and she never would be.
He sighed as Levi parked his truck next to Boone’s.
Yep. Mila Storm was dangerous.
And the worst part was…he wasn’t as afraid as he should be.