Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
A few hours later, Mila stifled a yawn, fighting like the devil to find a second—maybe third—wind. She hadn’t napped since she was a kid, but God if she didn’t long for one now.
She glanced from the cheese she was cutting to the kitchen doorway when Nora stuck her head in.
“Oh good. You’re here. You got a minute? I was hoping we could chat in my office.”
Mila nodded, putting the knife down and washing her hands before following Nora upstairs, to her office at the winery. She was surprised when she spotted Remi there, kicked back in Nora’s chair, her feet on the desk.
Mila shot a look at Nora, who twitched a little when she saw Remi’s dirty boots on her pristine desk. “Out of my seat,” she demanded, circling the desk.
Remi dropped her feet and rose, grinning at Nora.
“You’re a heathen,” Nora murmured.
Remi snickered. “Someone’s gotta keep you on our toes. All this perfection and cleanliness isn’t good for you.”
Nora rolled her eyes, claiming her own chair, as Mila took one of the two chairs across the desk from her, Remi the other.
“I thought you were getting the donkey today,” Mila said to her sister.
“Just got back about an hour ago,” Remi replied. “Hoping we can make this interrogation quick so I can make sure he’s settling in okay.”
Mila frowned. “Interrogation?”
“Intervention,” Nora corrected, then tilted her head. “Although I don’t think that works either. Investigation?”
“Come to Jesus?” Remi offered.
“What’s going on?” Mila asked.
“We want to talk to you,” Nora replied. Before adding, “About Boone.”
“What about him?” Mila was hedging, but she wasn’t sure how else to respond. She’d promised Boone they would keep their budding relationship on the down-low, but she also didn’t want to lie to her sisters. Or continue to keep the secret. She’d always been close to them.
“Told you she’d play coy,” Remi said, crossing her arms. “Why don’t we just save you the trouble of trying to brush us off with a bunch of bullshit. Last week, you came home from your ‘cooking lesson’,” Remi air-quoted those two words, “with your shirt on inside out.”
Dammit. Mila was really hoping her sisters hadn’t noticed that.
“Oh. Yeah.”
“Did this start when you two were snowed in or before that?” Nora asked.
“We’d kissed a couple of times before the blizzard, but yeah…things changed during the storm.”
“Doing a puzzle,” Remi said, shaking her head. “I nearly laughed in your face. And the way you believed her,” she added, gesturing to Nora.
“Mila’s as crazy about puzzles as I am! Maybe worse. We get in that zone and we don’t look up, Rem. You know this. Besides, she never once let on that she liked Boone, so why wouldn’t I believe her?”
“So gullible,” Remi muttered.
“I’m sorry I lied to you both, but Boone and I weren’t exactly…” Mila paused. She probably should have put a little effort into figuring out how to break this news to her family. “We aren’t telling anyone because of Sadie. Boone hasn’t dated anyone since his divorce, and—”
“No one?” Remi asked, shocked. “Haven’t they been divorced a really long time?”
“Ten years,” Mila replied.
Nora’s eyes widened, and she whistled. “Wow. That is a long time. Why hasn’t he dated?”
“Sadie was only two when his wife left him, so for the first few years, he was raising a toddler on his own. Boone was working full time, so when he was home, he was all about her.”
Nora smiled sadly. “I knew I liked that man. What a stand-up guy.”
“He really is,” Mila agreed.
“That covers the first five years, tops,” Remi countered.
“Boone said he wasn’t interested in a relationship, that he’s too set in his ways at this point.”
“Does he still feel that way?” Nora asked. “Because, Mila, all you’ve ever dreamed of is getting married and having a family.”
“I know. And I still want that.”
“But does Boone?” Remi repeated.
“That’s what we’re figuring out. We agreed to take things slow and see where they go.
If he didn’t have Sadie, we wouldn’t have to keep it quiet, but he doesn’t want to introduce her to a woman until he’s sure about the relationship.
He’s not the only one with the potential to be hurt if things go wrong. ”
Nora nodded. “That makes sense.”
Remi obviously didn’t agree. “Sadie is a smart kid. I don’t think you and Boone are giving her enough credit for being able to handle this. Especially since it’s obvious you’re already in love with him.”
Mila didn’t bother to deny it. “I am.”
Remi was never one to mince words. “So how long are you going to keep sneaking around? I mean, there’s going slow and then there’s standing still. Boone hasn’t introduced anyone to Sadie in ten years. That feels like zero movement to me.”
“We didn’t put a time limit on it,” she said, trying not to panic over Remi’s comment. “It’s only been three weeks,” she pointed out. “I’d hardly call that too long.”
Remi leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I know that, Mila, but I also know that you won’t put pressure on Boone when the time comes. I don’t want him stringing you along forever.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” she insisted, hating that neither of her sisters looked convinced.
“I like Boone a lot,” Nora said, “but I’m always going to be Team Mila. It’s your heart I’m most concerned about.”
Mila appreciated that. “It’s only been three weeks,” she repeated.
Remi and Nora sighed in unison. “You’re right. It’s still early days,” Remi said. “Just know that if this goes on for too long, we’re going to hold another one of these interrogation/intervention/interview/come to Jesus meetings.”
Mila laughed. “I’ll considered myself warned.”
Lark knocked on Nora’s open door, peering inside. “Sorry to bother you guys, but there’s a woman downstairs in the tasting room, Mila. She’s asking to talk to you.”
“Wonder who that could be,” Mila mused aloud as she stood.
Remi rose as well. “I need to head out, too. Meeting Sadie in the stable in ten minutes. She’s going to help me name the new donkey. Oh, and before I forget, I’m pretty sure we’re going to have kittens in the next day or two. Mama Mia is nesting and grooming like crazy.”
Nora rolled her eyes because she wasn’t a fan of the Mama Mia moniker. “Maybe someone other than you and Sadie should name the donkey.”
Remi brushed off Nora’s comments. “We have things well in hand. We’re also making a list of names for the kittens, too.”
Nora raised a hand, pointing her finger at Remi. “You are not naming my kitten.”
“You might not get one if you keep bad-mouthing poor Mama Mia.” Remi didn’t really help her case, because every time she said “Mama Mia,” she used a strong Italian accent, making it sound less like a name and more like an “oh my God” exclamation.
Mila snorted, then headed downstairs to the tasting room. There were only a few people there, as it was still early. She knew the patrons at the other tables, since they were Gracemont locals, so she assumed the woman sitting alone was the one asking to see her.
As she approached the table, she studied the gorgeous blonde. She looked vaguely familiar, though she couldn’t place from where.
“Hi,” she said, offering her hand. “I’m Mila Storm.”
The woman smiled as she shook her hand. “Lena Hansen.”
“Oh! You’re Sadie’s mom.” Sadie had a photograph of her and her mom in a frame on her nightstand, but the picture was a few years old. Now, she knew why the woman looked familiar. “I didn’t know you were coming to visit.”
“I wanted to surprise Boone and Sadie.” Lena gestured to the other chair at the table, so Mila joined her.
“Sadie will be over the moon,” she said. “She’s been dying to show you her bedroom and the stables.”
“Yes,” Lena said. “She’s talked quite a bit about the horses. She helps your sister, I believe?”
Mila nodded. “Remi. Actually,” she glanced at the time on her phone, “Sadie is probably on her way there now. She got home from school just a little while ago.”
“I’ll catch up to her soon. I wanted to stop by and meet you first.”
Mila wasn’t sure why she would be first on Lena’s list over Sadie. “I’m glad you did. Sadie’s told me a lot about you.”
“Just Sadie?”
Mila frowned, confused by the question.
Until Lena added, “Not Boone?”
“Um…” Mila honestly didn’t know how to answer that.
Mainly because, despite how much the two of them had shared over the past few months, Lena was the one subject that Boone was decidedly closemouthed about.
Mila had tried to initiate the conversation more than once, but Boone was very good at changing the subject or offering only monosyllabic replies to her questions about the woman. “Sure.”
Lena laughed. “I was teasing you. Boone’s not the most effusive of speakers. If he’s not telling you what to do, and when and how, he’s not talking, am I right? When we were married, I was hard-pressed to get him to string more than five words together.”
Actually, Lena wasn’t right, but Mila didn’t feel as if she could contradict her. With Mila, Boone was quite talkative. And while, yes, he did like to give commands, they were always the sexy variety, and Mila didn’t mind those at all.
Mila was saved from replying when Lark stopped by their table. “Did you two want to order anything?”
Mila looked at Lena, who shook her head.
“I just stopped by to speak to Mila for a few minutes,” she told Lark, who glanced at Mila.
“We’re fine,” she added.
“Cool. Wave me down if you change your mind.” Lark walked on to another table, striking up a conversation with Edith Millholland and her nephew, Manny.
Edith owned quite a few rental properties in and around Gracemont that Manny did the upkeep on.
Once a week, they held their “business meetings” at a local restaurant, or here, or at the brewery, though Mila didn’t think much business was ever discussed.
“Sadie said you’re teaching her to crochet.” Lena crossed her legs, leaning back.