CHAPTER FOUR
While still burrowed beneath her comforter, Annie reached out to pick up her phone from where it sat on her nightstand. The room was dark, with only a soft glow coming from the diffuser that softly pumped scented steam into the air.
She blew out a soft breath, trying to wake herself up more fully. With a tap on the screen of her phone, all the metal blinds that covered the windows on the upper floor began to lift. Usually sunshine flooded the space, but that day, all she got was a dull, muted light.
Once the windows were fully uncovered, Annie could see the rain sliding down the glass, blurring the trees into green smudges. It was the perfect day to stay in bed with a good book.
Unfortunately, she had things to do, so while she could linger for a bit longer in her comfortable bed, she couldn’t stay there all day.
She shifted so she could see the big window on the opposite end of the large open area that encompassed her work and sleeping space. The main floor included her kitchen, living room, another bathroom, and a guest bedroom.
Sometimes when their parents were away, Benji would come and stay with her instead of staying at the big house with Andrew. It wasn’t uncommon for their dad to not be around. His base of operations was in New York City, so he stayed there most of the time. Their mom—actually, her step-mom—usually spent every other week in a month in New York, then the rest of the time in Serenity.
This time around, however, their mom would be gone for a bit longer as she accompanied Annie’s dad on a trip through Europe and Asia.
Benji had spent the night with her, so she needed to get up and make some breakfast for them. The housekeeper would make them breakfast if they went to the main house, but Annie had let her know the previous night that she’d take care of Benji for breakfast.
With a sigh, she flipped the comforter off and sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She was definitely not a morning person, and if Benji wasn’t around, she’d have lingered longer in her bed.
Once she was on her feet, she propelled herself into her spacious bathroom. She quickly did her morning routine, then pulled on a pair of leggings and a T-shirt. After gathering her hair up into her go-to messy bun, she grabbed her phone and headed down to the main floor.
“Morning, sis,” Benji said from where he sat on a bar stool at the island counter with a mug. “I made the coffee.”
“Thanks, sweetie.” Annie took a mug off the hooks where several were hanging next to the coffeepot. She went to the fridge and pulled out the jug of chocolate milk. After filling the mug almost halfway, she put it in the microwave to heat it up.
“Do you want pancakes or French toast for breakfast?” she asked as she waited for her chocolate milk to heat.
“French toast.”
“Sounds good.” She retrieved her mug from the microwave, then removed the carafe from the machine. Once she’d topped up the mug with coffee, she returned the carafe to its place. “Do you have any plans for today?”
Benji lifted his mug and took a sip of his coffee—no doubt loaded with flavored cream and sugar. Her preference was a mocha. Half chocolate and half coffee. It was her main indulgence for sweetness.
“I’m going to see if Andrew will drive me to the rink to watch Amelia practice,” he said.
“Is she training with Lexi?” Annie asked as she cracked a couple of eggs into a wide, flat bowl. She added a bit of cream, then sprinkled some cinnamon into the liquid and whisked it together.
“Yep. She has a competition coming up in a few weeks, so she’s practicing a lot.”
Annie removed several slices of bread from her breadbox. It was bread that their housekeeper had made, and it was delicious. “Will you being there be a distraction?”
She turned on the griddle portion of her stove to heat, glancing over at her brother when he didn’t reply right away.
“Is it wrong to say that I hope she’d be distracted by me being there?” Benji asked, his brows lifted over his light blue eyes.
Annie chuckled. “Yes. It’s wrong, but I understand what you’re saying. Did she ask you to come?”
“Yes. She told me what time she was going to be practicing.”
“Then I guess it’s okay for you to go,” Annie said as she put two pieces of batter-soaked bread onto the heated griddle.
“Do you want to drive me?” Benji asked. “Or should I ask Andrew?”
They had a brief discussion about the time and Annie’s schedule, then she agreed to take him. Maybe she’d even hang around and watch Amelia skate.
She’d always enjoyed watching skating competitions on television, but she hadn’t given much thought to the practicalities of being a skater, and the work that went into competing at higher levels. After Lexi had spoken to her about making an outfit for Amelia, Annie had thought more often about the sport.
“First, though,” she said as she slipped the two cooked French toast pieces onto a plate and slid it over to Benji. “Breakfast, and then I need to prepare orders for mailing out this morning.”
“I’ll let Andrew and Dawn know,” Benji said. “Hope Jude doesn’t tell me we can’t go.”
“He won’t,” Annie said confidently. “I talked to Dad about loosening the security just a little.”
“Really?” Benji asked as he lifted a forkful of French toast to his mouth. “Jude doesn’t strike me as a loose person when it comes to security issues.”
“You’re right, he’s not. But I feel like the security team has equipped us both with the skills to take care of ourselves, if necessary. So we don’t need to be so confined.”
“But we’ll still have babysitters.” Benji rolled his eyes. “It’s so ridiculous.”
“It could be worse,” Annie told him. “You could be kept under lock and key.”
“Is that how you feel?”
Annie shrugged. “When I was your age, I was definitely more restricted than you are. I just didn’t mind as much.”
Her personality was such that she was more willing to accept the restrictions and stick close to home. She hadn’t cared that she had tutors, or that she hadn’t been able to go to school or make friends.
Instead, she’d been able to do the things she loved. Like learning to sew, which had eventually led to her current business.
The biggest reason she’d accepted the restrictions so easily was that she had been impacted by the event that motivated her dad. Being kidnapped… losing her twin… She didn’t have a clear memory of any of it since she’d only been three years old.
However, her mom had told her about it when Annie was five. Right before she’d decided she couldn’t handle losing one of her daughters and not knowing what had happened to her. She’d then walked away from the one daughter she still had, choosing instead to only request visitation with Julian, Annie’s older brother.
Even now, as an adult, Annie still couldn’t understand how her mom could have rejected her. More understandable had been her mom’s feelings about her dad. It was possible she had hated her husband for not being able to save both the girls, especially since it had been his wealth that had made them a target.
Annie didn’t focus on it too much, though. But in the back of her mind, the question of if her identical twin sister was actually still alive lingered. Was she living her life somewhere, unaware of who she really was? Or had she been killed and buried in an unknown location?
When they finished eating, Benji left to go talk to Andrew, and Annie went upstairs to her work area. She prepped orders for shipping three times a week, and that day was a shipping day.
She opened her computer, which sat on a desk in the corner of the room, and pulled up the information on the sales she’d made. It was rare that she had a ton of sales, since she didn’t have a huge amount of stock considering that she made everything herself. Still, she usually had three to four orders each shipping day.
After sending the orders to the printer, Annie got to her feet to begin working on the first one. It was an order for a matching sleep sack, cap, and mittens for a newborn.
She placed some tissue paper in the box, then carefully laid each piece of clothing inside. Once everything was in place, she folded the tissue paper over the items and affixed a sticker with her logo on it to hold the paper in place. Next, she added a copy of the order along with a thank you postcard for the customer.
She sealed up the box, then put a shipping label on it before setting it on the small table near the stairs. Then it was on to the next order.
When she got to the fourth package, the name on the top grabbed her attention.
Cole Halverson.
Her eyebrows lifted as she stared at the name. Why on earth was Cole ordering from her shop? He didn’t have any children. And she hadn’t seen anything indicating that he’d started dating someone seriously who might have children.
Frowning, she read through his order. He had ordered quite a few things, and as she pulled the items together, she shook her head. It was all so random.
As she was double-checking the order, she noticed that he’d added a note to the order.
Hey Annie! It’s me, Cole. We met when I was there in Serenity.
He wrote that as if she would forget having met him. Not. A. Chance.
A couple of my teammates’ wives have had babies recently, so I thought I’d choose a few things. If there’s an issue with what I’ve ordered, give me a call.
She turned her attention back to the items he’d chosen. They were so random with different patterns. Should she call him? She just didn’t know.
Part of her wanted to just send him what he bought and let him deal with it. However, she also wanted to put her best foot forward with any potential new customers.
He’d included a phone number with his note, so she entered it into her phone, then brought up her texting app. She didn’t want to assume he was available for a phone conversation by calling him up out of the blue.
Hi Cole ~ This is Annie. I’m just putting together your order and thought maybe we could have a conversation about it. Please call me when it’s convenient for you.
Almost immediately, her phone rang. Only it wasn’t a phone call. It was a video call.
Annie hesitated a moment, her hand going to touch her hair. But then she brushed off her pride and tapped to start the video.
Cole filled the screen, a big smile on his face. “Hey, Annie!”
“Uh, hi,” she said, returning his smile. “This is a surprise.”
“I know.” He shrugged. “But I like to see the person I’m talking with. So, how are you doing?”
“I’m good. How about you?”
“Doing good. I’ve started training for the upcoming season.”
“It’s the last year of your contract, right?”
“Yep. I’m surprised you know that.”
“Benji is a huge fan of yours,” she said. “So I know a lot about your career.”
She didn’t bother to mention that she also knew a lot about his personal life, courtesy of tabloid reports.
“Want me to send him one of my jerseys?” Cole asked. “I’d be happy to do that.”
It felt wrong to take something for free from Cole when they could afford to pay top dollar for the item. “I don’t mind buying one, and then maybe you could sign it for him.”
Cole frowned. “No need to buy it. I’m happy to send one.”
“Well, I’m not going to argue with you about it. Whatever you want to do.”
“Then give me your address, and I’ll get something in the mail to him.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course. You’re welcome. Any time.”
“Okay. So now, onto your order.”
Cole’s image shifted as he leaned back, a grin on his face. “I really didn’t know what I was doing, but I wanted to support your business.”
Warmth spiraled through her. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”
It did make her feel… appreciated. Even her parents didn’t view what she did as anything more than a hobby. Her dad had used it as an opportunity to teach her how to price her items, taking into account the cost of her supplies and her time.
Annie knew that one of the main reasons her dad supported what she did was because it kept her isolated. She didn’t have to go to an office or another place where he couldn’t make sure that she was protected.
The sales she made from her business weren’t to support her. Her dad gave her a huge allowance each month, and he also paid all her household bills.
Any money she made from her online store, she matched, then donated it all to a nearby women’s shelter. And sometimes she made things that she also donated to them. While she was working on Christmas stuff, she also needed to make winter items too.
Every year she made mittens and scarfs to give to the shelter so if anyone arrived without warm clothing, there would at least be something there for them.
“So, how badly did I mess up my order?” Cole asked.
She might have been convinced he felt bad about what he’d done, but his grin told her otherwise.
“You didn’t mess it up, per se,” she told him. “It’s just that if you’re giving more than one thing to a person, you might want them to match.”
“Okay. So how do I sort it out?”
“ You don’t,” Annie said as she picked up her tablet and the paper with his order details on it. “ We do.”
“I like the sound of that,” Cole said as his image jostled on the screen again. “So what do we do?
“First, tell me how many babies you’re buying for.” Annie set her tablet and the paper on an empty spot on her workbench and pulled her chair over to sit down in front of it.
“Two. The wives of a couple of guys on the team have had babies in the past month or so.”
“Boys or girls?”
“Both girls, but I don’t know their names.”
“They didn’t tell you?” Annie asked as she glanced over his order. When he didn’t reply, Annie looked back at her phone to see a sheepish expression on his face. “What?”
“Oh… well… they did tell me. I just forgot.”
Annie chuckled as she shook her head. “You don’t remember at all?”
“Maddy? Molly? Emily?” Cole shrugged. “I think one or both ended in a y… Is it a problem? Do you need the names?”
“It doesn’t really matter,” Annie said. “I was just curious if you knew them.”
“So you figured I wouldn’t and set me up?”
Annie grinned. “Not intentionally.”
“Well, now you know that I might not be the best with names.”
“I’m surprised you remembered mine.”
“Let me correct myself. I’m not the best with names that don’t matter to me.”
Annie froze for a moment. Was he… flirting with her? Surely not. She was well aware of the sort of woman Cole dated. And she definitely was not it.
“Do you remember my brother’s name?” Annie asked, curious, but also wanting to remind herself that Cole didn’t know her well enough for her to matter to him.
“Yep, I do,” Cole said. “Benji.”
“Not sure I buy that you’re not good with names,” Annie told him. “But we’ll leave the name discussion for now. Here’s what I think we should do.”
“I’m all ears.”
“I currently have three different patterns for baby girls.” Annie moved to pick up a sleep sack of each pattern. “If you choose the ones you want, I can then pick the other items in the same pattern.”
“I can do that. What are my options?”
Annie lifted the first sleep sack and held it close to her phone’s lens. “This one has pink and green flowers.” She set it down and picked up the next one. “Pink and yellow. And the last one is purple and green.”
She gathered all three and held them so he could see them together and compare them.
His brow furrowed. “You know, they all look good to me. But maybe the purple and green, and the pink and yellow.”
“Good choice.” Annie lowered the sleep sacks to the worktable. “So I’ll adjust your order to line up with these two patterns.”
“Will it cost more?” Cole asked. “I don’t want you to be out of pocket for these changes.”
“No. I’m just swapping the patterns, not the items. I’ll divide the order into the two patterns and bundle them together, so all you have to do is give it to them.”
“Thanks so much, Annie,” Cole said. “I’m glad you reached out to make this the best gift possible.”
“You’re welcome. I appreciate your support of my business.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to make a skating costume for Amelia?” Cole asked as he shifted, his image jolting, before he settled back in his seat.
Though the change of subject felt abrupt, it wasn’t a subject she minded discussing.
“I’m not sure.” Annie also settled into her chair, leaving the order prep for a moment. Nyla came to sit next to her, and Annie reached out to run her fingers through her fur. “I’m going to take Benji to the rink this afternoon to watch Amelia skate, so maybe I’ll have a chance to talk to Lexi about it then.”
“Is that a dog?” Cole asked, his eyes narrowing as he squinted at the screen.
“Yes, it is.” Annie had never introduced Nyla to anyone outside of her close circle. “Her name is Nyla.”
“What breed is she?”
“She’s a Tervuren, which is a part of the Belgian Shepherd family.”
“She must be a great guard dog,” Cole said.
Annie nodded. “I definitely feel safe when she’s around.”
“I’d love to meet her someday,” Cole said. “Unless she’d tear me apart.”
“She wouldn’t,” Annie assured him. “Unless I told her to.”
Cole’s brows lifted. “So she’s trained to attack on command?”
“Yes.” Annie didn’t see any sense in lying. “But I’ve never found it necessary to use that command, and I hope I never do.”
“I hope so too.”
“Do you have a dog?”
“No. I travel too much to have one. Maybe someday.”
As their conversation continued, Annie started to work on putting together Cole’s order. She was a bit surprised that he wanted to chat the way they were, but she wasn’t going to end the call.
“Here’s one of the gifts,” Annie said as she held up a tissue paper wrapped bundle that she’d secured with a logo sticker and some ribbon.
“Hey! That looks great. Better than I ever could have done.”
“The tissue paper will match one of the colors of the items. This one is the pink and yellow set, and I’ll put the purple and green one in purple tissue.”
“Is this an extra charge?” Cole asked.
“Nope. I wrap all the orders I get in similar ways.”
“Your customer service level is through the roof. People who buy from your site must be very happy.”
Annie shrugged. “I don’t get many complaints.”
“But some people do complain?”
“Yes, but almost all of those have had to do with shipping issues. Sometimes the delivery service isn’t perfect.”
“That’s not your fault, though.”
“There are people who don’t seem to realize that.” Annie glanced at Nyla as she tensed on alert just before the front door opened.
“Hey, Annie!” Benji’s voice floated up the stairs. “Can I come up?”
“Yep.”
“Is that Benji?” Cole asked.
“It sure is.”
Benji was up the stairs quickly, though he came to an abrupt stop when he spotted her phone where it was attached to the stand. “Is that Cole Halverson? ”
“Yep. It sure is.”
Cole chuckled as he gave Benji a salute through the screen. “How’s it going, Benji, my man?”
“Good!” Benji’s grin broadened. “How are you?”
“I’m doing just fine.”
“So, why are you…” Benji pointed between Annie and the phone. “This is just a bit weird. Last thing I expected to see.”
“Cole placed an order for some items from my shop, and I needed to clarify a couple of things with him.”
“That’s cool.” Benji glanced at Annie. “Are you going to come for lunch before we go?”
Annie nodded. “I just need to finish up a few more things. What time are we supposed to be there?”
“Two.”
“Oh, we have plenty of time.”
“I should let you go so that you can get what you need done,” Cole said. “Been a pleasure chatting.”
“Have you seen Amelia skate, Cole?” Benji asked.
“No. I can’t say I have.”
“We could call you on video chat so you could watch her practice this afternoon,” Benji offered as Annie finished packing Cole’s order. “I mean, unless you have something else going on.”
“Nope. That would be cool.”
“So we’ll call you around two,” Benji said.
“Sounds good. And Annie, thanks for the order.”
“It’ll go out in the mail this afternoon, so hopefully you’ll have it shortly.”
“Perfect.”
After the call ended, Benji gave her a look. His brows arched, but to his credit, he didn’t say anything.
“Let me finish up here, then I’ll come down to the house,” Annie said as she removed her phone from the holder.
Annie tried not to think about her conversation with Cole, because to do so felt like giving it too much weight. And she wasn’t in a position in her life to allow the small crush she already had on Cole to deepen into anything more.
Because while her dad was giving her a tiny bit more freedom, if she even hinted at wanting to be in a relationship with someone who had such a high-profile life, he would definitely step in. And she didn’t want that.