26. Epilogue
Elijah
My mom sat at Hazel’s kitchen table with a look on her face I’d never seen before. I didn’t think she’d realized I’d seen it. Hazel and I prepared dinner, working around each other in a way that had become comfortable. I’d looked up to ask Mom if she’d heard anything interesting from Euchre Club last night, and caught her expression. Her eyes were a bit brighter than normal and her mouth was tilted upward in something like a smile. Her throat looked like she was swallowing down big emotions as she watched us.
“Hey, Mom, you okay?” I asked.
The corners of her eyes crinkled. “I’m wonderful. Your place is lovely, Hazel.”
Hazel’s cheeks reddened as she beamed. “Thank you.”
“I’m surprised you don’t have a pet.”
“I want one so badly.” She sighed. “I’m just not home enough. I work too much right now.”
Mom tilted her head and made eye contact with me. “Hmm… Maybe that’ll change soon. Maybe someone else could help you with the pet.”
I snorted. “Subtle.”
She shrugged, looking very pleased with herself. “You’re just cute together.”
Hazel didn’t look away from the salad she was preparing. Meeting Mom had her feeling anxious the last couple of days, and I knew it meant a lot to her to hear Mom’s praise.
“Would you get a dog?” Mom looked out the sliding glass door window. “You have a nice yard.”
“I thought maybe, but then I saw Lily Nelson with her new dog,” Hazel joked.
Mom barked a laugh. “What was that girl thinking? Adopting that giant puppy.”
“She was thinkin’ about some alone time with Remi. She bought his vet services at the auction, and then was like, ‘Oh no, I don’t have a pet.’” I paused, stirring the frying vegetables to gesture with the spatula as I spoke.
“That girl… I remember her from when you were kids. She has grown into the woman version I would have imagined her teenage self to be. Lots of strategy on the back end of a problem she caused.”
Hazel nodded. “That’s her.”
“In her defense,” Mom started, “he is a very handsome man, and he seems so nice.”
“He is; he’s very nice. We’ve been friends for years now.”
“I can’t believe he’s not taken. He was married once, right?”
“Yeah, his divorce was about five years ago…” Hazel looked up at the ceiling in thought. “Just over five years ago?”
“Does he just like being single?”
I held my hand out to stop the conversation. “Mom, what is this, a fact-seeking mission? Leave Remi alone.”
“I’m sorry, you’re right. The Euchre Club ladies are turning me into a gossip. I don’t share, but I like to listen. Hazel, please don’t judge me; it is my worst trait.” Whispering mostly to herself, she added, “I just like knowing things.”
“It’s so fun to sit around and dish with your friends,” Hazel agreed.
“And some gossip feels so harmless, but some isn’t. I probably should not thrive on it. I’m sorry if I was being too nosy about your friend.”
“You weren’t, but thank you. I know many a mom in the area is wondering what combination of casserole is going to tie him down.”
Mom snorted. “Oh goodness, they are.”
Dinner was full of easy conversation and stories from my childhood.
The dirty dishes from dinner were sitting in the sink after we cleared the table to play some cards. We’d decided on rummy since we didn’t have a fourth player for Euchre.
Mom considered her hand. “I heard Chelsea Thelen’s oldest daughter started working at the clinic.”
“Yeah, Crystal started just a couple of weeks ago, she’s a good kid,” Hazel remarked. “I’m glad it works for Chelsea, too.”
Hazel still struggled to share responsibilities of the clinic, but she was trying. She was taking coaching from Ben, and little by little, she was striking a healthier balance. It wasn’t easy for her, but I made sure she knew how much I appreciated it.
A few minutes before Mom planned to head back in her rental car, I ventured out into the cold to start it.
It was early, but we were calling it a night so I could prepare to drive back to Detroit in the morning. She hugged me as I walked her to her car, the frost on the windshield melting away from the defroster. “Thanks for warming my car up, son.”
“You’re welcome.”
Nodding toward Hazel’s front door, Mom said, “I like her.”
“I like her, too.”
“Will you be up here next weekend?”
I nodded.
“That drive has got to be getting old.” She opened her driver’s door. “I’d love to cook for you two if it works.”
“I’ll check with Hazel.”
We said goodbye, and I walked back into the house before she’d pulled onto the road—it was a blistery February evening. I found Hazel on the sofa, and I pulled a blanket around the both of us when I snuggled next to her.
“Oh, you’re so cold.” She scooted tighter against me.
“Yeah.” I shivered. “Tonight was good.”
“It was. Your mom is fun.”
We fell into a comfortable silence, staring out the dark window.
She heaved a heavy sigh. “I don’t want you to leave tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to leave, either.”
It was still in the planning stages, but Hazel and I were discussing my moving in with her before spring.
We’d fallen into an easy pattern of driving the distance between us whenever we could. But it was a lot of time in the car, and our phones were dying in the middle of the night because we’d fall asleep talking or listening to each other breathe. We’d talk about anything and everything. Important things, like the growing suspicion around my dad from the community. Or about Sterling and Ben admitting that they’d been talking about Brooks and Olivia after the auction.
Or sometimes we talked idly about things like Remi’s new neighbor moving into the other side of his duplex. Olivia and her boyfriend getting engaged—and Hazel’s concern for Brooks because of it.
Anything to make it feel like we weren’t so far apart.
Hours later, we lay naked in Hazel’s bed. She fit perfectly in my arms. Everything felt so right, my body satisfied for the time being, my mind and heart at ease.
Her breathing was growing slow and deep. Her muscles were relaxed, and her head was heavy on my chest.
“I love you,” I whispered into the dark room. The feeling was too full for my heart to hold it all in. I needed to say it, even if she was asleep and couldn’t hear me.
She gave a little snore in response.
I smiled as I joined her in sleep.
The End
Curious about Hazel and Elijah”s heated night? Get the story of their one-night stand for free! Click here to subscribe and read.
He could be trouble, but could he be worth it?
Hazel Matthews has never been reckless, and all of those wise decisions are coming to volition in one month when Grand Ridge Animal Clinic transfers ownership from Doc March to her.
But when Elijah March, her mentor”s estranged son—the source material of Hazel”s sexual awakening—comes back to their little coastal town, her longtime crush rekindles into a full-blown inferno. Elijah is the distraction she didn”t know she was desperate for, with his chestnut-colored hair, and bright green eyes that promise to be worth the trouble.
One night together could threaten everything Hazel has built, but could it be worth it to fulfill a fantasy or two?
Remi”s story is in the works, but while you wait check out Just Fake Married where Remi makes his first appearance!
Two lies and a fake marriage later…
Owen could blame being shy, but telling a coworker he’s married was…a mistake. Now, he can’t find a way out of the lie. And then there’s Emmeline, the woman he can”t stop thinking about, who knows the whole misguided tale.
Emmeline can’t believe Owen, possibly the hottest man alive, lied about his marital status. But…then she panicked and did that exact same thing. She’s desperate to keep her deception quiet to not become the saleswoman who made up a husband in her male-dominated field.
When Emmeline’s and Owen’s worlds collide, they need to double down and share a bed or watch them explode in their faces.
As the deception grows, so does their chemistry, but can their friendship become something more under the strain?