Chapter 25
Hannah rolled over to find herself in the arms of a sleeping Cole.
Her head lay on his chest, and her arm settled on his hard abs.
Even through his thin T-shirt, she felt the rigid muscles.
Instead of feeling terrified, he’d overpower her, she felt safe and secure.
Her gaze drifted up to his face. His jet-black hair and morning scruff made him appear sexy.
Her hand ached to run her fingers along his jaw.
Cole blinked and glanced down at her, staring at him. A sleepy smile appeared on his face. “Good Morning, Stormy.”
“Stormy?” She questioned.
“Yeah,” he said, snuggling lower to face her. “You’re unpredictable. I’ll never know what you’ll do next. Will you be a soft and gentle rain or will you turn and become wild and rampant?”
“When did I turn wild?” she asked, chuckling.
“When you spoke and asked for mac and cheese. You might as well have decked me. You surprised me,” he admitted.
“I shocked myself,” she confessed. “What time do you need to go to work?”
“Leo texted and told me to get you settled. I still want to check on the dogs. Do you have any appointments today?”
“Claire wants me to meet her this afternoon at 1400. May I go with you?” she asked.
“How about we go get dressed and I’ll take you to Bryanna’s Bakery. Sometimes she makes pancakes. We’ll pick up stuff you like to eat at the grocery store after you see Claire,” he explained as she sat up.
Brody jumped up on his hind legs and slid the glass door open. A minute later, he returned carrying his food dish.
“I guess I’ll feed my friend while you shower. Can you be ready in thirty minutes?” he asked.
“I’ll be done in fifteen,” she said, rising from the hammock and giving Brody a good morning cuddle.
In her bedroom, she pulled out a pair of jeans and a sweater.
The light cream color brought out her hair and eyes, according to Samantha.
Putting her products inside the shower, she covered her stitches.
Then, she washed and dressed, anxious to start the day.
It seemed her body wanted to catch up on everything she missed over the last two years.
Running a brush through her hair, she left it down.
She applied a bit of blush and gloss to her lips and pronounced herself ready.
Hannah grabbed her phone and slid it into her back pocket along with her credit card and ID. She hated carrying a purse.
Entering the living room, she put on her sneakers and waited for Cole. Brody sat on the floor beside her, letting her know he watched her six.
In the bedroom, Cole took out his phone and called Saint.
“What’s up, brother?” Saint greeted him.
“I have a favor. Hannah hasn’t eaten pancakes in years. Does Bryanna have any today?” he asked.
“I’m off today. By the time you arrive, we’ll have some pancakes ready,” Saint assured him.
“Thanks, man,” he said before hanging up. He glanced at the closed door and called Cookie.
“Hey, man. What’s up?”
“I wanted to invite you and Fiona up this weekend. Hannah’s staying at the cabin with me and I hoped Fiona might be willing to talk to her. She experienced an episode last night and thought the rebels found her,” Cole explained.
“I’ll check with Fi,” Cookie said. “She’s shared her story with others, but will Hannah be ready to hear it?”
“I want her to know she can recover from all this. I’m sorry if it’s too personal. She feels bad about last night and I want to give her something to work toward. I don’t know the whole story, but have you ever met someone and you feel like your whole world might revolve around them?”
Cookie huffed. “Do I ever. When I saw Fiona, she didn’t make a sound. When I got closer, I saw her condition and got her out. As we traipsed through the jungle, it felt like my personal mission to have her return with me. Do you feel the same with this woman?”
“Yeah,” he confessed as he ran his hand through his hair. “I’m afraid to say it out loud. I don’t want to sound crazy but I live to see her smile.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling. I’ll check with Fiona tonight and see what we can do,” Cookie said. “I gotta run.”
“Later,” Cole said before hanging up. He grabbed his keys and wallet and entered the living room to find Hannah and Brody snuggling. “What a traitor. I feed him and he acts like I don’t exist since he found you.”
“Nope. We were discussing his passion for burgers and I promised not to tell anyone you fed him one,” Hannah said, standing and following Cole to the truck. Once he secured Brody, he headed down the mountain and parked in front of the community center.
“The signs haven’t arrived yet. The right side of the center belongs to Bryanna’s bakery and the left opens to Ty’s restaurant.
The middle acts as the community center, usually the seniors gather there.
They share one huge kitchen and help feed anyone who needs a meal.
The teens and veterans from the hospital work here, too. ”
Hannah slowly slid from the truck as Cole retrieved Brody, who sidled next to her.
“Don’t worry, you’ll like it here,” he assured her.
Bryanna spied them entering and rushed over to greet them. “Hi, Hannah and Cole. Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
“Absolutely. I brought Hannah down to taste some of your pancakes. Do you have any made?” he asked as he directed Hannah to a booth.
“We have buttermilk pancakes coming off the griddle as we speak,” Bryanna informed them. “Hannah, how do you take your coffee?”
Hannah faltered, unable to say how she liked it.
“Can we have cream and sugar, please?” Cole asked.
“I’ll bring it out,” Bryanna said, turning toward the kitchen.
Cole took Hannah’s cold hands in his. “We’re only having breakfast. You talked about your mom’s pancakes. Don’t you want to try them?”
“I forgot how I like my coffee,” she said quietly. “The nurses brought my tray in and dropped it off. I drank it plain.”
“Today, you can experiment if you like it with anything added. Another checkmark on your score card,” he encouraged.
“Or another blunder on my end. How did I forget?”
“Your body’s processing everything right now. There’s no wrong or correct way. Let yourself decide and relax. We’re enjoying our morning,” he said.
“All right,” she murmured doubtfully as Bryanna set two cups of coffee, sugar, and creamer on the table.
“I’ll be right back with your pancakes,” she said before walking away.
Cole held out one of each. “Which shall we try first? Do you like cream or prefer it sweet?”
She took the packet of sugar and added it to her drink. Sipping it, she waited a moment and added another. Taking a second sip, she grinned and said, “I like it with two sugars.”
“There ya go, Stormy.” He grinned.
“Here you go. Two stacks of buttermilk pancakes, butter, and maple syrup,” Saint said as he placed them on the table. “It’s nice to see you, Hannah.”
“She has a nickname now, meet Stormy,” Cole said proudly. Hannah blushed and kept her gaze on her pancakes.
“Uh, oh,” Saint said. “We got Sparky and Stormy. Something tells me we’re in for it with those two.”
“But I didn’t take Leo’s job offer,” Hannah rushed. “He doesn’t know me.”
Saint folded his arms and stroked his chin. “You managed to fix his screw up and kept him from doling out thirty thousand pairs of socks. I’d say you know what you’re doing.”
“I can’t sit in a room all day,” she made an excuse.
“Then come in, do inventory, and return home,” Saint suggested.
“Leo will work with you as long as you’re honest. He’s already run a background check and has references.
Leo doesn’t take no for an answer when he knows someone belongs on the team.
” Saint turned and left, leaving Hannah watching him with her mouth open.
“Do you not want to work with Leo? You only met him a couple of times, but I interviewed extensively with him for over a month and he offered you a job on the spot. He must want you badly for the position,” Cole said, spreading butter on his pancakes.
“What if I can’t hack it? I don’t know what I was thinking when I called the salesman. It annoyed me he took advantage of someone,” Hannah said as she mimicked Cole’s actions.
“You handled it like a pro from what I hear,” he said as he sliced a piece off and held it out to her. “Hannah Bailey, what will your win be today?”
She grinned as she leaned in and accepted the offering. The butter and syrup made the pancake rich and Hannah chewed slowly, enjoying the taste.
“It’s a win,” she said, cutting a piece of her own. “It’s as good as my mom’s.”
“Congratulations,” he said, biting his own. A minute later, Saint returned with a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs. “Ty sent this over. He said something about you two liking sides,” he said, confused.
Hannah giggled and covered her mouth with her napkin as Cole thanked Saint and handed her a piece of bacon.
“To my soulmate in sides,” he said, tapping her piece against his. “Shall we stuff ourselves silly?”
“Absolutely,” she agreed, taking a bite of eggs.
When they finished, she rubbed her stomach as they walked to the truck. “I ate way too much. Everything tasted delicious.”
“I can park the truck by the hospital and we can walk the trail to the training facility,” he suggested as he secured Brody.
“Do a lot of people walk it?”
“They do on the trails by the hospital. Usually, the staff uses this one. Brody and I will be right beside you. We can bring Nine home with us,” he added.
She swallowed and nodded.
“Two wins in one day, Stormy,” he said, shaking his head. “Again, I never know what you’re doing.”
He drove to the parking lot and opened her door. A gentle breeze blew her hair in her face, and he brushed it behind her ear. “You got this.”
“I hope it’s like the coffee and pancakes, and I’m pleasantly surprised,” she said shakily.