Chapter 24
HANNAH
“How’d it go?” Kinsley asks, smile too bright for the early morning. It drops as realization dawns on her face. “Wait. You’re not supposed to be here today. Did something happen with Wren? Is she not coming?”
“No, she’s coming. And I’m not here. You didn’t see me.”
“Hmmm. Weird.” She reaches out and pinches me on the arm. I yelp. “It seems like you’re here.”
“Fine. I’m here. Ouch. That hurt.”
“Why are you here?”
I avert my gaze. “Wren’s flight doesn’t get in until this afternoon, so I thought I’d get in a few hours of stretching and work on my floor choreography. I’m still a little off on that second section.”
She pinches me again.
“Ow. What the hell?”
“Hannah Walsh.” Kinsley places both hands on her hips. “Why are you here instead of home in bed with your hot husband?”
I look away. I’m too embarrassed and it’s too damn early. Or at least I didn’t sleep enough to be up at this hour.
“You didn’t tell him how you feel,” she says, accusatory and matter of fact.
I don’t bother denying it.
“We had a plan, Hannah. You tell your hottie husband you’re falling for him when he gets home from his trip, you kiss the crap out of him, and then you report back to tell your best friend all about it.”
My face heats. It’s an accurate if not precise description of the plan.
Yes, I planned to tell Travis I’m falling for him and yes, I was hoping it ended with kissing him again, but really, I just needed to get it off my chest. I thought what I was feeling was all mixed up with the situation and the nice things he’s done for me, but the truth is I’ve been looking for reasons not to fall for him because it scares the crap out of me. He scares the crap out of me.
I spent most of my life in relationships with men who didn’t really give a shit about me and that was fine.
I was never going to make them a priority anyway.
Maybe they could sense that. But not Travis.
He’s unapologetic about his feelings, and the harder I fall for him, the scarier it feels to give in completely.
I mean, where can this possibly go? We got married the first time we hung out.
We haven’t even dated. We’ve done everything out of order.
Despite all that, I want to try. Or I did.
Today I’m second-guessing everything.
“What happened?” Kinsley asks in a softer tone.
“Nothing. I didn’t tell him. I made his favorite muffins, and I stayed up until he got home, but I couldn’t do it. Something was off with him last night.”
Her gaze narrows.
“I’m not making it up. He was being…weird.” Something was definitely off, and I don’t think it was the loss to San Jose. Or not only that. Maybe I’m overthinking it, but it just didn’t feel right.
“I think you’re just chicken.” She pokes me just below the collarbone. Hard.
“Ouch. You are very violent today.”
“I haven’t had any caffeine yet.”
“Something really was up. I promise.”
She looks only half convinced.
“I made his favorite muffins and I rambled on about how grateful I was and he just stared at me, Kins. He didn’t even take the bait when I accidentally slipped and called him my husband.”
“He is your husband.”
“Yeah, yeah, but usually when I say it, he gets all…” I trail off, picturing his cocky smirk. It was nowhere to be seen last night. “Maybe he’s over me.”
“Oh, please.”
“It isn’t the craziest thought. He’s stopped blatantly trying to get my attention, and February isn’t that far away. He might be thinking ahead, looking forward to bachelor life again.”
“That man is in love with you.”
My stomach flutters at the idea of that being true. Like I can maybe believe, but love? Though some part of me rationalizes if I’m feeling this way, there’s a chance he is too. But if that’s true, then what the hell was going on last night?
“Now go home and ask him what the hell is his problem and proceed with the plan.”
“He’s sleeping.” Like I should be doing. “And Wren is coming this afternoon. I’ll deal with all this after the weekend.”
She hums a sound of disapproval but doesn’t pinch me again.
I stay and stretch and work on floor as planned, but it’s hard to concentrate. I’m glad when it’s finally time to leave and get Wren.
On my way out, Coach Liz stops me in the lobby.
“Hey, Hannah.” Her quiet tone and tentative smile has shame heating my face instantly.
It’s an automatic reaction that I have to fight off.
I’ve paid my monthly fees but because I know she deals with the accounting at the gym, she’s become the debt collector looming over me, reminding me (if only in my head) that there are bills to pay and my savings account is dwindling.
“Hi.” I clutch the strap of my bag like a lifeline. All paid up or not, she makes me nervous.
Her smile pulls a little higher, a little more genuine. “Sorry to catch you before the weekend but I wanted to remind you that the yearly gym fees will be added to your next month’s bill.”
Somewhere in the very back corner of my mind where I store important but rarely used information, I grasp on to the gym fees line item in my contract and important bold font stating payable January 1.
The exact number of the fees eludes me, but it doesn’t really matter.
Five hundred or five thousand, I don’t have it.
Not that nor the coaching fees for the next two months. Fuck. How could I forget about something so important?
“Right. Of course. Thanks for the heads-up, Coach.”
“Have a good weekend, Hannah. I hope the storm holds off for a few more hours.” She glances toward the windows where light snow has started to fall.
“Me too. My sister is flying in this afternoon.” My smile is brittle, and the words sound far away. I’m still trying to do impossible math in my head.
“How nice. Enjoy.” She lifts her hand in a wave and heads back to her office.
By the time I get outside, the snow is already coming down harder.
I should have taken the time to pull on my sweatpants because the cold air nips at my legs as I hurry to my Jeep and get in.
I start the engine and will the heat to work faster.
I place my hands in front of the vents and check the time again, cursing myself.
With the weather it’ll likely take me longer to get to the airport and I’m already cutting it close.
I pull out of the parking lot and start the twenty-minute drive. My Jeep easily navigates the snow but a few minutes in, there’s a rattle that’s getting progressively worse and harder to ignore.
I contemplate pulling off an exit but I’m so close and Wren’s flight will be landing in a matter of minutes.
That ends up being my downfall because not half a mile later, white smoke starts coming out of the hood.
At first, I hope it’s just condensation from the cold but as it grows so does my panic.
“No, no, no, no.” I pull off to the side of the highway and throw my hazards on, then I kill the engine and grab my phone. I check Wren’s location, but she must not have landed yet because it says she’s still in Arizona.
My mind reels. I’m deciding between calling a rideshare and dealing with this later or calling a tow and begging them to drop me at the airport. Neither is likely to get me there in time.
My phone starts ringing before I’ve made up my mind.
Travis.
Travis never calls me. He texts. He sends voice messages. He sends videos and memes. But the number of times he’s called me is zero.
“Hello?” I answer tentatively, half expecting it to be a butt dial.
“Hey, Hannah. Where are you?”
“Highway C.”
“You’re on your way to get Wren?”
“Umm…” I glance at the smoke still billowing out of my Jeep. “Sort of.”
“Shit. I was hoping to catch you before you left.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’ll talk to you later. Tell Wren I said hello and I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Wait,” I say before he can hang up. “Can you do me a favor?”
He arrives faster than I would have thought possible. His Range Rover pulls up behind me and he jogs up to the front of my Jeep where I have the hood raised. The smoke has stopped so that’s a plus.
“Are you okay?” His brows pull together in concern as he looks me over. “You have to be freezing.”
He unzips his jacket without hesitation and wraps me up in it. It didn’t occur to me until this moment that I still haven’t put on my sweats, but now that I realize it, my legs are like icicles.
“Yes, but Wren should have landed ten minutes ago, and I still haven’t heard from her.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. With the weather they may have had some delays. What airline is she on?”
“Delta. What if she’s already there, waiting on me?”
“Breathe, baby. Everything’s going to be okay. Do you want to take my car and I can stay here with your Jeep until the tow truck comes or would you rather leave your key for the tow and let me be your chauffeur?”
“I—” I swallow hard. “I haven’t called a tow yet. I was trying to find the cheapest option.”
A new sort of shame washes over me. This has to be the lowest of lows. Bargain tow-truck shopping.
A tear slips out one corner of my eye but it’s so cold it doesn’t travel far.
I am so embarrassed. Swiping at it, I add, “I told her I would be there at the baggage claim when she arrived. It isn’t like me to flake.
She’ll be freaking out. She’ll probably think I got abducted or something with all the true crime shows she watches.
Oh god, do you think something happened to her?
She acts all tough but she’s so innocent and na?ve. If someone hurt her—”
One second I’m in a spiral, imagining all the worst-case scenarios, and the next his mouth is on mine.
I squeak my surprise then melt into his warmth and that familiar spicy scent.
His lips are a hard line but then my mouth goes slack and pliable and he kisses me for real.
Hard and quick, sweeping his tongue in for just a taste before he pulls back.