4. Hunter
Chapter 4
Hunter
It’s been a week since our pizza night and I haven’t seen Alice since. Not a single glimpse. She’s avoiding me again and I don’t know why. I don’t think I did anything wrong. She could just be getting ready for the school year, but wouldn’t I have seen her coming and going? I’m not too proud to admit to myself that I have watched for her— a lot.
The only thing I haven’t done is knock on her door. I don’t want to spook her and haven’t had a reason to bother her. But, thanks to her fantastically devious cat, I have a reason today.
“Splat, buddy, you need to stop sneaking out. It’s dangerous and scares your mom.” I talk to the cat as we walk to Alice’s front door. “But, between you and me, I’m glad you came to see me today. I wanted to see Alice and you’re a legit reason.”
“Meow,” Splat answers and digs his paws into my arms. He’s a very cuddly cat and I like snuggling with him. I talk about getting a pet of my own, but I love them all and haven’t been able to commit to a dog or a cat yet.
Knocking on the door, I pet Splat and listen to him purr. I really hope Alice is home and not out somewhere. I have to leave soon for my family’s Sunday dinner and it’s Harper’s first time hosting so I don’t want to be late.
The door opens slightly, and Splat jumps out of my arms and into the house.
“Hi, Alice,” I say.
“Thank you for bringing him back, Hunter,” she says and then closes the door.
That’s it.
I knock again, but she doesn’t come back to the door. I’m worried about her, but surely if something was wrong she would have said something. Maybe she doesn’t feel good.
“Alice, I hope you can hear me,” I yell through the door. “If you need anything I’m going to leave my number on your door. I’m going to my brother Miles’s house for the afternoon but can be here in less than ten minutes. Please let me know if you’re okay. I’m worried.”
I quickly return to my house and write my number down along with Miles and Harper’s number and my parents’ number. She may not need all three, but it will be good for her to have them just in case something happens.
I take the note and stick it with painter’s tape to her front door, feeling a bit of déjà vu. This is twice now I’ve left notes on her front door. I want to stay and make sure she’s okay, but it’s not my right and I don’t want to upset her. Walking away from her door, I see the curtains swish in her window. A smile spreads across my face. She isn’t as immune to me as she wants to be.
My brother’s house is the usual chaos of a family dinner. I walk up and hear Miles getting the third-degree about why he’s grilling and confusion about why Harper is taking a nap in the middle of the afternoon. Miles and I are close, and I pick up on his panic from across the yard.
“Miles St. James, I have a major problem with you and your wife.” I storm across the yard to the grill.
The family all turn to look at me like I’ve been possessed. I’m the mild-mannered sibling who does not have outbursts at family dinners.
“What did we do to you?” he asks me.
“That woman you’ve sold Harper’s house to!” I roll my eyes, and everyone laughs. I try to send my brother a covert wink, so he knows I’m trying to distract the rest of the family. Even though I do have questions about Alice.
“What about her? She’s a librarian, doesn’t have a record, and seemed very sweet. She joined Harper’s book club.”
“Her cat is an escape artist and she’s…” I drift off, thinking about Alice. “She doesn’t like me.”
“A woman who doesn’t like Hunter?” My oldest brother, Wilder, laughs. “Call the news stations.”
It’s true that I don’t usually have a problem with women, but I also don’t try to date them either. I also didn’t mean to say that in front of the family. I can feel my cheeks heat as they all look at me. I start to say something else when the door opens to Miles and Harper’s kitchen and Harper walks out.
“I’m pregnant,” Harper announces.
Everyone’s attention is instantly on her and Miles. My brother is beaming with pride as he watches Harper being surrounded by our family.
“You are one lucky man,” I tell him.
“I know. Thanks for trying to be a distraction.”
“Tell Harper the same thing. I kind of stepped in it there.” I can’t help but laugh.
“You know you can talk to me if you need to.” Miles puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes.
“Of course, it’s just that she’s driving me crazy. Her cat is always getting in my yard and we had this great night together.” When Miles gives me a surprised look, I clarify, “Hanging out together. I can’t stop thinking about her and she is actively avoiding me.”
“Actively avoiding you?” My second oldest brother, Knox, laughs. “Like hiding from you?”
“I think so,” I reluctantly admit. “I haven’t seen her and when I took her cat back today, she wouldn’t open the door any wider than he needed it to get inside.”
“She sounds uninterested,” Knox says bluntly, but there’s a glimmer of sympathy behind his smirk. “Maybe you're barking up the wrong tree, Hunter.”
I sigh, feeling the familiar surge of frustration that comes whenever I think about Alice and her elusive smiles, the way she sometimes looks like she wants more but then disappears.
Miles gives Knox a look. “Easy, let him have his crush in peace. Everyone needs a little mystery now and then.”
“Yeah, until it becomes misery,” Wilder says, grinning as he takes a swig of his beer.
Miles puts his hand on my shoulder and gives me a steady look. “Hunter, listen. If you’re serious about her, you have to find a way to talk to her. Figure out what’s holding her back.”
“Yeah,” I say, a bit defensive, “it’s just not that simple. She’s like a rabbit —you get close and she bolts.”
Knox lets out a low laugh, clinking his beer bottle against mine. “So be a little smoother, man. Women aren’t puzzles to solve. They are these wonderful creatures with so many different sides to them and it’s an honor to get a chance to be with them.”
This whole conversation is heading in a direction I don’t like. Still, I can’t resist asking, “Do you guys really think she’s just not interested?”
Miles shakes his head, his voice steady. “Not necessarily. Sometimes people pull back because they’re afraid. Not because they’re indifferent. Maybe she’s been burned before.”
There’s a strange sense of relief that comes with his words. The last thing I want is for Alice to have been hurt in the past. I don’t want her to ever feel pain or sadness, but if that’s what’s keeping her from giving me a chance maybe all hope isn’t lost.
“Well, then,” I say with a smile. “Guess I’ll just keep trying.”
Knox raises his beer in a mock toast. “To persistence, then.”
Wilder goes next. “And patience.”
“And love,” Miles adds.
I take a drink of my own beer, nodding along as my family’s laughter rolls around me. The truth is I have no idea if this thing with Alice will go anywhere. I’m just not ready to give up on something that feels so right.
Alice
I open my front door, quickly glancing out even though I know he’s not home. The note he left is there and my heart skips as I reach for it. Hunter’s handwriting is masculine and a little hard to read.
Alice – I hope you’re okay. If there is anything you need, please don’t hesitate to call or text. —Hunter
Below his message, he’s added his cell number, the number to reach him at his clinic, his brother’s number, and even his parent’s home number. The sight makes me feel…ridiculous. I’m the one who’s been avoiding him like a teenager dodging their crush. Hunter makes me feel something. He makes me feel too much and I don’t know how to handle it.
I keep telling myself it’s safer this way, keeping my distance, and letting things go before they can even begin. I am a twenty-seven-year-old woman who is afraid to open up because of things that happened to me when I was eighteen. I should be over it by now.
Shouldn’t I?
Back inside the house, I sit in my favorite chair and stare at this little slip of paper with Hunter’s phone number on it. Warmth spreads in my chest at how considerate he’s been. It’s dangerous, this feeling. Thinking that I could be important to him. Special, even.
Maybe I can do this. Just a text. Nothing big. Thank you for bringing Splat home again.
I unlock my phone and type in his number, saving the contact, just in case I even need it in an emergency. My finger pauses over the message screen, then with a steadying breath I type out:
Thank you for bringing Splat back again and for checking on me. I’m ok. This is Alice.
I press send before I can second-guess it, my heart hammering as the delivered pops up under the blue message bubble. Immediately the three dots appear letting me know that he’s sending me a message back.
Hunter: You’re welcome, Alice. Anytime.
I bite my lip, trying to ignore the strange thrill that runs through me. It’s just a polite reply, I remind myself. But then another message follows.
Hunter: Do you need anything?
Do I? Not really. But the fact that he’d ask makes something inside me soften like maybe he does care.
Alice: No, I’m all set.
I want to say more, but I’m unsure of what. I should stop here, let this be the end. But the thought of cutting things off and ignoring him again is harder than I expected. Hunter’s been more than kind —and if I’m honest, he’s been on my mind a lot.
His next message catches me off guard.
Hunter: Would you let me take you to dinner tomorrow?
The question is simple. But I can’t bring myself to answer. Dinner means more time together, more conversation, and more of this tugging feeling that I’m not ready to face. What if this starts to go somewhere and ends badly?
I set my phone down, biting my lip as the seconds stretch into minutes. I can’t do this —not right now, anyway.
I don’t answer.