Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Istill cannot believe you did that,” Hallie muttered for about the dozenth time.
Brynn had spent the last ten minutes coordinating delivery directly to the hospital, which Kathy and Susan were, unsurprisingly, more than happy to accommodate.
Instead of responding, all she received from Brynn was a cheeky, satisfied smile.
A smile that was getting harder and harder to resist falling into as the days wore on. It was also a smile, coincidentally, that made Hallie’s stomach flutter.
Was Brynn literally the perfect human? Hallie was no expert, but to take a page out of Brynn’s book, the data points were stacking up.
Not only was she helping sick children, but she’d also dressed Ruby down so handily that she was gone from her table by the time that Brynn was sliding her credit card back into its holder.
Hallie could only withstand so much!
Now, anticipation was settled low in her belly, and she felt like they were on the precipice of something.
As a bonus, she felt like she was finally meeting the woman who’d given a totally badass PowerPoint presentation about her philandering fiancé. Hallie couldn’t wait to get to know this version of Brynn better.
She was about to ask if Brynn wanted to get another drink, maybe pluck up the courage to have an honest conversation, when her phone buzzed.
Hallie sent the call to voicemail and turned to Brynn, who was giving her a sweet, confused look. Talk about a woman who contained multitudes. “Do you need to take that?”
Hallie shook her head. She absolutely did not need to take Sydney’s nosy but well-meaning call, which was very likely just to check in.
Except that her phone rang again.
If there’s one thing that Hallie knew about her best friend, it was that she had determination in spades.
“Just one second.” Hallie, with difficulty, pulled her stare from Brynn and answered the call. “Hey, Sydney. What’s up?” She thought that she did a pretty great job of not sounding annoyed.
And she was glad that she’d tempered her tone, given the cautious, slightly nervous one that she was met with. “There’s been an incident at the inn. Everyone is fine, but I thought you’d want to know.”
Hallie’s back straightened, and she immediately went into business mode. “What kind of incident? If everyone’s okay, that’s the important part.”
There had been various issues at the hotel over the years. Unruly guests. Fire alarms. Minor injuries, which had a much higher probability when their average guest’s age was in the sixties. But don’t think that they couldn’t party because they absolutely could—and did. Hence the minor injuries.
“I’m so sorry to be interrupting your…” Sydney stalled out on whatever word she was looking for to describe Brynn and Hallie going on a daytime outing at which Hallie bought them drinks, they held hands, and they talked about themselves to get to know one another better.
Not that Sydney needed to know any of that right now. “It’s fine. What happened?” Hallie stressed again. “Is Reese there?”
It was weird that Sydney was the one calling her about an issue with the inn instead of Reese.
An hour ago, Hallie had left both of them sitting at the check-in desk. She’d even believed that, if absolutely necessary, they’d be able to tear their eyes away from one another and focus on any guests that wandered up to the counter.
“Greg was putting the plow on his truck for the snowstorm, and he cut his leg open pretty badly. It’s going to need at least a few stitches.”
“Oh my god.” Hallie held her hand up over her mouth. Brynn was already moving closer, and she placed her hand on Hallie’s arm. Hallie wasn’t sure if the look that she was able to give Brynn allayed either of their concerns. “How bad is it?”
“Luckily, we didn’t have to call 911. Candace just left to take him to the ER.”
Hallie exhaled. “Okay. That’s… not good, but I’m just glad that he’s okay.” But— “Where is Reese?”
There was silence for long, protracted seconds until: “You know, I knew that Reese didn’t like blood, but I wasn’t aware that she could faint from the sight of it.”
Hallie gasped. “We’ll be right back.”
“She’s okay, too. I have her convalescing like a Victorian woman on the sofa in the lounge. I even gave her the good spot next to the fire.” Sydney paused before finally adding, “But truly, this all happened, like, fifteen minutes ago. Everyone is fine. I promise.”
It was impressive that Hallie could manage a smile in spite of the anxious churning in her gut, but Sydney was painting an entertainingly vivid picture. “We’re still coming back.”
She heard the groan that Sydney let out. “I knew that you’d kill me if I didn’t let you know what happened, but you don’t need to come back.”
Of course they were coming back. “Of course we’re coming back!”
Besides the storm that was set to roll in, Candace was also in the middle of her cleaning shift given what time it was, and Hallie absolutely wasn’t going to keep Sydney sitting at a desk when she should be getting Reese home to rest.
At this point, Brynn had moved so close to Hallie that their cheeks were practically pressed together, and Brynn could hear what Sydney was saying, too.
At least she hadn’t heard the first part, when Sydney was waffling over what to call their day together.
Thank god for small miracles. If or when the conversation happened, she really didn’t need Sydney playing third wheel.
“Give us fifteen minutes,” Hallie said before hanging up the call and shoving her phone in her pocket.
She turned, but Brynn wasn’t there. Instead, she was already halfway across the large room, probably on the hunt for their coats given the direction in which she was moving. Hallie allowed herself a few indulgent seconds, watching as Brynn strode purposefully through the throngs of people.
It meant something to Hallie how Brynn just got how important being at the inn at a time like this would be.
Sure, maybe Hallie needed to get better at divesting herself from a life that was completely encompassed by The Stone’s Throw, but she would never stop caring about the people there.
Hell, she’d probably never stop thinking of it as her home.
When Brynn returned, she held out Hallie’s coat for her, which felt like a very romantic act on Brynn’s part.
Especially given that Hallie was so focused on getting back as soon as possible that she hadn’t realized anything else could pull her attention.
Turning around, Hallie let Brynn shrug the bulky garment around her shoulders.
The careful, deliberate action did nothing to disabuse Hallie’s notion that this was a date.
Or, at the very least, that she desperately wanted it to be.
She sighed, hoping Brynn couldn’t hear her. She should have been more forthright before they’d come out today.
What was she? Eighteen? Brynn deserved better than something billed as a “hangout,” all so that Hallie didn’t have to experience the stress of an encounter having actual stakes.
There needed to be a balance in her life, one where she cared about the things that were important to her like the inn and the life she’d already built but where she didn’t let the fear of failure stop her from being open and honest. Especially with Brynn.
“Ready?” she asked as Brynn was zipping up her own coat. Once they got things settled back at the inn, Hallie was committed to doing the hard thing.
Except that then Brynn picked up a lone hat from the table—an adorable fox—and pulled it over her head.
And Hallie’s heart literally and truly skipped a beat. God, did she just want to give herself over to the fluttery, erratic feeling in her chest, the one that made her feel like she was on the verge of a heart attack.
But she couldn’t focus on that right now. She smiled at Brynn, felt the blood pumping through her veins, making everything feel new and exhilarating.
Soon. She held her hand out for Brynn to take. “Let’s go.”
“I promise you didn’t need to come back,” Sydney said again as Hallie and Brynn entered The Stone’s Throw. Sydney immediately clocked their clasped hands before shifting her gaze back up to meet Hallie’s, leveling her with a smirk.
Hallie ignored the look. She had more important things to focus on right now. “Have you heard anything from Greg and Candace?”
She felt Brynn’s hand squeeze her own before she pulled away slowly. “I’m going to check on Reese.”
Hallie nodded and tried bravely not to stare after Brynn like a lovesick puppy. She thought she’d done a pretty good job at it, except that when she turned her attention back to Sydney, her mouth had morphed into what Hallie could only describe as a shit-eating grin.
Hallie held up her hand. “No. Let’s focus on the important things right now.”
It had taken them close to twenty minutes to get home, double the amount of time that it had taken to walk there. The snow had started falling already, and though some businesses had already salted their walkways and sidewalks, it had been a treacherous endeavor.
Hallie had used her no-nonsense voice, so she was pleased when Sydney relented immediately. “They’re at the hospital. Greg was already taken back to a room. It could definitely have been better, but it absolutely could have been worse.”
Hallie let out a long exhale, relief coursing through her. “That’s good news. And what about Reese? I cannot believe you aren’t holding vigil at her side.” Truly, Hallie was most shocked that Sydney hadn’t also scooped Reese up and taken her to the hospital, too. Just to be safe.
Sydney looked past Hallie, over to the sofa. “She’s a determined woman when she wants to be. But, apparently, this happens. Per her own words, she just needs to rest. I already gave her some apple juice. And…”
She met Sydney’s stare. “And what?”
Suddenly, Sydney looked embarrassed. “She told me that I was hovering.”