Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
ROMILLY
Monday morning greets me with a level of grogginess no amount of coffee can fix. After a week of chapel sessions, campfire smoke, and sleeping a few cabins away from Bash, walking back into the familiar scent of The Paw Spa feels surreal.
I’m halfway through wiping down the reception counter when the bell jingles.
“Morning, pumpkin.”
I don’t have to turn to know it’s him. That voice already lives in the back of my brain, taunting me when I least expect it.
“You’re not late,” I say, glancing at the clock. “I’m shocked.”
“I finished training a little early this morning, so I figured I’d wow you on our first day back.” He saunters in, tucking his keys in his pocket. “But I can leave and return in twenty minutes if that’s what you’re into.”
“No. Let’s just get to work.”
The morning commences quicker than I expect. Clients drop off their dogs one after another, and Bash moves through the workday like we never left. He’s all muscle and ease as he shampoos a wiggly Goldendoodle in the back. I try not to stare. I fail.
“Have you eaten?” he asks, toweling off his arms after finishing with an elderly cocker spaniel.
“No. I didn’t have time this morning.”
“Just as I assumed.” He shakes his head and disappears into the break room without explanation. When he returns moments later, he’s holding a takeout bag. “Time for a break.”
I blink. “You brought me lunch?”
He shrugs. “I figured if I fed you something decent, you might stop glaring at me like I kicked your cat.”
“If you kicked Jasper, you wouldn’t be alive for me to glare at.”
“Let’s keep it that way. I don’t want him to murder me in my sleep.”
Despite myself, I laugh. He grins at me like he’s just won a gold medal.
That smile makes my chest somersault. This is the most we’ve spoken to each other since we kissed, and annoying as it is, I can’t deny how good it feels.
It’s almost like our conversation in the woods never happened.
He’s back to being his charming self instead of distancing himself like he did at the end of our time at camp.
“What happened to giving me space?”
“Yeah. About that.” A smirk tugs at his lips as he crosses his arms and leans against the wall. “Not gonna happen. Sorry.”
I gape at him. “Bash…”
“I’m staying in Meadow Hills whether you like it or not, so you might as well get used to it.”
Our gazes connect. A warm, happy feeling envelops me, spreading through my veins. He’s staying. He’s really staying.
“What if you lose your fight?”
He shrugs, still grinning. “Eh. There’s always the next one. Now, come on. Let’s eat.”
We sit side by side at the front desk with the food between us.
Bash ordered us each a roasted chicken wrap, tomato soup, and buttery cheese toast from Old Joe’s Diner.
I know he’s probably waiting for me to address where I stand with him now that he’s proclaimed he’s staying.
And I want to. But I can’t help but worry it’s all talk.
What if he changes his mind? I’d be devastated.
Lord, what do I do? Should I let him in? Or wait things out a little longer to see if he keeps his word?
“Thank you for lunch,” I say, dipping my toast into the soup. “This is really good.”
“Of course.” He leans back in his chair and smirks. “And besides, if I don’t make sure you eat, you probably never will again.”
I nudge him. “Are you sure all this isn’t just an excuse to tease me? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it’s almost like you missed our little tiffs.”
He smirks at my reaction, but there’s something gentle behind his eyes. “Of course I missed you. It’s not that hard to believe.”
I open my mouth to argue, to brush it off, but the words don’t come. Not when he’s looking at me with those soft eyes, completely at odds with the rest of his hard exterior.
“But if you really hate my presence as much as you pretend to, I can go.” He grins and tears off a piece of his sandwich before popping it into his mouth.
“No, no. You brought soup. That’s the best peace offering I could have asked for.” I can’t stop the smile tugging at my lips.
He leans in just enough to lower his voice. “Then I’ll bring soup every day.”
My heart stumbles in my chest.
Lord, it’s getting too hard to ignore my feelings for him.
When we’re finished eating, we both get back to work. Having a full tummy makes me feel stronger as I groom each dog. I really should take Bash’s advice and think my meals through better. But it’s also so cute the way he keeps taking it into his own hands.
Night finally arrives, and Bash leans against my car after work, dangling my keys in front of me like bait. “You’re coming to my house tomorrow. We have the day off. And before you say tomorrow is the men’s breakfast, Logan told me it got cancelled while the church recoups from the autumn retreat.”
I cross my arms. I already knew that, of course, but I can’t deny I’m surprised he’s been following along, too. The corners of my mouth lift, but I keep my voice steady. “And if I say no?”
“You can’t.” He rattles the keys right in front of me like a reminder. “Because Ingrid made an apple cinnamon loaf and I have your keys.”
“Hmm. I can always sleep here. The dog kennels look so comfy to me. Who needs to go home?”
“Yes, but then I’d be forced to do the same, unfortunately.
I can’t possibly leave you here alone. Someone might come harass you for your tips.
And worse, you’d probably hand them all over.
” He scrunches his nose at me. “So either we both sleep in the kennels tonight, or you come over and eat breakfast with me in the morning.”
The thought of seeing him again tomorrow makes my palms sweat with anticipation. “You’re seriously not sick of me yet? We just spent all week together.”
He blinks at me like I just spoke another language.
The softest frown creases his brow, and when he speaks, his voice is a low murmur.
“If anything, I only want more.” At first, I think he’s joking, but his eyes bore right into mine with anything but humor.
My heart expands in my chest as he takes a step toward me, cradling my face in his warm hands.
“Now get in the car before you catch a cold.” He rubs his thumb back and forth across my cheek.
I nod, but I’m trapped in his stare, so I don’t move. I can’t. Not when his gaze is doing unspeakable things to my resolve.
This feels too real, too raw.
I’m not prepared.
And then he breaks away to open the door to my own car for me. I slide in behind the wheel, gently taking the keys when he hands them to me.
“Goodnight, pumpkin.”
His voice is soft. Fond. It wraps around me like a blanket. Makes me shiver like a cool gust of wind.
It hits me then just how much I care about him. I already knew I did, but not this much.
No matter how much I push him away, he just keeps coming back. It’s the kind of dedication I’ve always craved yet found it so hard to believe in this past year after what Cole did.
But here Bash is, proving me wrong. Since I’ve known him, he’s never let me down the way I thought he would.
He cares about me, and I…I care about him. That’s all it is, Romilly. There’s no way—no way—this is love.
I repeat the words in my head the whole way home. And as I slip into bed, I pray for clarity, for understanding about me and Bash, because none of this was supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to feel this way about him. Not about anyone—but especially, not him.
I pray more than once, putting everything I have into it.
But when the answer doesn’t come right away, I’m left more confused than before.