Chapter 30 Rhett
Chapter thirty
Rhett
“Good morning.” Audrey’s voice sounds like honey, and I spin to see her enter the kitchen wearing my blue Atlanta Braves shirt.
She has her own pajamas but seems to prefer my worn-out cotton shirts—and I’ll never deny her.
Seeing her barefoot in my kitchen with my shirt on awakens something primal in me.
I pull two mismatched mugs from the cabinet, placing them on the counter as the coffee maker sputters behind me, probably on its last leg.
“Sleep well?” I offer her a lazy smile, pouring black coffee into a mug.
“I was pretty exhausted.” She smirks suggestively, and I raise my eyebrows in pride.
“I’m actually not sorry for that.” I wink, handing her the mug as she blushes.
“Good.” She takes a sip, closing her eyes as she does. Glad I'm not the only caffeine addict. “I have a real question, though. Do you always wake up at the crack of dawn to play Martha Stewart?”
Turning my attention to the bacon on the stovetop, I shrug, tossing a kitchen towel over my shoulder. “Comes with the territory. Farmer’s son. I try sleeping in, but my body won’t let me.”
The toaster pops up with two bagels and I snatch them, throwing them on a plate. “And don’t be too impressed.” I point at the meat sizzling in the pan. “You’re looking at the extent of my cooking skills. I can use a toaster and make bacon.”
The kitchen does smell pretty good though if I do say so myself. It doesn’t suck making breakfast when you have someone to share it with.
“I don’t know the last time someone made me breakfast who wasn’t hired to do it. So, thank you.” Audrey chuckles, smiling at me over the cup of coffee, her hazel eyes sincere but I peel mine away as tightness forms in my chest.
Clearing my throat, I shrug, flipping the bacon. “It’s no big deal. I like taking care of people.”
Correction: I like taking care of you.
“I can see that,” she adds, and moments later I plate up our food, handing Audrey hers.
“Want to eat on the front porch?” I ask, and she looks down at her bare legs, but I read her mind before she can object. “We’re out in the country, baby. No one’s gonna see you but me and Mabel.”
“Alright, if you’re sure.” She hesitates, but I rub the small of her back, leading the way down the hall with creaking pine floorboards, towards the screen door that’s bent out of shape from the hound dog leaning on the other side. Mabel’s already out there waiting for us on the sun-drenched porch.
I sit at the table, pulling out a chair for Audrey.
“It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day. It looks impossibly green, too,” she says before a bite of bacon. In a million years, I never thought Audrey would be the kind of person who was easy to please, but it seems the smaller acts are what make her smile.
“It’s the rain. It makes everything come alive.”
She considers it, nodding as she scans my yard. It does need mowing, but I don’t think I'll ever get sick of this view.
“Do you ever see yourself leaving this town?” she asks, sounding almost cautious. I don’t have to think about the answer, though, because I don’t.
“To be honest, I never really thought about leaving. I have everything I love here.”
She nods, holding the chipped mug to her chest.
“What about you? Are you a lifetime North Carolina girl now?” I lay on the accent thick, knowing it makes her smile and it does for a moment, but then her eyes leave mine, searching her plate. Audrey shrugs ever so slightly.
“You know, I’m not sure. I don’t hate it here, I'm just not sure what my future really holds.” She tried to keep her voice chipper, but it didn’t mask the way sadness etched on her face.
“You leaving me already, darlin'?” I ask, my pulse skyrocketing, ready for my heart to be stomped on before this thing even had a chance to bloom.
“I didn’t say that.” She sits up. “I’m simply taking things day by day. This is all new, you know?”
I nod because I truly do understand. But what she doesn’t know is that I'd do anything to convince her there’s no better place than here.
“So, what’s the plan for the day?” Audrey asks, changing the subject abruptly.
“If you’re okay with it, I thought we could chill here. I need to finish up about an hour or two of projects in the workshop…but the hammock is all set up for you.”
She swallows, clutching her mug to her chest again, her bare feet running back and forth on Mabel’s belly splayed beneath us.
“I didn’t know you had a hammock?”
“I set it up yesterday before you got here.” I roll my shoulders in a shrug.
Audrey sits up taller in the chair, a skeptical look crossing her face.
“Why did you do that?”
“Last week, you said that all you dreamed about was having time to lay in a hammock all day, reading a book.” My brows crease together. “You did say that, right?”
Audrey shakes her head, pulling herself out of a daze. “Yeah, I did say that…” She reaches up, tightening her messy bun. “I guess I didn’t realize you were listening to me.”
“I listen to everything you say.” Scoffing at her, I reach down to pet Mabel. “So, how does that sound?”
She bit her lip, her eyes lighting up. “It sounds freaking incredible. I do have a new book on my Kindle, actually…”
“Good. The afternoon is yours.” I smile, happy if she is.
“Perfect,” she mimics, standing up to refill our coffees; but not before I pull her into my lap, breathing in her sweet jasmine smell, kissing her soft lips deeply, running my palm across the top of her soft leg, trying to keep thoughts of last night out of my head.
It’s going to be near impossible but I’m trying to be well behaved.
Audrey laughs, swatting my hand away, and winks at me from the doorway as she struts back into the house, leaving me wondering how the hell I got so lucky, and wondering when I’ll wake up from this dream.