Chapter 12 #2
When I woke up Tuesday morning, I saw a Subaru parked by Fair Winds, and on my way out the door, I almost stepped on something wrapped in tinfoil. That was close, I thought, and picked up a glass pan that, upon further investigation, revealed itself to be brownies.
I opened the note perched on top of the foil and read:
Audrey, thank you so much for having us, especially on such short notice! These are Leslie’s famous “mind-boggling” brownies—we hope you enjoy!
Eat, drink, and be merry,
B & L
My stomach, not quite full from breakfast, rumbled… but I got a grip and left the pan on the kitchen counter. I’ll be back later, I told the baked goods.
It was a gorgeous day, so I rolled Brigitta’s windows down before putting the VW in reverse and executing a perfect K-turn in the driveway. Spotify on shuffle, I shout-sang along to the 1975’s “Chocolate.”
And then, in a moment of perfect poetry, I caught a whiff of what smelled a lot like a Dave Matthews concert as I drove by Fair Winds. My pulse spiked.
No, I thought. No, no, no!
I sniffed the air again.
My guests had definitely indulged in some weed last night. Don’t forget to forbid smoking, I remembered Henry saying as we wrote the Here-to-Stay copy. Even if it’s a strawberry vape pen, the smell might linger.
Good call, I’d agreed. If there was one thing Monica Barbour despised, it was smoking. She’d asked my dad to give up his holiday cigars after my grandfather died of lung cancer.
Did I forget? I wondered, but upon checking Fair Winds’ profile, my shoulders untensed in relief. I had specified that we were a nonsmoking property.
And even though I wanted to believe that the Fishers only wanted to unwind last night, I couldn’t give them a total pass.
Good morning,
Thank you for the brownies! Who told you about my sweet tooth? I hope your drive went smoothly, and you slept well last night. I just wanted to remind you that Fair Winds is a nonsmoking property. I hope this doesn’t dampen your stay.
Best,
Audrey
I received a reply halfway through the school day.
Hi there,
How inconsiderate of us! I apologize—there was a lot of traffic on the drive down last night, and we needed to zen out before bed. It won’t happen again. We brought some gummies and other treats, ha! Will we see you at Dave’s signing tonight?
-L
“Why did you approve these people again?” Henry asked after scanning the message, but it took me a second to comprehend the question. He’d slipped a hand inside my jean jacket, and his fingertips were now dancing along my hip bone. My brain felt like it was blinking on and off like a neon sign.
I kept glancing around to see if Ellie or Griff was nearby, but if they were, I couldn’t focus on them. I couldn’t even return the enthusiastic wave Kenzie gave me as she passed by.
“They’re retired with a yellow lab named Cheddar,” I managed to say.
Henry stopped drumming his fingers to give me a look. That’s it?
“And I thought it was strategic,” I added, reaching out to smooth his already smooth hair. “Hosting someone during the week in addition to the weekend. More money.”
“Didn’t your mom leave you two tickets for the signing?” Henry asked. “We can always push back our dinner.”
I nodded. “She did, but I gave them to Mrs. Nystrom as an early teacher appreciation gift. Tickets sold out before she and her son could get them.”
Of course, it suddenly hit me that I should’ve sold them. Who knew how much some people would pay to breathe the same air as Dave Matthews?
Henry chuckled. “Okay, well, there goes your excuse to skip tonight’s meal.” He paused. “My mom has a late meeting, so Tess is at the helm tonight…”
I sucked in a dramatic breath, remembering the last time Henry’s stepmother had cooked. Trying to cut my pork loin had been like trying to cut through a pack of index cards.
“So we’re ordering sushi,” Henry finished. He’d invited me over for dinner and homework. I had no doubt we’d open our books but end up watching a movie.
“Dragon roll, please,” I told him, then thought of the hostess gift sitting on my kitchen counter. Leslie’s “mind-boggling” brownies, whatever that meant. “I’ll bring dessert.”
“No complaints here.” Henry smiled right as the warning bell rang for the last class of the day. “How does six sound?”
“Way too late.” I fake yawned. He leaned in to kiss my cheek, but I impulsively turned so that we actually kissed.
Henry straightened a little, surprised, but then I felt his arm crook around my waist. My palm prickled when my hand went to his warm cheek.
He tastes like a lemon-mint cough drop, I noted as his tongue—
“Get a room!” someone shouted.
Oh, perfect! I thought, recognizing the voice of Griff’s friend Jason. Griff had to be nearby, right?
Henry pulled back to respond. “The bell just rang!” he called with a smile in his voice. “We’re about to be out of…”
He trailed off. Ellie stood in front of us, having appeared out of nowhere.
My stomach squirmed as I remembered how upset she’d been about Henry at Trader Joe’s. Now, though, she didn’t give anything away. “Do you have a second, Henry?” she asked.
“No, but I have a short commute to Italian,” he answered. “You’re welcome to join.”
Ellie nodded. “I have a message from Tate.”
If I didn’t know how close Henry was to Ellie’s sister (who I liked!), I would’ve rolled my eyes and thought, Sure you do…
Henry caught my eye. “I’ll see you tonight?”
“In a sweatshirt and pajama bottoms,” I confirmed, and forced myself not to watch them walk away.