Chapter 16
Kipp
By the time evening settled over the little cabins, Fish and I had gone for a nice run through the mountain trails just as dusk slid in smooth and slow, the kind of evening that made the glass fronts of the A-frames glow like lanterns under the setting sun.
Hattie returned a few hours ago with a bounce in her step and a bag from Chapter the attraction was clear, but we also realized we might not be so different after all. I had believed we were two people on opposite sides of a line, but that wasn’t the case. The gap wasn’t as wide as I had imagined.
“What I do is a huge part of who I am,” she said, gently giving a secretive look. “You don’t know anything about me.”
That sounded ominous, and it made me glad I still had that background coming because Hattie Harper had secrets.
From the other cabin, as the family spilled onto the porch, the woman raised her hand to me, and I waved back, getting to my feet.
“I should let you enjoy your evening,” I said after a moment, even though I didn’t want to move.
“Going to light the fire and get them started. You want me to bring you back a s’more? ”
She smiled before nodding. “I sure do. Then afterwards you can come back for a nightcap.” The offer hung in the air like a brilliant burst of light.