29. Chapter 29
twenty-nine
“You’re sure you don’t want to go to the movies with me and Ash tonight?” Jo asked.
Amanda closed the box with the banana cream pie inside and answered, “You two go ahead. Loki and I are just gonna take it easy tonight.”
“Come on. It’s Saturday night. Let’s hang out. Ash is bringing a friend from work. He’s new in town and wants to meet people.”
A yellow flag sprang up in Amanda’s brain. She loved her best friend, but Jo had been low key pushing one guy or another at Amanda ever since the Gene-Noah debacle. Jo thought it was sad Amanda would rather take a break from dating than pick up where she’d left off with Noah after what Gene had done.
At least it was my decision.
“Next time, okay?” Amanda smiled apologetically. “You guys have fun. I’m beat after volunteering the extra hours last night and coming in early today to bake.”
“You’ve been spending a lot of time at the shelter,” Jo said as they walked back out to the cafe area. “You should also take care of yourself.”
“I am by staying in tonight.” Amanda grinned. “But it’s not like reading books to children was a big hardship. They enjoyed it, I enjoyed it, and their parents got a little break.”
Jo rubbed her arm affectionally. “You’ll be a wonderful mother someday, my friend. You’re so natural at it.”
Amanda laughed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We still have to get you hitched to that man of yours. We’re all set for dress shopping next weekend, right?”
Jo’s face beamed with a big smile at the reminder.
“Yup. My mom’s arriving on Thursday.”
“Can’t wait!” Amanda said, then gave her friend a wave. “Talk to you later. Have fun tonight.”
“Don’t eat all that banana cream pie for dinner,” Jo warned.
“Don’t worry. I was planning to share it with Loki,” Amanda said flippantly.
So what if she ate the whole pie by herself? Jo didn’t have to know she chose that particular pie because she still couldn’t push Gene out of her mind. How could she when her whole being told her he was it for her? Yes, Jo would say she was nuts to feel that way for a guy after only a freaking week. But her gut feeling had never been wrong.
Why is it failing her now?
Amanda didn’t know. Until she figured out the answer, she’d stay busy and share pies with Loki if she wanted to.
She was about to step out when Martha Rowland and her husband strolled into Sanctuary. She put on a smile and braced herself for the conversation she knew she couldn’t avoid.
“Amanda, so good to see you,” Martha greeted. “Are you leaving, dear?”
“Hi! Yes. I’m just on my way home.”
“Oh, good. You look like you could use some rest,” Martha said, her face concerned. “Doesn’t she, Douglas?”
Gene’s dad, whose facial features reminded Amanda of his son, just nodded awkwardly. Amanda was taken aback by Martha’s remark. Did she look that awful?
“How are you feeling, Amanda? Are you fully recovered from the accident and the entire ordeal with the… um, the Carsons?” Martha asked.
Martha deliberately omitted his son from the situation. Funnily enough, he was the one she hadn’t gotten over quite yet.
“Yes, I’m feeling fine,” Amanda replied politely. It wasn’t his parents’ fault their son broke her heart. “Are you getting a pie for dessert? We have one of your favorites today: mixed berries.”
“Oh good. I love those,” Douglas said.
“Is that a banana cream pie you got there?” Martha peeked at the plastic top of the box Amanda was holding. “Oh, that’s Gene’s—” The older woman paused. “I’m sorry.”
Amanda smiled at how ridiculous it was. She couldn’t let her one-week affair with Gene make things weird with one of her favorite customers.
“Please, Martha. Don’t apologize,” Amanda said.
“I don’t understand how my usually intelligent son can be so dense.”
Martha took Amanda’s free hand and gave it a light squeeze.
She looked like she wanted to say more, but her husband moved her away from the door. “We should let Amanda go home and rest, honey.”
“Yes, of course!” Martha said a bit too brightly. “You should be on your way. It’s good to see you, Amanda.”
Douglas herded his wife inside after a quick bye, and Amanda wasn’t sure what was going on. Maybe the universe was conspiring against her effort to shelf Gene in her mind vault.
Amanda still couldn’t get over the silly conversation on the short drive home. As soon as she got out of her car, she heard Loki barking from inside.
“I’m coming. I’m coming,” Amanda said as she rushed to unlock the door. “Boy, you must really need to go. It’s not like I’m late.”
Loki greeted her with his usual front paws on her legs and lolling tongue. But his excitement was more exaggerated than usual.
“Hey, buddy. Good to see you, too.” Amanda chuckled as she balanced the pie box in one hand, her purse and keys in the other, while receiving her dog’s exuberance. “Go do your business.”
Instead of going down to the lawn to his special spot by the forsythia bush, Loki ran to the next unit’s front door. He planted his behind in front of it, tails sweeping the floor from side to side. His eyes looked expectantly at the door.
Amanda frowned as she watched her dog waiting patiently. When she didn’t move, Loki looked at her and barked once.
“Miss Lydia isn’t there anymore, buddy. Nobody’s there to give you treats,” Amanda said.
But the dog barked again. Baffled by the dog’s behavior, Amanda went to him.
“Why are you being so weird? Come on. I have banana cream pie. I’ll share if you behave.”
The front door opened.
Amanda yelped and jumped in shock, almost dropping the pie box, but a set of hands reached out and caught it in time.
“Banana cream pie, my favorite. Is it for me?” asked Gene Rowland, smiling innocently at her.
Gene watched Amanda’s green eyes darken as her initial confusion cleared up. Though her eyes betrayed her, she neutralized her expression, as if seeing him hadn’t affected her. He, on the other hand, felt a calm he’d never experience before wash over him. And all he wanted to do was to pull her into his arms and kiss her silly.
“What are you doing there?” Amanda gestured into the duplex unit.
“Unpacking,” he answered, bending down to give Loki a scratch. “Hey, bud. I miss you.”
The dog bounced on his hind legs and barked happily.
“Wanna come in?” Gene said as he retreated back inside, bringing the pie box with him.
Loki followed him without question, while Amanda hesitated at the threshold but stepped in as curiosity won.
“What do you mean unpacking?” Amanda looked around the front room, where a few boxes were still sealed.
“What else does unpacking mean?”
Gene put down the pie box on the kitchen counter and took out a dog treat for Loki from the box he’d just bought.
Amanda watched her dog munch on the treat, then lay down on the floor contentedly.
Gene could’ve sworn he heard her mutter, “Traitor.”
“I know Mr. Delaney had his handyman and painter working here all week, but he didn’t say anyone was moving in,” Amanda said, standing in the middle of the still-messy living room.
He was in the middle of shelving books when he’d heard her car pull up.
“My parents and Patrick helped me moved my stuff from storage today,” Gene said. “Between the four of us, I think we did a pretty fast job.”
“I just saw your parents at the store. They didn’t mention anything about—” She frowned. “Wait. Why did you take your stuff out of storage?”
Gene frowned back at her. “Why would I pay for a storage when I can put them here?”
“And move them out again in a few weeks?”
He went to her. “I’m not going anywhere. I signed a year lease.”
“A year? But you’re only working here for—”
“I talked Dr. Bloom into letting me buy into the practice,” Gene interrupted.
“You’re buying into Dr. Bloom’s Clinic?” Her voice went high in disbelief.
“With the option to buy the Blooms’ shares when they retire.”
Amanda didn’t bother to mask her shock anymore. She stared at him with big, round green eyes.
“Why? What happened to going back to Atlanta or going abroad?”
“I’ve put in my resignation at the hospital,” Gene said.
“You like working with Dr. Bloom that much?”
Gene chuckled. “I do. I surprise myself how much I like the way he does things. He got me thinking of new ways we can serve the community even better. It’s making my engine rev again.”
“Oh. Good for you.” She nodded, looking unsure. “I’m glad you figured out what you want.”
“Me, too. But the clinic is only half of my plan. It’s the foundation for the rest.” Gene scooped her hand in his. “See, I realized I want a life, not just a career.”
“What kind of life?”
She looked into his eyes, and finally let him see what she was feeling.
And he saw a glimpse of hope.
“The kind I build with you, share with you,” he hoped as well.