20. gray
20
GRAY
D eclan arrived, accompanied by a lively friend and without a place to stay. His furry better half was named Cookie, and the lack of lodging was a dilemma. A solution was already forming in the back of my mind. Wouldn't it be strange to suggest to Amelia that she simply move her things up into the house?
This would comfortably accommodate Declan, practically next to his new workplace… and it would allow me the pleasure of having her nearby. It was a good solution that eliminated several problems, even if it might be unwise.
"What do you think about living here on the premises?" I asked him before I could change my mind.
It would be irresponsible to just leave the young man to fend for himself. I felt responsible for my employees—even if they had only signed their employment contracts yesterday.
"Where do you intend to put him?" Soraya asked, sitting behind the reception desk, working through the bookings for the coming weeks.
"In the unfinished cabin."
"Where Amelia lives?"
"She wouldn't live there anymore if Declan moves in."
"I really don't want to inconvenience anyone." He raised his hands in a pacifying gesture. "And I certainly don't want anyone having to move because of me."
I quickly shook my head. "Don't worry. It's no trouble at all. However, the cabin isn't finished yet. A few projects were started earlier in the week, but if you move in, that would just be another part of your duties."
He looked at me skeptically. "And that's really okay?"
"Of course."
After he hinted that his parents had kicked him out on his eighteenth birthday—which seemed to have been just a week ago—I had already decided that, regardless of his skills, he would get the job.
Over the course of the day, it turned out he had a knack for craftsmanship. Declan might still need a bit of guidance, but given his drive, that would even itself out.
As if summoned by my thoughts, Amelia walked through the door. She was still wearing my shirt—though she had paired it with pants this time.
Her path to me was interrupted by Declan's dog, who joyfully jumped up at her as if they had known each other forever.
I watched as she dropped to her knees and enthusiastically greeted the dog, momentarily forgetting that we were in the middle of a conversation.
"And what's this young man's name?" she asked, without taking her eyes off the dog who was hogging all her attention.
"If you mean the dog, it’s Cookie." Declan grinned, and Amelia looked up in my direction. The furry creature had clearly captured her heart; there was no doubt. "If you mean me… I'm Declan."
"Amelia," she replied, her gaze already lowered again.
She hadn't even looked in his direction—which amused me more than it probably should have.
"Declan is the new hire I told you about. He doesn't have a place to stay, so I suggested he could live in the unfinished cabin. If you don't mind, we could?—"
"Sure."
Before I could even finish my sentence, she had already responded. Reluctantly, she peeled herself away from Cookie and stood up.
"Will you help me?" she continued without hesitating for a second.
"What kind of question is that?" I nodded toward the door before turning back to Declan. "You can have dinner with the guests and then Soraya will take you over."
No sooner had we stepped out the door than Amelia stopped and turned toward me. In the next moment, her arms were wrapped around my upper body, and I instinctively wrapped mine around her too. I drew her close, ignoring the fact that not far away, some guests heading to the dining room threw us skeptical looks.
Probably, the next batch of rumors was already on the way, and it was only a matter of time before Wilder contacted me, asking for all the dirty details. Details I would withhold without exception.
"I saw you guys this afternoon," said Amelia without breaking the embrace. "It kind of looked like you were working with your son."
A thought that had indeed haunted me before. And probably the perfect moment to tell Amelia that I had a child. "When I separated from my ex-wife years ago, she packed up our son and disappeared."
This time, she pulled away from me just far enough to look into my face. "Are you serious?"
I nodded affirmatively.
"And since then…?"
"I haven't seen him since. In her version of the story, I was the villain because I had left her as a consequence of her wrongdoing. I sent him cards for every significant occasion. Sometimes, I left messages on his voicemail. But it was pretty clear he wanted nothing to do with me." He wasn't of age yet, but with each passing year, I continued to lose hope that he would break away from his mother and want to hear my side of the story.
So taking Declan in at the bed-and-breakfast was a decision I didn’t make with just my head.
"I thought you should know that before you move in with me. You know…"
"Do you want to talk about it, Gray?" She looked at me with such understanding that I almost wanted to share every single thought that had haunted me for the past ten years.
Still, I declined. "Let's pick up your things and bring them home before anyone changes their mind."
Effortlessly, I lifted Amelia and carried her the first few yards toward the path leading to her cottage.
"When I wondered this morning what it would be like to live together… I didn't expect it to happen so soon."
I felt the same way.
"But I'm not complaining about it either."