10. Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Finnley
When I wake up the next morning, I’m in bed alone. I shower and dress, then throw my hair into a braid.
When I walk into the kitchen, Hudson’s sitting at the island, with a cup of coffee at his elbow and his laptop open in front of him. He’s still in the sweats he wore to bed, but he’s added a black T-shirt.
“Morning,” I say, coming up behind him and giving his hair a little ruffle as I pass him on the way to the coffee pot.
“Morning,” he grunts, but doesn’t glance up from whatever he’s looking at on the screen.
“Thanks for making coffee,” I say and open the cabinet in search of my travel mug.
“Next to the microwave,” he says, still without looking up.
I glance to the side and spot my cup, and when I lift it, it’s full. Leave it to him to have it ready for me.
“Thanks,” I say and cross to the fridge to take out a bagel and the cream cheese.
“Yep. ”
I pop an everything bagel into the toaster and turn to face him, leaning back against the counter, with the fingers of both hands curled around the edge. His eyes stay on his laptop, a crease marking the space between his eyebrows.
“Thanks for staying last night. I thought you’d still be snoring away when I woke up. Did you sleep ok?” He’s got dark circles under his eyes, and he hasn’t showered yet, because he’s still rocking the wolverine hairdo. He’s kind of adorable, even if a little broody this morning. Maybe I kept him awake snoring. Or maybe he didn’t get much sleep, considering I was glued to him all night. Sleeping alone is glorious because you can spread out and hog all the covers, but when you don’t feel good, having someone there for comfort is way better in my opinion.
He takes a sip of his coffee, hums in affirmation, then briefly glances up at me before looking back at the computer. He’s normally a morning person. So, the quiet awkwardness rolling off him is weird.
“What’s up with you?” I ask and turn away when my bagel pops up. Grabbing it from the toaster, I play hot potato with it in my hands before dumping it on the counter and opening the drawer to get a knife for the cream cheese.
It takes him a full five seconds before he answers: “Nothing.”
I turn back and pin him with a look as I smear cream cheese on my bagel. I put down the butter knife and take a big bite, my eyes not leaving his.
“Bullshit,” I say with my mouth full.
He watches me chew and then drops his eyes back to the computer. “Feeling a little off, I guess,” he finally answers with a shrug.
My brows come together. “You getting sick? I heard you in the shower again last night before I woke you up with my alarm.”
He looks up and blinks twice. “I was cold.”
“You seemed ok last night. Kept me toasty warm.” I smirk. When he doesn’t return it or even look up, I add, “You sure you’re ok? ”
“I’m fine.” His tone sounds anything but.
I tilt my head and study the top of his head as he’s dropped his gaze back to the computer. I don’t believe him. Setting my mug down, I round the edge of the counter. He looks up at me as I lean in, propping an elbow next to his laptop.
“See, the thing is…” I say, pressing my finger to the crease between his eyes and giving it a little poke. “This ‘what the fuck’ line tells me you’re full of shit, Huddy. Grumpy doesn’t look good on you. That’s Hank’s schtick.”
He swats my hand away, but his expression is playful. “You’re annoying.”
I give him a big smile and bat my lashes at him before my eyes flicker to the computer screen. He’s on the local real estate page for Timber Forge. Disappointment drops into my stomach like a lead balloon. I don’t want them to move out. I love having them here. Is it really that bad living with me?
I push it away and lift my chin at the screen. “You going somewhere?” I ask, forcing nonchalance into my voice.
He huffs out a breath through his nose, looking so disheartened. “Not fucking likely.”
“Ok,” I say as I pull out a stool and drop into it, my knee bumping with his. “Start talking.”
He leans back and scrubs a hand over his face, letting out another long breath. “I miss my bar.” I think that’s all he’ll say, but then he continues. “I guess I’m just feeling a little unsettled.”
The corners of my lips turn down in a slight frown. I run a hand down his arm, then give his hand a squeeze. “I’m sorry, Huddy.”
He nods. “I didn’t think it would be this hard.” He swallows. “I mean, I guess I did, but… I don’t know.” He waits a couple beats before speaking again. “It doesn’t do any good to dwell on it though, you know? ”
“Yeah, but it’s a lot. You loved that place. You did amazing things with it. You have every right to be sad.”
I study the side of his face while he stares at the screen on his laptop. Everything he’s gone through in the last two years—his marriage ending; his daughter falling deathly ill, forcing him into a completely new normal; managing that alone; selling his bar; the move back home; and juggling it all as a single parent. It’d be a lot for anyone.
He nods, looking over at me. “Yeah.”
“What can I do to help?”
He shakes his head. I’m sure his smile is meant to be reassuring, but I see right through it when he reaches over and squeezes my knee. “Nothing. I’m ok.”
I can tell he doesn’t want to talk about it anymore, but finding a place to live should be the least of his worries. I want him to know that he has time, and my house is his for as long as he and Paige need it.
I stand up and walk back around the counter to where I abandoned my breakfast. “You’ll figure it out, Huddy. You always do. And there’s no rush. I’ve got plenty of room. I mean, I know you’ll eventually get your own place, but if it helps, I really did mean it when I said you can stay as long as you need. I love having you here.”
When he looks up at me, that easy smile is back on his face. It feels like sunshine. “You just like us being here so I’ll continue feeding you and being your human pillow.”
I shoot him a snarky grin. “Well, yeah. You have to make it up to me somehow for always cheating at chess.” I wrap my bagel in a napkin and sling my purse over my shoulder.
He chuckles. Scooping up his laptop, he stands and turns to go. “Have a good day, Jameson.”
“You, too. Love you, Huddy.”
“Love you, too.”
“Morning, Allie!” I call out as I step through the front door of Timber Haven. Setting my bag on the table just inside the entryway, I throw a wave in her direction when she pops her head out of the kitchen.
The smell of cinnamon rolls and brewing coffee wafts my way. There is nothing like a warm cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, especially if they’re made by Hudson’s sister, Natalie. She owns the bakery in town and delivers to various businesses all over Timber Forge.
Allie is one of two of my part-timers at Timber Haven. She and Skye cover nights and weekends. They’ve both been great, and having them here has allowed me to work less. If working almost one-hundred hours a week can be considered less. Since they’re both in college, working nights at the B&B allows them to sleep the majority of their shifts, and when guests are out, there is plenty of time for them to study.
“Hey, Finn,” Allie says, coming out of the kitchen and wiping her hands on a dish towel.
“Sorry I’m late.” It’s just after five-thirty a.m. and I usually get here by five to go over any issues from the night before. “Rough night.”
She smiles at me. “No worries.”
I slip out of my flannel, hanging it by the door. “Any problems?”
“Nope. Pretty uneventful.”
I nod and start sifting through a stack of mail before heading for the kitchen. I need coffee because I walked off without the cup Hudson made, leaving it on the kitchen counter.
Allie trails behind me into the kitchen. “I already prepped the eggs and put them back into the fridge. The bread has been sliced, and I refilled the sugar and creamer bowls, as well as the salt and pepper shakers, and put out more napkins. All that’s left to do is to cut up the fruit. ”
Dropping the mail on the counter, I let out a low whistle and turn to her with brows raised. “Someone’s been busy this morning.”
We serve a hot breakfast for guests, which I, Allie, or Skye prepare, depending on the day. Since we’ve only got three rooms occupied and five guests today, it’ll be a light morning.
Allie laughs. “I woke up at four and couldn’t go back to sleep.” She shrugs. “Figured I might as well do something useful.”
“Are you nervous for your test?”
“Nope,” she says and picks up her coffee mug, taking a sip. “Just couldn’t sleep for some reason.” Allie is taking a summer semester, and even though she’s a good student, she’s mentioned that she sometimes gets nervous when taking tests.
“Well, listen. If you’re tired, go ahead and take off. I can manage breakfast this morning.”
Allie takes another sip of her coffee, eyeing me over the rim of the mug. “You sure?”
I nod and smile at her. “Of course,” I say, splashing cream into my mug.
She shrugs. “Ok. Thanks, Finnley.” After she empties her mug into the sink and rinses it, she stacks it into the dishwasher. “See you this evening.”
After Allie is gone, I check to make sure the laundry from yesterday is folded and put away.
I’m just pulling dishes out to take into the dining room when the timer on the oven goes off. I slide on oven mitts and open the top oven, slipping out the tray of cinnamon rolls to place onto a cooling rack. The icing Thalia delivered with them is ready to go, and as soon as they’ve cooled enough, I can ice them.
Then, I restock toilet paper in the downstairs bathroom and powder room and double-check that water bottles and snacks are full in the living area. After that, I set up my laptop and check emails .
I can hear a few guests moving around upstairs and some filtering into the dining room. Hutch and his horde of subcontractors completely renovated this place when I bought it from Wren, but it’s still an older home. So, you can almost always hear the water running through the pipes when a toilet is flushed or a shower is running. Some people might be turned off by that, but I feel like it’s one of the things that makes Timber Haven feel like a home away from home.
The biggest renovation included adding a bathroom to one of the upstairs bedrooms and several upgrades to the kitchen that allowed me to add a second oven and another dishwasher. And the larger fridge and freezer give me plenty of room for the food items I keep on hand. I don’t serve a full menu—only breakfast and light snacks, like cookies and pastries. So, it works well.
I set about making scrambled eggs and toast, and then head into the dining room to set up the sideboard with coffee, juice, and hot water for tea. Every evening, we have the guests fill out a breakfast form for what they would like for breakfast and make everything to order. I like the feel of a family-style meal, and it’s one of the things about the B&B that gets the biggest reviews. People love the atmosphere of being able to come downstairs and eat at the table like they do at home.
This is one of my favorite parts of running Timber Haven. I love the cozy atmosphere, and even though it might seem strange to some to eat breakfast at a table with complete strangers, in the two months since opening, I’ve yet to have a guest or group of guests that weren’t friendly to me or to one another. In fact, by the end of their stay, most of the guests are on a first name basis with one another.
Growing up, it was just me and my mom. So, we never had a full house. It was always the thing I longed for most, and having the B&B is kind of like fulfilling that dream for me .
It’s one of the reasons I love spending so much time with Hudson’s family. It’s loud and chaotic, and sometimes a bit much, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. When I became friends with Hudson our junior year of high school, I sort of became an honorary Hayes kid.
I fill my arms with plates to carry them into the dining room. After setting each plate in front of its respective guest and double-checking coffee refills, I head back into the kitchen just in time to hear my phone ding. Pulling it from my back pocket, I see a text from Hudson and two from this guy named Brad, who I’ve gone out with a couple of times. He’s nice enough, but I haven’t talked to him in a while.
Clicking on Brad’s messages first, I scan them. He’ll be in town in a couple of weeks and wants us to get together. I type out a quick message to text me when he’s in town, and then click into Hudson’s message.
Huddy: Helping Hutch out at his place tonight. Might be late. Raincheck on our rematch?
Finnley: Of course. Need me to pick up Paige from the ranch?
Huddy: That’d be great.
Finnley : You bet.
I still have to clean up breakfast, and though no one asked for their rooms to be serviced while they’re out for the day, I still have my other daily tasks to complete. I haven’t been out to the garden in a couple of days. So, there are definitely weeds that need pulled.
I slide my phone into my back pocket and head back into the dining room to make sure the guests have everything they need.