I blinked at her while Miller sputtered and tried to erase her question from the ether. “Tilly! That’s… he’s… it’s none of your business.”
I placed my hand on his lower back. “I intend to get to know him better,” I said firmly. “In our own time. And hopefully discover that you’re the only dangerous criminal in his family.”
Her eyes locked on mine for a long beat of silence before she broke out in laughter. “Oh, honey. I like you. But I’m naught but a lowly horse thief. Hardly a dangerous criminal.”
I nodded with a grin. “I believe they stopped hanging horse thieves in the 1800s, so you’re probably right.”
Miller made a strangled sound in his throat. “Hanging? Can we please get out of here? Are you free to go?”
Senator Cannon reached out to shake my hand. Miller performed another quick introduction before Tilly interjected. “Darius, dear, might I have a private word before we leave?”
I wondered if this was when I would get the kind of dressing-down I’d heard about in novels and old movies, a kind of warning against treating her grandson with disrespect.
“Certainly,” I said, gesturing her off to the side. Miller shot me a nervous glance, but I responded with what I hoped was a reassuring smile.
When we were out of earshot, she lost her easy smile and suddenly looked much older. “Is there any way you can take him away from this crowd for a few hours? I can tell he was truly worried, and it can only be exacerbated by the poor sleep he’s been getting. I regret causing him concern, and I may have overlooked the fact he’s not as familiar with my antics as the others.” She looked momentarily regretful, and I imagined that was unusual for her. “I’m afraid if he returns with us to the lodge, he’ll fuss over me like a mother hen. I’d much rather him be distracted in… some way.”
I studied her. It felt an awful lot like she was asking me to distract him with my…
“What are you talking about over here?” Simone butted into our private conversation before my imagination got away from me. “Tilly, stop harassing poor Darius. This isn’t like Christmas two years ago when we set Noah up with all those blind dates.”
Tilly tapped her chin with a red-tipped fingernail. “No… but it could be.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Should we set Miller up on several dates this holiday season, Darius?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, enjoying the surprised disappointment on her face. “Only make sure they’re all with me.”
Simone and Tilly both laughed and let me return to Miller’s side.
“Can I give you a ride home?” I offered in a low voice.
Miller bit his lip. “Oh, I can probably catch a ride back with everyone else.”
“I was hoping you’d let me swing by my place first and pick up some extra baklava for Simone.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. I would be sure to send him home with baklava later.
He relaxed and smiled sweetly. “Of course. That’s so nice of you.”
I led him outside to my truck and handed him in before moving around to the driver’s side. We rode the first few minutes in silence before Miller realized we weren’t headed to the bakery. “I thought Honey’s is that way,” he said, pointing out the window.
“The baklava is at my house. Do you mind?”
He blew out a breath. “No, actually. That’s better. I’ve had enough of people today.” He seemed to second-guess his statement. “Not that I don’t love it at Honey’s! And Hannah is super nice. I’m sorry.”
I reached over and squeezed his hand. “I understand what you’re trying to say. You’d prefer some peace and quiet. That was partly why I offered to drive you.”
Miller turned to me. “You must think I’m odd.”
I turned the truck up the mountain road. “Not even a little bit.” Extraordinary, unique, precious. Those were the words I’d use to describe Miller Hobbs. But I didn’t want to frighten him off by saying so.
“One of the reasons I took the job for Happy Teeth is because it allowed me to work from home. I moved in with my mom to help take care of her, and I was able to balance that with work pretty easily. Unfortunately, it meant I got out of the habit of being around a lot of people. It’s a little hard getting used to it again.”
I shrugged. “That makes sense, and you don’t have to explain yourself to me. Not everyone is energized by a crowd.”
“What about you?”
I took a minute to think about my answer before speaking. “I like being around people, but I have a tendency to get competitive and overwork when I’m in a fast-paced environment. You remember me telling you I moved here because I didn’t like who I was back in Chicago?”