He shakes his head and grins. “No. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.” He looks at me, his eyes full of light and excitement all of a sudden. “M
r. Jacobson just gave me the keys to a cabin for me and Mitchell.”
“Seriously?” He looks overjoyed by the idea.
“Seriously. And it just happens to be the one right next door to you.” His grin grows even more. “We’ll be neighbors.”
“What’s the place like?”
He motions around us. “Exactly like this one. Already furnished. I just need to paint and do some maintenance.”
“And then you can have Mitchell come live with you? Permanently?”
He nods. “Yeah, I think that’s where we’ll end up. Maybe not all at once. He might go back and forth for a little while, until he gets used to spending time with me. I mean, I don’t want to just force myself on him. He barely knows me.” He stares into my eyes. “Do you think it’s a bad idea?”
I cover his hand with mine. “I think it’s a great idea. The best one you’ve ever had.” Mitchell will be ecstatic.
“Thanks.” His brow furrows. “You never did answer me about volunteering for fire and rescue. What do you think about that?”
“The Jacobsons are going with you to the meeting?”
“Mr. Jacobson said something about smoking a huge pile of ribs to take to the meeting. He already has them in the smoker.”
“Well, as long as they’ll be there, I don’t think anything can go wrong.” They’ll take care of him. They wouldn’t let anyone treat him poorly. I saw how Mr. Jacobson took up for him at the ball game. The fire and rescue meeting will probably be similar. “Are you sure you want to volunteer?” I reach over and cover his hand with mine.
“Not only do I want to volunteer, but I think I need to volunteer.” He flips his hand over so that we’re palm to palm. “Have I told you how happy I am that you walked into my life again?”
I lean my chin on my other hand and grin. “No, you haven’t mentioned it. Maybe you should tell me all about it.”
His gaze snags mine, and I suddenly feel heat creeping up my cheeks at the intensity. “I am so damn happy, Abigail, that you walked right back into my life.” He leans over and presses a kiss to my cheek. My face is probably flaming by now. “I didn’t know how much I needed you until you were here.”
I take the last bite of my soup and suddenly yawn. “I’m so sorry,” I rush to say over my rude yawn. “I’m still not quite up to snuff.”
“You should go back to bed. It’ll take a few days before you get over it and feel better.” He leans over and tests my forehead again. “Cool as a cucumber,” he says.
“Gran still says that.” I grin at him.
“Ma does too.” He gets up and takes the dishes to the sink to wash them. “And you shouldn’t overdo it. Get your behind back in bed.” He shoos me with his hands toward the bedroom. “Go on. Get.”
“I thought we were going to play UNO,” I complain.
He stares at me in that way he does when he’s really thinking hard about something—one eye open and one closed. He sighs. “One hand,” he says. “One. Then you need to rest.”
He very quickly washes the dishes while I go and get the UNO cards out of my keepsake box.
“Oh, I remember that box,” he says as he looks over my shoulder in the bedroom. “Your grandfather made it, right?”
I nod, gently running my fingers over the engraved name on the top. He’d carved it himself. “It’s the only thing I took with me when I left Charles.” I look into his eyes. “It was the only thing that matters.”
“Why are the UNO cards in there?” he asks, as he sees me retrieve the pack.
Now I really do blush. Heat floods my face. “That’s just where I left them.”
“Why are you lying?”
“I’m not lying.”
He closes one eye, and I know he’s serious about whatever he’s trying to figure out. “Yes, you are.” He points a finger at me. “I know you, Abigail Marshall. I know when you’re lying.”