“Mm. Cafe Oasis,” Brooke confirmed. “But their selection is mostly savory. The only place you might be in competition with would be The Shack, which is the ice cream parlor down by the beach.”
“Oh yeah, Tee told me about that.”
Brooke and Kat exchanged glances, then Brooke said, “Speaking of Tee, you’re spending a lot of time with him.”
Her cheeks flamed. “I basically foisted myself on him because I want to be in the kitchen. Don’t read anything into it.”
“We wouldn’t,” Kat said, “except that he doesn’t tolerate most people in his space.” When Megan made a sound of distress, she held up a hand. “Sorry, sorry, we’ll stop talking. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. It’s just that Tione rarely shows much interest in anyone, and we’re both in new relationships, so we see romance everywhere.”
Megan sat on her hands to hide their trembling. “It wouldn’t bother me, except that I’m recently out of a relationship.” One that had ended the moment Charles struck her across the face with his signet ring, splitting her skin. “It wasn’t great, and I need a bit of time to recover.”
“Oh, Megan.” Kat reached over and laid a hand on her knee. “I’m so sorry. If you ever want to talk about it, we’re here. But for now, how about we eat these delicious brownies and watch the movie?”
“That sounds great.”
They settled in, and Brooke hit the play button, but for the first thirty minutes, Megan couldn’t bring herself to relax. Not entirely. And then something strange happened. Somewhere between her new friends joking, and the sugar rush from her tiny cakes, she eased back into her old self. The one who’d never been outgoing, but who’d laughed and bantered with her friends. Who hadn’t been afraid to call someone out on their bullshit, but who’d equally have dropped everything and gone to them if they were hurt. She’d liked the person she’d been, and she loved Kat and Brooke for bringing that woman to the surface again, even for a night.
10
“Didyou clean up at poker last night?” Megan asked, studying Tione as she handed him an unsweetened black coffee. She thought he might prefer it to anything fancier if he’d had a few beers before he went to sleep. He took the mug and gulped it down, and she had to admit, he didn’t look any worse for wear. His eyes were clear, skin tone normal, and he appeared to have trimmed his beard. The tension coiled in her shoulders eased away. Charles had always been mean when he was hung over.
“I did okay,” he replied. “Sterling did better, though.” He swallowed more coffee and grimaced. “You’ve ruined me. This isn’t nearly as good as that creamy stuff you made.”
She tried not to smile. “If you remember, you told me you preferred your coffee to be boring and black.”
“A man is allowed to change his mind.” His eyes crinkled at the corners, and the twinkle in them sent a pulse of attraction through her. He was such a magnetic guy. Not in an obvious way, but he wasn’t easy to impress or amuse, so the slightest change in his expression seemed to put her hormones into overdrive.
She reminded herself of what she’d told Brooke and Kat last night. She wasn’t in a position to be interested in anyone. Her life was a mess. She didn’t know where she’d be in a week, let alone a few months, and she’d been living with another man until very recently.
No, she couldn’t get involved with him, but that didn’t make her like him any less.
They worked in sync to prepare breakfast, and when the guests had come and gone, they shared a meal in the dining hall. She opted for fruit salad and yoghurt, while he wolfed down a breakfast muffin.
“You know, the muffin won’t get up and run away if you take your time,” she teased.
“How do you know?” he asked, around a mouthful of food. “It might.”
“We can be reasonably sure.”
They finished eating and cleared away their dishes. On impulse, she asked him what his plans were for the next couple of hours.
“I’m taking the dogs for a run,” he said. “You’re welcome to join me, if you’d like.”
Her heart sank. “Oh, no. I couldn’t. But thanks for the invite.”
If she went, she’d run the risk of someone seeing her. She also hadn’t run more than the length of a city block in over a year. Tione, on the other hand, took his dogs out every day. His calves were muscular, his thighs strong, and she had no doubt he’d leave her in his dust. She wasn’t equipped to deal with the embarrassment of that.
“Shit.” He face-palmed. “Stupid of me to ask. I forgot about your ribs.”
She let his assumption stand, too much of a wuss to own up to the truth—that her ribs hadn’t even been a consideration. They reached the foyer, and she started to turn toward the hall to return to her room, but his hand on her arm stopped her. She flinched, and he retracted it immediately.
“Sorry,” she said. “You surprised me.”
“No, I’m sorry. I should have known better.” His expression became pinched. “I’m heading into the bush for a short hike after lunch. I need to check whether the waterfall trail is still safe for people to use. Do you want to come along?”
She turned the question over in her mind and examined it from all angles. The bush. Chances of anyone seeing her there were slim. She also wouldn’t be expected to run. But she’d be further from the safety of Sanctuary, and alone with Tione. Did she trust him enough for that?
Yes, she decided, she did.