“Who designed it all?” Autumn asked curiously.
“Theresa, my niece,” she answered. “She’s great at decorating on a budget. If you ever need help spicing up that property give her a call.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Autumn promised before Beatrice was called back to the counter.
“She has so much energy,” I pointed out as she slid behind the counter to joke with a fresh wave of customers. There was always someone coming in to chat with her, it made people feel less alone. Ol’ Beatty was a staple in Holiday Hollow.
“She does,” she agreed with a fond chuckle. “She loved to give my grandpa shit, the only one who really joked with him after the pack passed and he needed that in his life.”
“He was pretty serious,” I agreed. “Your grandma’s opposite.”
“You knew them well?” she asked.
“Yeah, they were amazing. We’d do dinners every so often and she was always so sweet. She’d bake with mom and I sometimes.”
I faltered for a moment realizing that my memory might make Autumn sad from what she’d missed.
“Wait. So you’re saying your top secret recipe might have come from my grandma?!” she asked with a laugh.
“Oh my god, how could I forget!” I gasped, smacking my head lightly at the realization. Her eyes widened at my expression. “I found an old cookbook from her last night! My pantry needed some organization and I climbed on the ladder to dust the top shelf and sort it and found a few stuck up there. The rest were mom’s but that one was definitely from your grandma.”
“Really?” she gasped.
“I’ll drop it by soon, promise! Maybe you’ll have a chance at winning after all,” I joked.
“If my kitchen can even handle it. That stove might just be older than I am,” she said, chewing her lip again. I was quickly learning it was a nervous thing. “The first time I fired it up it smelled funny, and had a bit of smoke, but thankfully it cleared after a while.”
“You should have Boone take a look,” I said quickly. “We can’t have you starting a fire in that old of a house.”
I’d delivered my words lightly but now I was genuinely worried. The house hadn’t been changed much since we were kids and here she was using more electricity and the appliances more than they’d been used in years upon years.
“I’ll talk to him,” she promised with a groan. “He’s going to hate me by the time summer ends. There’s so much that needs an update out there.”
“The work makes him happy. Boone’s not the idle kind of guy,” I reassured her. It was something he’d done since he was old enough to have a job. As teens most of us were swimming during the summer in the local creeks and aside from the few times we’d dragged him out there, he was doing odd jobs around town.
“I got that impression from him,” she said as she stood up. “I’m really glad we ran into each other Jack, we should do it more often. I better get back to work though. Thanks for the company.”
“Of course,” I said, following her out.
Part of me wanted to make up some kind of an excuse, ask for more of her time, but I knew it wasn’t my place. She had a ton of things on her plate and she didn’t need me selfishly adding to it.
Before I could grab the door for her, it swung open and my brother walked in. He stopped short at the sight of us and then narrowed his eyes as he breathed in.
“You smell like you,” he accused her. The alpha intensity in his words was unlike him and we both just blinked at him in surprise before he cleared his throat. “I mean, good afternoon.” My brother was flustered. Interesting.
“Uh, I better go,” she said, shooting Hunter a questioning look. “Friends don’t comment on how other friends smell, sheriff. Get yourself together or I’ll have to make a citizen’s arrest for you being uncool.”
It seemed my brother had already won her over and I couldn’t stop the pang of jealousy that hit me as I walked back to my own truck to head back home.
Usually I couldn’t care less about who he set his sights on, but Autumn felt different, and I didn’t like the idea of him using her and tossing her aside like he tended to do. It wasn’t something he did maliciously, he was just deeply allergic to commitment. Something we’ve never seen eye to eye on, which was another reason our pack was less than perfect.
Hunter didn’t want to commit, Boone was scared to commit, and I desired it more than anything.
Instead of heading home, I ended up at my mom’s office in town hall. Like usual I was met with a kiss on the cheek and a hug, which is what I had unknowingly wanted and helped soothe that small pang that sat with me. Mom was affectionate and sweet, the best kind of mom honestly.
“What’s this I hear about sharing lunch with a certain orchard owner?” she teased as she sat behind her desk. Her pink painted lips were turned into a mischievous smile that had me laughing.
“Well that was fast. Boone and I were just being friendly,” I countered, even though I wished it was more. “Try not to read too much into it.”