And then, like a moth to flame, I'd been drawn back to the cabin. To her.
"You're quiet," Ruby observes, her eyes tracking my movements. "Hard day?"
I place a pot of water on the stove, turn to face her. "Just thinking about the audit."
"We're in good shape, Cole. Truly." She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, "Your business is solid. We just need to make the paperwork reflect that."
"Thank you." I pause, weighing my next words. "For everything. For coming here, for staying."
Her cheeks color slightly. "Just doing my job."
"Above and beyond," I counter, turning back to the stove as the water begins to boil. "Not everyone would spend their weekend holed up in a cabin with a stranger."
"You're not exactly a stranger anymore," she says softly.
The words send a surge of hope through me that my bear responds to immediately. I grip the counter, willing him back. Not now.
"What does that mean?" I ask, not turning around.
"Just that... I don't know. We've spent almost twenty-four hours in each other's company. I know how you take your coffee, that you build furniture in your spare time, that you stress-bake cookies at midnight."
"Cookie-making was strategic," I say, trying to lighten the moment. "Figured you'd work harder with proper fuel."
Her laugh is warm, genuine. "It worked. I'm easily bribed with baked goods."
I add pasta to the boiling water, then start chopping vegetables for the sauce. "What else have you deduced about me, Ruby Oliver?"
"That you're private. Protective. Proud of what you've built." She pauses. "And hiding something."
The knife stills in my hand. "What makes you say that?"
"Accountant's intuition. The same instinct that tells me when numbers don't add up." Her voice remains casual, but I can hear her heart rate accelerate slightly. "There are gaps in your explanations. Inconsistencies."
I resume chopping, keeping my movements measured. "Such as?"
"Such as how you sometimes seem to hear things before I do. How you knew I was standing in the doorway this morning without looking. How you appear so... restless today, like you're containing something."
Perceptive. Dangerously so. I slide the vegetables into a pan with hot oil, the sizzle filling the silence.
"And that bear," she continues. "You didn't seem surprised that it was here. Almost like you expected it."
I turn to face her, leaning back against the counter. "I told you, bears are common in these mountains. I've lived with them my whole life."
"It had green eyes," she says, watching me closely. "I've never seen a bear with green eyes before."
My pulse jumps. "The light plays tricks at dusk."
"Maybe." She doesn't look convinced. "Or maybe there's something special about the wildlife here."
If only she knew how close to the truth she's circling. I stir the sauce, buying time to steady myself. "These mountains have their secrets."
"And their secret-keepers?" Her tone is light, but her eyes are too perceptive.
I meet her gaze directly. "Everyone has secrets, Ruby."
"Even emergency bookkeepers?"
"Especially them." I offer a small smile. "All those confidential financial records."
