“And that tight ass. Damn.”
“Chloe!” I chuckle. “You depraved woman.”
“Hey, it’s not like I can ignore it, not in those jeans, anyway,” she replies, then takes me back inside the cabin. “Come on, have a slice with me. I have the kettle going for iced tea.”
“Oh, I could definitely do with some iced tea.”
We head to the kitchen and make ourselves comfortable. The cabin itself isn’t big, but it’s clean, cozy, and well kept. Special attention was given to the decorative details—wooden wall panels, fine sewn wallpaper with rustic motifs, and an abundance of soft-to-the-touch textiles scattered everywhere: pillows, throw blankets, sofa covers, the works.
“Twins, huh?” Chloe says while pouring hot water over the fruit-flavored tea before adding honey and pouring the magical concoction over a heap of ice in a thick glass pitcher. “Didn’t see that coming.”
“You can say that again.”
In the meantime, I open the box and carve out two slices of peach pie, placing each on a small dessert plate while Chloe gets the glasses ready.
“You’re nervous, I get it,” she says. “I can only imagine how overwhelming it is.”
“I’m also happy, and it’s hard to reconcile those two feelings, if you know what I mean.”
She nods slowly as she brings the pitcher and the glasses over to the table. The afternoon light pours through the window with delicate, golden shimmers that dance across the white tablecloth. Between that and the smell of pie, I feel like I really do belong here.
“I know what you mean,” Chloe says. “On one hand, I’m grieving my parents but also looking forward to seeing Carlos again.”
“Oh, well, that was unexpected.”
She laughs, blushing like a rose as she takes a seat in front of me. “Come on, it’s not even a secret. What’s not to like about the guy? But at the same time, I feel a little guilty, like I should cry my heart out for a little while longer before I look to the future. It sounds weird but?—”
“No, not at all. But you can do both, Chloe. You lost your mom and dad unexpectedly, and it hurts like hell. Everybody grieves differently. You’re going through all the phases of a broken heart, yet you’ve met someone who makes you look forward to the future at a time when you can’t help but be focused on your present pain. It can certainly be conflicting.”
“And you, honey, you’ve had quite the hand dealt to you, too. At least I’m not Marcus’s main target and pregnant with twins. I mean, by comparison, things are kind of rosy for me.”
“Rosy would be a bit of an exaggeration,” I laugh lightly. “Let’s face it, Chloe. Life threw us some difficult curveballs, and we’re both trying our best to make it to the next inning.”
“Great, talk to me in baseball references as if I’ve ever watched a single game,” she grumbles and digs into her slice of pie.
I give her a confused look. “You used to come to my softball games back in middle school.”
“I was on my phone the whole time.”
“I don’t know whether to be disappointed or impressed that I didn’t even notice that. I always thought you were watching,” I mumble.
Chloe shrugs with adorable nonchalance. “Were you any good?”
“God, no, I was terrible. Two left hands and two left feet.”
“Okay, I wish I’d paid attention, just for the kicks.”
We laugh and comb through more memories of our childhood—from the before and after eras. The before being when my parents were still alive, and I was a Fairchild, one of the better-off children in Devon. And the after, when they’d passed away, and I struggled through the foster care system.
“Dinners at your parents’ place were my favorite part of the week,” I tell Chloe at one point. We’re in the after era, and it fills me with sadness to look back now after the tragic loss. “That pot roast of your mom’s was something out of this world.”
“Momma had a thing for fresh herbs. She never used anything out of a packet or a box, never,” Chloe confirms. “She’d raid the farmers’ market and stock up for months before the winter. We’d always have fresh basil, rosemary, among others, right out of the freezer. It made all the difference.”
“I think the love she put into the actual cooking had something to do with it, as well. She was a good woman, Chloe. She’s going to be missed, your dad, too. He was a great guy; he always had a joke to tell.”
She smiles, sadness darkening her eyes. “You know, they were both on to Marcus.”
“What do you mean?”
