Ain't She Sweet (Seven Brides for Seven Mothers #2) - Whitney Dineen Page 0,57
Gwen sets off on the two-mile hike to Billy’s cabin. The weather is getting colder and the sky is overcast. She briefly worries she might get caught in a rainstorm, so she starts power walking to speed things along.
Gwen’s done some hiking in the mountains and canyons at home, but the woods in Oregon are so different. They have a prehistoric feel that makes it feel like a mythical creature might walk by at any moment.
By the time she turns off the path to Billy’s place, she’s passed several other people but no unicorns or yetis. “Hello, Billy!” she calls out when she sees him sitting on his porch.
He looks up from his book and waves. “Gwen, what a nice surprise. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“That would be wonderful. I wanted to come by and thank you for the flowers.”
“I enjoyed our time together very much,” he tells her before getting up and leading the way inside.
“I would have called, but you mentioned you didn’t have a phone.”
“I would have enjoyed talking to you on the telephone, but I’m much happier to see you in person. I think people have forgotten the importance of talking face-to-face. Cream and sugar?” he asks while he pours her a mug of coffee.
“Just a splash of milk, please. I was wondering if you’d like to come to my place for dinner tonight. I make a mean tuna casserole.”
Billy is quiet for a moment before answering, “I would love to. Can I bring anything?” Before she answers, he adds, “I haven’t had tuna casserole since I was a kid.”
Gwen feels a contentment she hasn’t felt in a very long time, if ever. There’s something about this man that makes her feel she’s connected to a higher frequency. “Just bring yourself and your appetite,” she tells him. She takes a sip of her coffee and adds, “Can we sit on the porch for a bit?”
Tara
OMG, the look on James’s face is priceless! It’s obvious he hadn’t intended on doing a swimsuit shoot with me, but it serves him right for suggesting such a thing. It’s not that I mind being seen in a swimming suit, I’m just really over the whole modeling thing.
Also, I don’t own a suit that fits my current figure. I’ll need to head into town and hope someone still has something available in the middle of November. Now that Syd is the only person I’m trying to avoid, I should be able to at least shop without running into him.
The rest of the morning with Rachel isn’t awful. I answer all her questions without volunteering too much. I make sure every word I say emphasizes how ready I am for a quiet life.
James, on the other hand, talks and talks and talks like he’s being vetted for national security clearance. I do find out several interesting things about him though, such as he was prom king when he was in high school, he once ate raw snake on a dare from his brother, and he loves conjugating verbs in Spanish. He gives us a few examples,"llamo, llamas, llamamos …”
He particularly enjoys llamamos and says it three times in a row like he’s summoning a magical genie to grant him three wishes. If one shows up, I plan on hijacking the first wish—get us the hell out of here! Alas, one doesn’t appear.
Rachel is a good sport and listens to him, but she keeps bringing the conversation back to me and Romaine. I finally ask her about her last relationship. When I start repeating some of her questions to me, she says, “Your point is taken, Tara. The difference is I’ve never been famous or dated a famous person, so nobody cares about me.”
By the time James and I get back to the lodge, Penny nearly does backflips when she sees us. You’d think we were gone for a month instead of a few hours. Ruby gets off the floor where she was playing tug of war with the puppy and says, “She was a doll, but she obviously misses her parents.”
I’m about to remind her that I’m only Penny’s friend, though I feel like so much more. I don’t know how I can consider myself her surrogate mom being that James and I aren’t a real couple. Although, the puppy has slept with me the last couple of nights, so that must give me some claim to her.
“How did the interview go?” Ruby asks. Looking at her son, she adds,