long.”
Daniel chuckled, his chest reverberating beneath me.
“I’d expect nothing less from Kara,” he said.
“Me neither,” I said. “The wedding’s going to be beautiful, there’s no doubt about that. But I’m just worried that she won’t have much of her mind left when all is said and done.”
“How’s she doing with all the baby stuff in the meantime?”
“Good, I think,” I said. “I think she’s a little nervous, but I can tell that she’s really excited to be a mom.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded.
“I guess those two are in for some big changes ahead,” he said.
“That they are,” I said, pulling him closer and breathing in deeply.
He looked down at me then.
“A lot of diapers and headaches, probably,” he said.
“Probably,” I agreed, looking up at him.
“A lot of bedtime stories and sleepless nights.”
“Most likely.”
“But maybe something else too,” he said.
He searched my eyes. I felt my heart skip a few beats, then flutter wildly.
“Something on your mind?” I whispered.
He held me tight, pausing for a few moments.
“Something for another time,” he said, kissing me lightly on the nose. “Something for when the whiskey wears off.”
I smiled.
After a few moments like that, we finally got back up on our feet. We strolled the rest of the way home through the feather-light snowflakes, swirling around.
The wind blew cold, and the air bit at my cheeks with a chilly ferocity, but I didn’t feel any of it.
Because inside, my heart was glowing brighter than a warm summer sun.
Chapter 18
It had been a long, long time since I’d come to work with a hangover.
It wasn’t as if I even had a lot to drink the night before. But the truth of it was that I wasn’t as young as I used to be. And sometimes even just one whiskey after 7 p.m. would just hit wrong, making for a sluggish morning that involved knocking back Advil and sipping on soda.
Still, I didn’t mind suffering the after effects of too much drinking all that much. Very rarely were hangovers worth the nights that caused them, but in the case of last night, the headache and shaky stomach were every bit worth the magical evening I’d had with Daniel.
It was still like that, even after being together for almost three years. When I was with him, it was as if the rest of the world, its problems, difficulties, and competing pie shops… all of it just fell away. And it was just the two of us. Just us and our hopes and dreams for the future.
I spent the morning in a bit of a daze, making a couple batches of Whiskey Apple pies, and Cranberry Pear Walnuts. The front of the house was once again less crowded than usual, the way it had been since Pepper’s Pies had opened across the street. But I tried not to let it bother me too much. I tried to remember what Daniel had said. About the town being full of the second kind of folks: the downhome, blue-collared, black coffee and pie folks. And that those people would eventually find their way back home to my shop.
Just after lunch, I took my usual break. I headed over to the shelter to pick up Chadwick.
I figured that today, though, instead of our usual route down Tinsel Street, we’d change it up and go somewhere else for our daily walk.
The way I saw it, maybe there was something I could do to help Billy and the department, beyond just checking in with the Humane Society.
Chapter 19
I walked along the path on the BrightStar Trail, a woodsy, winding area that was on the north side of Christmas River. The area was known for its expansive dog park, its twisty biking trails, and its lovely views of the Cascade Mountains on clear days.
Chadwick trotted out in front of me on the path, his short legs sinking into the powder that had fallen the night before. The mild storm had frosted the forest in a layer of fluffy, buttercream snow. It had also seemed to bring a stillness with it. The birds were silent, and the sound of our
Daniel chuckled, his chest reverberating beneath me.
“I’d expect nothing less from Kara,” he said.
“Me neither,” I said. “The wedding’s going to be beautiful, there’s no doubt about that. But I’m just worried that she won’t have much of her mind left when all is said and done.”
“How’s she doing with all the baby stuff in the meantime?”
“Good, I think,” I said. “I think she’s a little nervous, but I can tell that she’s really excited to be a mom.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded.
“I guess those two are in for some big changes ahead,” he said.
“That they are,” I said, pulling him closer and breathing in deeply.
He looked down at me then.
“A lot of diapers and headaches, probably,” he said.
“Probably,” I agreed, looking up at him.
“A lot of bedtime stories and sleepless nights.”
“Most likely.”
“But maybe something else too,” he said.
He searched my eyes. I felt my heart skip a few beats, then flutter wildly.
“Something on your mind?” I whispered.
He held me tight, pausing for a few moments.
“Something for another time,” he said, kissing me lightly on the nose. “Something for when the whiskey wears off.”
I smiled.
After a few moments like that, we finally got back up on our feet. We strolled the rest of the way home through the feather-light snowflakes, swirling around.
The wind blew cold, and the air bit at my cheeks with a chilly ferocity, but I didn’t feel any of it.
Because inside, my heart was glowing brighter than a warm summer sun.
Chapter 18
It had been a long, long time since I’d come to work with a hangover.
It wasn’t as if I even had a lot to drink the night before. But the truth of it was that I wasn’t as young as I used to be. And sometimes even just one whiskey after 7 p.m. would just hit wrong, making for a sluggish morning that involved knocking back Advil and sipping on soda.
Still, I didn’t mind suffering the after effects of too much drinking all that much. Very rarely were hangovers worth the nights that caused them, but in the case of last night, the headache and shaky stomach were every bit worth the magical evening I’d had with Daniel.
It was still like that, even after being together for almost three years. When I was with him, it was as if the rest of the world, its problems, difficulties, and competing pie shops… all of it just fell away. And it was just the two of us. Just us and our hopes and dreams for the future.
I spent the morning in a bit of a daze, making a couple batches of Whiskey Apple pies, and Cranberry Pear Walnuts. The front of the house was once again less crowded than usual, the way it had been since Pepper’s Pies had opened across the street. But I tried not to let it bother me too much. I tried to remember what Daniel had said. About the town being full of the second kind of folks: the downhome, blue-collared, black coffee and pie folks. And that those people would eventually find their way back home to my shop.
Just after lunch, I took my usual break. I headed over to the shelter to pick up Chadwick.
I figured that today, though, instead of our usual route down Tinsel Street, we’d change it up and go somewhere else for our daily walk.
The way I saw it, maybe there was something I could do to help Billy and the department, beyond just checking in with the Humane Society.
Chapter 19
I walked along the path on the BrightStar Trail, a woodsy, winding area that was on the north side of Christmas River. The area was known for its expansive dog park, its twisty biking trails, and its lovely views of the Cascade Mountains on clear days.
Chadwick trotted out in front of me on the path, his short legs sinking into the powder that had fallen the night before. The mild storm had frosted the forest in a layer of fluffy, buttercream snow. It had also seemed to bring a stillness with it. The birds were silent, and the sound of our
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