Torch (Take It Off #1)(44)
Author: Cambria Hebert

“Yes, ma’am.”

She laughed and flung her arms around me in a warm, welcoming hug, rocking back and forth a little before she pulled away to look at me again. “You are positively gorgeous!” she exclaimed. “And so tiny! Holt here is three times your size!”

“Mom,” he groaned and rolled his eyes.

“You have a lovely home,” I said, gesturing to the house.

“Thank you. It’s hot out here today. Must be at least a hundred degrees in the shade!” She linked her arm through mine and led me to the front door. “Do you like lemonade?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“No more of that ma’am business. You can call me Pam.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Holt and he winked. The inside of the house was blissfully cool and very spacious. There was a tiled entryway that led into a great room with a traditional fireplace, wood floors, and wide windows. Pam led us through that room and also through the dining room, which was beside the kitchen.

“Take a seat,” she said, finally releasing my arm and pointing to the barstools by the island. I didn’t sit down, though. I went straight to the back doors that overlooked a wooden deck and the yard. The yard led straight down to the water where there was a dock for a boat.

“Nice, isn’t it?” Holt said, stepping up behind me. I had the urge to lean back against his chest so he would wrap his arms around me. I might have if I wasn’t aware of his mother watching us.

“Absolutely,” I agreed.

“So, Katie, Holt tells me you’re a librarian,” his mother said, drawing me away from the view.

“Yes. I like books.”

“Me too!”

The conversation turned to books and literature as we drank lemonade and laughed together about Holt’s lack of book knowledge. He did, however, offer many opinions on the movies based off the books we talked about.

His mother was open and friendly with an easy smile and a kind eye. I felt at ease and welcome in her home, and it made something in my chest tighten. Not really in a bad way, but a good one.

I excused myself to go to the bathroom, hoping to take a moment and corral the emotion that seemed to bubble up on me at a moment’s notice lately. Since I didn’t really have to use the facilities, I moved over toward the window, staring out into the side yard.

Being here in this house, it just made everything worse. It made that ache inside me—the longing for something more than I thought I wanted—worse.

One day at a time, I told myself, inhaling a deep breath.

After today, after I signed those documents, I could start rebuilding my life. I could start making some decisions and really thinking about what I wanted.

As I thought, movement out the window caught my eye. It was a car making its way up the street. There was nothing really unusual about a car driving down the street.

Other than the fact it was a dark sedan.

Flashes from almost being run over assaulted me. I glanced back out the window, hoping to get a better look at the car, but it had already moved out of sight.

You’re losing it, Katie, I told myself.

Maybe after tonight I would take a vacation and just relax. I would certainly be able to afford it. Once I felt a little more in control, with my emotions in check, I headed back to the kitchen, only to pause at the sound of a new voice.

“Well, where is this girl you haven’t shut up about since you pulled her out of that fire?”

“She’s in the bathroom, Dad.”

“Probably took one look at your mother and is trying to shimmy herself out the window and run away,” he said good-naturedly.

“Ed!” Holt’s mother gasped, but then she giggled. “I did not scare that girl. In fact, I really like her. She’s a timid little thing, but I think time will fix that.”

Did that mean she wanted me to stick around a while? I looked at the family photos lining the hall. Many of them were of Holt as a child, grinning toothlessly into the camera. They looked like such a happy family, with wonderful memories.

“Give me ten minutes with her,” Holt’s dad replied.

“Dad,” Holt warned. “She’s been through a lot. Go easy on her, would you?”

“I’m just joking, son.” He laughed and I stepped out of the hall in time to see him slap Holt on the back.

“Katie,” Holt said, stepping away from his parents and taking my hand. “This is my dad, Edward.”

“Just call me Ed, honey.”

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” I held out my hand and gave his a firm shake.

“That’s quite the grip you got there,” he said. “For such a shrimp.” But he softened his words with a wink.

I laughed.

He was a big man, just like Holt, with wide shoulders and long legs. He had dark hair too, but his was streaked with gray and was a bit longer than Holt’s, hanging down to brush against the collar of his shirt.

He was very tan, like he spent a lot of time in the sun, and he had friendly wrinkles around his eyes that made him look like he smiled an awful lot.

“My dad stopped by on his lunch hour. He owns a construction business.”

“Oh, what kinds of places do you build?”

“Mostly custom homes, but I’d consider any kind of job.”

“Did you build this house?”

“Good heaven’s no!” Pam laughed. “He’s such a perfectionist it never would have been done. We’d be living in an apartment waiting for it to be finished!”

Pam went to the refrigerator and started piling some cold cuts and cheese on the table. “Katie, honey, hand me that bread over there,” she said, pointing to the counter behind me.

I handed it to her and she smiled.

“Holt, I’m making your father a sandwich. Do you want one?”

“I’m starved,” he said.

“You just ate!” I exclaimed.

“You ate all my bacon,” he accused.

“I did not!” I laughed, reaching in for a slice of bread and throwing it at him.

He snagged it out of the air and took a huge bite. Holt’s dad grinned. “I like this one, son. Better not let her go.”

“I don’t plan on it,” he said, giving me a meaningful stare.

I felt my cheeks heat and I made myself busy putting together a sandwich for him.

“Katie, make one for you too,” Pam said, handing me the mayo.

“Oh, no. That bacon really filled me up.” I grinned slyly.

She laughed as Holt’s phone rang in his pocket. “It’s the station. I’ll take it outside.”