“You picked a cozy spot.”
“Perfect for a day like this.” His father waved a hand toward the deck, where tendrils of fog were engaged in a sinuous dance outside the sliding door. “You get socked in often?”
“Fog’s part of life here—but in general it comes and goes fast.” Zach sat in an overstuffed chair at a right angle to the couch. “You get used to it after—”
The doorbell chimed.
“Must be Frank. You want to do the honors?” He motioned toward the hall with his soda can as he directed the question to his aunt.
“To tell you the truth, I’m too comfortable to get up.” As if to reinforce that, she burrowed into the cushions. “I haven’t quite shaken the chill I got driving over.”
Zach arched his eyebrows. “Your significant other is waiting on the porch and you aren’t in a hurry to see him? Shouldn’t you be flying toward the door, cheeks flushed, heart racing?”
She snickered. “That could be a quote from one of my romance novels. Don’t tell me I’ve converted you to my favorite genre.”
“Hey—if his girl is far away, a guy has to live out his fantasies where he can find them.” Grinning, he set his soda on the side table and rose. “Fine. I’ll let Frank in. And I won’t tell him you preferred to warm up in front of a fire instead of in his arms.”
“I’ll hug him after he sheds his wet-weather gear.”
“I may tell him that.”
“Not if you want to stay in my good graces.”
Chuckling, Zach strolled down the hall. It had been fun to watch the romance between his part-time barista and his aunt blossom over the past few months. If this kept up, wedding bells shouldn’t be far off.
Corners of his mouth tipped up, he twisted the knob and pulled the door open.
Stopped breathing.
What the . . . ?
His jaw dropped as he took in the blonde woman holding an umbrella who stood on the other side of his door.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Zach.”
Somehow he managed to find his voice. “Katherine?”
“None other. Did the blonde hair throw you?” She patted her tresses, longer now and back to their natural color.
“No.” She’d been sending him production stills and selfies for weeks, so her appearance wasn’t a surprise. Her arrival on his doorstep? Different story. “What are you doing here?”
Before she could respond, Frank slid out from behind the wheel of the car in the driveway, hustled over, and gave him a disgusted look. “If that’s the best you can do when your girl arrives out of the blue after weeks apart, you deserve a kick in the pants. And I’m not waiting out here in the car for you to get yourself in gear and give her a proper welcome while my girl is waiting for me inside.” He elbowed past and disappeared into the house, juggling a box in one hand.
“I guess I surprised you.” The spark of excitement in Katherine’s eyes flickered, and her smile dimmed a few watts. As if she was uncertain of her welcome.
Better fix that. Pronto.
“Come in out of the rain.” He took her arm and tugged her inside.
“I thought it would be fun to show up unannounced, but I should have—”
“Let me take your coat and show you how happy I am to see you.” He peeled it off. Relieved her of her umbrella. Grabbed her hand and towed her down the hall.
On the threshold of his bedroom, she balked. “Um . . . this might be the other extreme.”
“I intend to give you the proper welcome Frank mentioned, and I don’t want an audience.” He pulled her inside, shut the door with his foot, and wrapped his arms around her. “You ready?”
A dimple appeared in her cheek, and she tossed her purse on the bed. Snuggled closer to him. “Lay it on me.”
He lowered his lips to hers—and gave her a no-holds-barred kiss that should leave no doubt about how much he’d missed her.
She reciprocated, all in, all the way.
When they finally surfaced for air, her lipstick had disappeared and her hair was mussed.
“Wow.” She leaned her forehead against his chest. “I think Frank would be impressed.”
“I’m more interested in whether you were impressed.”
“I’d rate that an A+ welcome.”
He stroked her back, then eased off a few inches to see her. “So tell me how you managed to pull this off.”
“We finished yesterday afternoon, ahead of schedule. Booking a last-minute flight over the Thanksgiving weekend is a challenge, but if you’re willing to take a red-eye, lady luck can grant you a few favors.”
All at once, the shadows under her lower lashes registered. “Define red-eye.”
“I got on the plane in Texas last night at midnight. Had a long layover in San Francisco. Caught a flight to North Bend this morning. As soon as I booked everything, I contacted Stephanie. I wanted to surprise you, but I thought it best to let someone know I was coming.”
“You’ve been flying all night?”
“The trip was worth it for that kiss alone.”
“A mere preview of what’s in store during your visit.”
“Ooooh. Be still, my heart.” She fanned herself. “Frank would approve.”
“Speaking of my cheeky barista—how did he get involved?”
“I was planning to rent a car and drive down, but Stephanie told him I was coming, and he insisted on picking me up. Best of all? No paparazzi know where I am—not that they’re following me around much anymore. Now that last July’s trauma is receding into history—ancient history, by Hollywood standards—I’m old news.”
He stroked her silky cheek. “You must be exhausted.”
She inched closer. “Not anymore. That kiss was a first-rate wake-up call.”
No matter what she said, she had to be dead on her feet after a sleepless night and two flights. “You need a nap.”
“No way, no how. I’m not giving up a single minute with you.”
He’d debate that later.
“How long can you stay?”
She made a face. “Not long enough. I have to be back on Saturday afternoon. I’m leaving super early that morning.”
“So we have today and tomorrow.”
“For now.”
His pulse stuttered—and his hope surged. “What does that mean?”
She gave him a slow smile and played with a button on his shirt, letting the suspense build for a few moments. “It means that after the movie wraps, I’m coming back here.”
The cloud of worry that had been hanging over him for weeks began to dissipate like a Hope Harbor mist under the warmth of the sun.
Thank you, God!
“That’s the best news I’ve had in months. Years.”
“I hoped that would be your reaction.”
“Have you also decided what you want to do with the rest of your life?” Maybe she was only coming back here to think again.
She dispelled that worry at once. “I’ve decided to try my hand at being a chocolatier—and I’ve been watching the Hope Harbor commercial real estate from afar. Did you know the space next to The Perfect Blend is going to be available in the spring?”