He nods. “Go inside, Birdy.”
Notgoodnight.Notyou’re welcome.Justgo inside. Part of me is disappointed, but what did I expect? That this man, whom I only met hours ago, would walk me to my door and kiss me goodnight or something? I wish I were that lucky, but these things usually only happen in books and movies.
I take the stairs up to my apartment and unlock the door. My studio apartment looks exactly the same as I left it this morning, but something about it feels slightly different, and I can’t put my finger on why.
I walk to the window. Down on the street, Jude’s truck is still idling. It’s only when I turn on the central living room light that he pulls away from the curb. My heart skips a beat. Did he really wait until he was sure I got safely inside?
I watch until the taillights disappear around the corner. I make a cup of tea and tell myself that tomorrow, everything will feel completely normal again.
I go through the motions and head to bed, but after a short night, I wake up realizing that things still feel slightly different, like there was before meeting Jude and after meeting Jude, and nothing will ever be the same again.
By eight, I’m at Timber Peak Petals and have already told Nell everything that happened last night. For the first few seconds, she stares at me.
“A bear,” she finally says.
“A bear.”
“And then a man.”
“And then a man,” I confirm.
“A huge, barefoot, bear-fighting mountain man who scooped you up, carried you into his cabin, cleaned your wound, drove you home in the dark, and waited until you were safely inside.” She sighs. “Birdy, that is the most romantic thing I have ever heard in my entire life!”
“It wasn’t romantic. It was a medical situation,” I say.
“He watched your window until you flipped on the light.”
“He was being practical.”
“He carried you. Barefoot.”
“But only because I couldn’t walk properly, due to being in shock.”
“He carried you,” she repeats, as if I’m not grasping the significance of Jude’s actions. “Against his chest. And he lives up on Timber Peak? Alone?”
“Yes, alone.”
“Right. You need to bring him flowers.”
I snort. “Bring him flowers? No way.”
“He saved your life, Birdy. The man chased off a bear and drove you home. The absolute least you can do is bring him a nice arrangement.” She’s already moving toward the cutting station. “I’m thinking something woodsy. Masculine. Nothing too fussy. Some dried botanicals, maybe a bit of—”
“Stop. I can make my own arrangement,” I interrupt. “Although I’m not sure showing up at his cabin is a good idea. He seemed like he really valued his privacy.”
Nell arches an eyebrow. “After everything that happened between you two, the man wants you to show up at his cabin. Trust me.”
I put my hand on my hip. “You sound very certain for someone who can’t even talk to Reid at the hardware store.”
Her eyes narrow. “That is completely different, and you know it.”
“Well, was he there yesterday?”
She bites her lip. “That’s not important right now. Stop stalling and make that arrangement for Jude.”
I mock salute her and get to work. Twenty minutes later, I’m standing by the greenhouse door with a wrapped arrangement in my hands and absolutely no idea if I’m making a terrible mistake.
“Go,” Nell says.