10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Hannah

My regularly scheduled programming was once again interrupted by the necessity of paperwork. It truly sucked the joy right out of life. Even more so now that Remi was lurking about Graham’s house.

I got the sense he was giving me space, though. Since our unexpected encounter at Joy’s last week, where my traitor of a brother had decided to leave the past in the past, I’d only seen Remi in passing. I’d spied him hanging out with Henry around the property and had narrowly avoided a run-in in the kitchen one afternoon, but we hadn’t exchanged a word, and I was pleased with that.

But his presence loomed.

He was annoyingly, distractingly… there .

I did not have time to think about Remington Town. Not when I had calls to make and bills to send out.

I was currently on the phone with Keith Levinson, a grizzled old rancher who was ninety if he was a day, hard of hearing, and stubborn as a mule—a fantastic combination.

“You want change? Did I not pay you the right amount last time?” he hollered into my ear.

“No, Mr. Levinson. You paid the correct amount. I need to switch your appointment,” I shouted back. “Can I come out Wednesday?”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he answered.

I banged the heel of my hand against my forehead. This was what I got for trying to make my life easier. Keith’s property was a sixty-mile drive from Sugar Brush. It wasn’t an out-of-the-ordinary distance, but I’d agreed to a standing Wednesday appointment for a new client who lived near Keith and hoped to consolidate my driving time and do them both on the same day.

“Would it be possible to turn the volume up on your phone?” I asked.

“Sure, you can come by my home. When were you thinking?”

I closed my eyes, deciding to let him guide the direction of this conversation. Maybe that’d make things easier. “Does Wednesday work?”

“My shirt’s blue. Why do you ask?”

Oh boy. I carefully enunciated my next words and basically yelled this poor man’s ears off. “Can I come on Wednesday?”

He chuffed. “You know I never go anywhere, young lady. Any day of the week is fine by me.”

Success. Time to be done while we understand each other.

“Great. I will see you next Wednesday.”

“Well, all right. Wednesday is fine. You didn’t have to shout.”

He hung up without saying goodbye, and I tossed the phone on my desk. Letting my head fall in my hands, releasing the frustration burbling in my throat in a high-pitched yowl.

I didn’t want to do this. If Graham were here, he would have taken care of these calls. He loved chatting with the folks who’d been his clients for years. He’d been good at it.

I really missed him.

I couldn’t stop the second cry from spilling out, another frustrated, angry keen. That was why I shouldn’t have been surprised when the door to my office pushed open moments later and a deep voice interrupted my spiral.

“Hannah…are you okay?”

My surprise was the only reason I grabbed the object closest to my hand—a stress ball shaped like a cupcake—and lobbed it straight toward the voice.

My aim was true. The cupcake collided with the center of Remi’s forehead and bounced off with panache. But my heart was thudding too hard for me to really admire my accuracy.

“What the hell?” I screeched, pushing back in my chair, rolling into the far wall. “You can’t just barge in like that! You shaved a hundred years off my life, Remington!”

He rubbed his forehead, stooping to pick up the squishy cupcake. “You were yelling. I thought you were hurt or in trouble.”

“Well, I’m fine, as you can see.” But I was panting. This man wasn’t small. Normally, his footsteps sounded like a herd of elephants on the old floors, but he’d managed to sneak up on me.

He held up the cupcake. “I guess I should be grateful this wasn’t a letter opener.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Unfortunately, I don’t have one. It could’ve been my phone, though.”

“Glad it wasn’t.” He stepped into my office and placed the cupcake on my desk. “Everything okay in here?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You were screaming, Hannah. Making sure you’re not hurt isn’t coming out of left field.”

He had a point. I could’ve done better at moderating my reaction, but Remi’s presence hadn’t been on my mind. I’d felt the urge to scream, so I did. And for that one moment, however brief, it had made me feel marginally better, but then he appeared, and I was right back where I started.

“I hate making calls.” I gestured toward the phone. “And sometimes I need to release some steam when I hang up. Is that a problem?”

His mouth twitched, and it was as annoying as it was kind of cute. Then my annoyance quickly redirected to myself for finding anything about this man cute.

“A warning would have been good.” He tapped his temple. “I’ll remember that. Anytime Hannah goes into her office, expect loud screeching to follow.”

“I don’t screech. If anything, I groaned.”

“Don’t think I’d call the noise you made a groan.” He leaned on the doorjamb, crossing his arms. “If I had to name it something other than a screech, it’d be a howl. A pained one. Like an animal caught in a trap.”

I picked up the cupcake. “You’re really asking for another stress ball to the forehead, aren’t you?”

He chuckled, one hand raising in defense. “I’m not. I only came to make sure you weren’t buried under a bookcase. Glad to see you’re uninjured.”

“I’m fine.” On the outside…

On the inside…well, I was a little battered, and my emotions had a limp, but he didn’t care about that.

Not that I wanted him to care.

“I appreciate you checking on me. That was nice.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Anyone would’ve.”

“I don’t know about that.”

He didn’t reply, and that was fine. I didn’t need to have a conversation with Remi about the good and bad in the world. But he didn’t leave. He stayed in the doorway, leaning and looking around, his arms folded over his chest. I took note of the golden tone of his corded forearms. Since arriving over a week ago, he’d spent a good amount of time outside, and it showed. Henry must’ve really been putting him to work.

I had my own work to do, but I wasn’t going to attempt it with him standing there, watching. I arched a brow, waiting for him to speak since there was clearly something on his mind.

“Anything I can help with?” he finally asked.

“Did Henry run out of tasks for you?”

He hmphed. “Told me I was getting in his way.”

I cracked a grin. “Sounds like him. He prefers doing things his way, on his own. That’s why his cabin is a ways off from the house. I think he likes to pretend no one else exists.”

He nodded, lapsing into silence again. I wondered why he wasn’t leaving when we’d run out of things to say. Maybe he was bored and needed some direction. Being here instead of on the front lines of the conflict had to be a massive adjustment. He’d probably lived on adrenaline rushes, and now the most excitement he could get was me throwing things at his forehead.

The silence stretched for an uncomfortably long time before Remi finally broke it. “Are you doing okay?”

“I told you I was.”

“No.” His arms fell, and he tucked his hands into his pockets. “I know you’re not hurt. I mean, since Graham—”

“Oh.” My spine went ramrod straight. “Do you really care?”

I said this without ire. It was a legitimate question. A few minutes ago, I’d been sure Remi didn’t give a single damn about how I was faring internally.

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t,” he replied. “Caleb really imparted how much Graham meant to you. He was more than just a boss.”

I nodded. “A lot more than a boss. Family,” I choked out. God, I hated how tight my throat was and how badly my eyes burned. I didn’t mind crying. Hell, I’d cried rivers over the last few months, and there was an ocean of sadness still churning inside me. But I liked to save my tears for those who might understand. Remi wasn’t one of those people.

“I don’t know how to make things better for you, Hannah, but I’d like to make them easier. Tell me what I can help you with—the tasks you don’t want to do or don’t have time for—and I’ll take care of them.”

“I don’t need help,” I replied automatically, though it wasn’t strictly true. I did, but not from him.

“Not from me,” he murmured.

“Are you a mind reader?” I blurted.

His laugh was soft. “No, and gotta say I’m thankful for it right now. Your face is pretty easy to read, though. Right now, it’s telling me to piss off.”

I picked up the cupcake on my desk and squeezed it hard. “Well, you’re wrong. I was actually calling you a dick in my head.”

This time, his laugh was more like a roll of thunder, full-bodied and echoing off the walls.

“That goes without saying.”

The corners of his hazel eyes crinkled into starbursts, and I wished I didn’t find it as mesmerizing as I did. I also wished he didn’t laugh so easily—especially when I was trying to be mean to him. It made it difficult to hate him. I still managed, though. Reminding myself he wasn’t the slightest bit sad about losing Graham while I was still devastated did the trick.

I stood and walked toward him, taking the doorknob in hand. “I have a few calls to make. If that’s all…”

He hesitated, but only for a moment before backing up a step. Once he did, I swung the door closed, breathing a sigh of relief.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t be long before Remi got the itch to hit the road again.

I just had to wait him out.