“What?” Her voice sounded angry even to her own ears. She took a calming breath. “What do you need, Hope?”
“I couldn’t find the hand towels. ”
“You couldn’t find the hand towels,” she repeated flatly. She stepped away, and finally Eddie let her. “They’re in the linen closet, with all the other towels. ” She registered the stack of sheets balanced in Hope’s arms. “Wait, what have you got?”
“We have a couple checking in tomorrow morning, so I thought I’d get the room ready now. ”
“I thought they were staying in the Gold Rush room. ”
“They are. ”
“Those sheets are for the Pioneer Suite. ”
“Oh. Sorry. But these are”—Hope glanced at the sheets then back at her—“they looked like they’d fit. ”
“Go to the room. I’ll be right there. ” When Hope left, she looked up at Eddie, who wore an aggravatingly amused expression. “I should help her. ”
“It is really a disaster if the Pioneers use the Gold Rush sheets?”
“There’s a system, Eddie. ”
“I can see. ” He wandered to her bureau and began to nonchalantly poke at the stuff she kept there. She knew he was probably disappointed, but was that uncertainty she read on his face? Eddie Jessup, uncertain? “Can I buy you dinner?” he asked.
She paused, shook her head. “There’s no time. ”
“Then I guess I’ll just have to be happy I got dessert. ” Before she had a chance to respond, he added, “So when’s the next time we get to make out in your room?”
He picked up her pinecone, and instantly she said, “Please don’t touch that. ”
“This?” He raised his brows, incredulous. “It’s just a pinecone. There are a thousand of them on the ground outside your front door. ”
She nervously eyed it in his hands. “Please. ”
“Hey, sorry. ” His voice got tender, and he put it back down. “I didn’t know it was special. ”
“I know, I’m sorry. ” Now it was her turn to feel uncertain. “I didn’t mean to get weird on you. It’s just…my grandfather gave it to me when I was little. I know…heirloom pinecone. Probably sounds stupid, huh?”
But he remained serious. “Your dad’s dad?”
“No, Grandpa Jim on my mom’s side. ”
“I remember him. ”
That surprised her. “You do?”
“I pay attention, Laura. ”
“Well, it’s not just a pinecone. ” She came and shifted it to its proper place. “He used to burn them in the fireplace. Dad hated the smell. ” She smirked. “Sometimes I think that’s why Grandpa did it. Anyway, he’d help me gather them. He had a special basket for me and everything. ”
“That’s kind of adorable. ”
It was, she supposed. More than that, it had always made her feel special. “It was just something we did, just him and me. He’d bake with Sorrow and play backgammon with BJ. But with me it was walks and pinecones. He’d take me out to the falls…I still go sometimes, when I’m feeling low. I always take a quick detour on the road back to the city. When I’m there, I feel connected, like he’s looking down on me and I’m not alone anymore. ” She shrugged, a little abashed. “I always bring him a pinecone. ”
She realized Eddie was looking at her funny. “What?”
He tucked his hand along her waist and slid it around her. “Just…you. ”
“Just me what?” Had she said too much? She had to lean away to look up at him. “Am I being silly?”