But all I felt right now was calm. I knew, without a doubt, a large part of it was this place and the man who lived here.
Noah.
He protected me. He surrounded me. He grounded me.
I slid from the bed and padded downstairs. Kris was in the kitchen, busy as usual.
“Dani.” She smiled warmly. “How was your nap?”
“Good.”
She tilted her head. “You look…better.”
“I feel, um, calmer?” I said, unsure how to describe it.
“Good. The rest is helping.”
I poured a cup of coffee and saw the bag by the door.
“Noah went to my place?”
“Yes. He brought you some things.”
“But how? The store…”
She shook her head. “Ray is much better. Ella is with him, and Gabe covered the store while Noah went in and got a few things for you. He thought you’d be more comfortable if you could wear your own clothes.”
“He’s so thoughtful,” I murmured. “I wish I weren’t such a bother to him.”
“He doesn’t see you as a bother. None of us do,” she said firmly.
“You are all so kind.” I sipped my coffee, spying the large bag of apples. “What are those for?”
“I was going to make some applesauce.”
“It’s Saturday, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“What are they doing about dessert?”
She shook her head. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
“But I feel so much better. And I want to do something. I could do a couple of easy apple sheet pies.”
Kris hesitated.
“If you peel the apples, I’ll make the crust. We could have them in the oven in thirty minutes as long as Noah has cookie sheets.”
She still hesitated.
“Kris, I’m grateful for your being here. But my head is so much clearer today, and I want to contribute. I love baking. I’ll enjoy it.”
She made her decision. “I’ll go get the cookie sheets. Callie has some.” She smiled. “Noah will be so surprised. And pleased.” She pursed her lips. “You’ll be okay while I’m gone?”
“I’ll be fine. Really.”
“All right. Back in a jiff.”
“Okay, I’ll start on the crust.”
It felt good to be doing something other than sleeping or crying. By the time Kris reappeared with the cookie sheets, I had the crust ready, and as she peeled the apples, I lined the cookie sheets with the dough and made the streusel topping. I slid the two pans into the oven, and we tidied the kitchen, then sat down to have another cup of coffee as they baked. The aroma of spiced apples and sugar filled the kitchen, and she inhaled deeply.
“Those smell incredible.”
“They can serve them with their ice cream.”
She reached over and squeezed my hand. “Noah will be thrilled.”
“He’ll like having dessert to serve,” I agreed.
“No.” She shook her head. “He’ll be thrilled to see the light in your eyes again, Dani.”
An hour later, I looked at the sheet pies cooling on the counter, glistening and delicious. I heard the sound of the golf cart, and Kris smiled.
“I think I’ll pop over and check on Ray,” she said with a wink.
I heard her say something to Noah as she passed him and heard his heavy footsteps coming toward the kitchen. He stopped when he saw me, his eyes widening as he breathed in.
He stepped closer, looking at the pans of dessert. “Sprout, you did this?”
“It’s only one dessert,” I whispered, feeling unsure suddenly. “But I thought it would help.”
“It’s-it’s amazing.”
I smiled. “Good.” I wagged my finger, wanting him to smile. “Don’t eat it all before service.”
He moved quickly, pulling me into his arms. “Oh, baby, there you are.” He buried his face into my neck. “I’ve missed you.”
I flung my arms around his shoulders, holding him tight. “I’m sorry.”
He stepped back. “No, don’t be sorry. I understand. But I’m glad to see a little of you peeking through.”
“I feel a little better.”
“I promise, it only gets better after this.” He kissed my hands and held them to his chest.
“Did you want…” He trailed off, and I shook my head, knowing what he was asking. I wasn’t ready to go to the restaurant yet. I still felt unsure at times, and I didn’t want Noah worrying about me during service.
“Soon,” he assured me, his voice understanding. “One step at a time.”
He wrapped his arms back around me. “And I promise, I’ll be right beside you every step.”
I snuggled into his embrace. If I had him, I had all I wanted.
Chapter Eighteen
Dani
The sun was warm today, and I sat on the deck, my Kindle in hand, enjoying the heat. It had been over a week since that horrible day when Noah had found me on the roadside. I still fell asleep far too often. I fell asleep on the couch, curled up on Noah’s bed, in the bathtub—he even found me asleep in the kitchen, my head on the table, my sandwich unfinished and my coffee cold. He refused to let me feel bad for sleeping so much, telling me it was my body catching up, and I was to sleep all I wanted. I think he was grateful the tears had dried up, though, and I no longer wanted to weep every time I saw him. I knew part of it was the medication beginning to work, but the other, larger part was being here, with him.