“I should’ve known the two most beautiful women here would be hunkered down in a corner,” Michael said.
“Hey there, Mike.”
“Michael!”
Tiffany threw her arms around his neck, and I was stunned at her reaction to him. Tiffany was wearing this full-length, silky looking sundress with a light coat on her shoulders, and she held Michael’s neck a little longer than usual. I remembered those hugs with Colt when I was still in denial of how I felt about him, and I caught Colt’s gaze across the room.
And all he did was snicker and shake his head.
“You look beautiful tonight,” Michael said. “Both of you.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling. “I need to thank you. The extra feed you came across is going to keep me for quite a while. Thank you.”
“It’s really nothing. It’s more feed than I’ll ever need. I automatically renew it monthly, so I don’t have to worry about it, and way too much came this time around.”
“Uh huh. Right,” I said.
“That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it,” Michael said with a wink.
“Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you. Colt found some extra leather shiner and a hydrator in the back of our barn. It’s yours if you want it,” Tiffany said.
“The two of you have done enough,” I said.
“I’ll have it sent right over,” she said with a smirk.
“Did you get her to take it?” Colt asked.
“Hey there,” I said.
“You look stunning,” he said. He kissed me on the head before he slipped his arm around me, and for a split second, all the commotion faded into the background.
That happened a great deal when I was with him.
“This place looks incredible, Colt,” I said.
“Yeah. Tif did a wonderful job decorating. I didn’t recognize the place when I walked in.”
“Why didn’t you have it here in the first place?” Michael asked.
“I’ll let the one with the bright idea answer that one,” Colt said before he looked down at me.
“I didn’t want to take his restaurant for a night and have him miss out on the revenue,” I said.
“Fair enough,” Michael said. “But next time? Just listen. Saves a lot of people some heartache.”
“Never,” I teased.
“That’s my girl!” Tif exclaimed.
“And who’s gonna be my girl?” Michael asked.
I glanced up at Colt while we waited for Tif’s reaction. She simply giggled and shrugged her shoulders, and something told me she was a little less clueless about the situation. She had no idea what to do with this information, but she was slowly starting to be pulled into the loop.
“So, now that you’re staying in town—”
“Well, if this fundraiser goes well, yes,” I said, still feeling tentative.
“Fine,” Michael said, “if the fundraiser goes well and you stay in town, what now? Are you just gonna resume things as normal?”