“Sorry. I thought you might want some coffee,” she says, but the grim line on her face doesn’t relax. “You wouldn’t believe what I’m about to tell you.”

“I was in the bathroom. There’s nothing I’d find unbelievable anymore.”

She grimaces. “Yes. I forgot to warn you about that.”

I’m about to tell her that it’s dangerous to leave lit candles, but I stop at the last minute. She’s fuming at whatever happened outside. I can relay the fire safety instructions later.

“Tell me what happened. But first, let’s sit.” I flop onto the couch, but she doesn’t take a seat. Instead, she paces the floor.

“The inn is booked solid for a complete month. Even the cottage.”

“What the fuck?” I leap off the couch. Since her grandmother dropped the bomb that we have to stay together, Autumn proposed I could stay at the cottage, as it’s not being used for guests yet.

She flops down next to me onto the couch. “We’re stuck in this room, Lukas.”

Fuck. I throw my head back. My heart beats wildly as my imagination soars without restraint. Images I don’t want to see flash before my eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Lukas,” Autumn whispers.

My hand stops midair before I can press on hers and tell her that all will be okay. Instead, I curl my hand into a fist, and like a stupid prick, tap my thigh so that I have her attention.

When she finally glances at me, I state, “We’ll make it work. This room is big enough. You take the bed. I can take the couch.”

Autumn’s worried eyes widen, and she jumps in her seat. “No! You take the bed. You’re injured and I’ll fit much better on this couch than you.”

She bites her lip, looking indecisively between the bed and couch.

“Autumn.” I say her name and wait until her gaze is back on me. “If we have to survive the supercharged love-express that’s your grandmother, we’ll have to work together. We’ve fielded the grandparents nicely for four years. We can still do that.” This time, I don’t stop myself from squeezing her hand.

Autumn looks down at our hands before glancing up at me. “I always thought we were playing together. I didn’t know you had your own team on the side.”

Fuck! The sincerity in her gaze almost rips out my heart. “You’re not going to let this slide, are you?”

She shrugs. “I was really surprised to see everyone at the hospital. I always thought I knew all your friends, but then there are suddenly all these people who seem to know more about you.”

“You know them all. Do you remember my friend who’s a huge pain in the ass, but you give him a kitten or a puppy and he’ll turn into a softy?”