“Early dinner, because I have to be at work at 7:00 a.m., yes, and thank you.”

His smile widened. “Then we’ll keep it in town, too. Granny’s okay? Unless you’d rather do barbecue or—”

“Granny’s is perfect. Pick me up at six. That will give me time to get all gorgeous and stuff.”

He sighed. “You’re already gorgeous…and stuff.”

She picked up her Coke and took a last sip before putting it back on the table.

“Now that I have totally disrupted your life, I guess I’ll be going.”

Hunt got up and circled the table, then pulled her into his arms.

“You haven’t disrupted anything…yet. But I have a feeling you’re going to.”

Then he kissed her.

Lightly.

On the lips.

He heard her sigh.

Felt her yield to the pressure.

And knew he would never be the same again.

She was the first to pull away, but she was not unmoved. There was a film of tears in her eyes. Her voice was shaking.

“I have been waiting for that my whole freaking life, Hunter Knox. Don’t you dare break my heart.”

And then she was gone.

“Holy shit,” he mumbled, then shoved his fingers through his hair, trying to remember what he’d been doing.

Oh yeah, he’d been on the roof, but he wasn’t going back up there again. He was so high on life right now, he might try to fly—without wings.

Since he was waiting on a plumber and a roofer before anything else could be done, he grabbed a scraper and headed for the back bedroom, the one that had been Emma and Birdie’s room.

There was only one bed in it now, and it was going to be sold in a yard sale because he needed the furnishings to be gone when he got ready to paint the walls and ceilings and refinish the old hardwood floors.

The paint looked gray, but as he began to scrape and saw an undertone of blue, he remembered the walls had been robin’s-egg blue. He kept working, but with one eye on the time. He needed a little time to get all gorgeous and stuff, too.

* * *

Birdie had taken the whole day off, and needed it. Even though the services were over and she was home, she was still shaken by the finality.

She put on her oldest sweats, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a thick pair of socks, then went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee.