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After my date with Tom, I wasn't sure how to feel about spending the day with Chance. I knew he was serious about teaching me to shoot a rifle and drive the snowmobile. Those were skills I wanted to learn. If I kept being drawn into this stuff, I decided that I wanted to be able to protect myself and get myself out of trouble if necessary. Spending the day in close proximity to Chance, would be a good test of my self-control.
I filled my to-go cup with Earl Grey, picked up the box of red velvet muffins I made, and grabbed my laptop bag and purse on my way out the door. There'd been a few inches of snow overnight, so I was wearing my winter boots. Once everything was in the car, including me, I realized I'd have to get out again and scrape the windows. I really wasn't tuned into the whole winter thing yet. I could have parked the truck in the Quonset, but I didn't. Now, I could see what Chance meant about needing some kind of garage. Pour Snickety was sitting there nearly buried in snow already, and we'd only had a few inches. One day soon, I'm taking a me-day. Since moving to Wilkins’ Gap my life has been chaotic. I loved it, but I needed to make sure I dealt with the important stuff like what do with Snickety.
Apparently, Chance had not taken the warnings I'm sure Tom gave him to heart as he walked out to meet me. I'd gotten used to him with the cast on his leg. If all went well, he'd be getting it off when we returned from our holiday trip. I'm seriously considering writing a book about our upcoming trip—not because I've always wanted to be a writer, but because it would be a shame not to write "My Thanksgiving with bigfoot."
"Hi," I said when Chance opened the door. "I guess you're braver than Tom."
"I'm more everything than Tom."
I gave him a skeptical look.
"At least all the good things."
He grabbed the muffins and my laptop bag and followed me into the A-frame. "It looks like you brought treats. Thanks. We've got a lot to cover today." He handed me a printed agenda.
"Looks like."
We started with a lesson on bigfoot photography. Yeah, something to add to my business card. I didn't have a camera other than the one on my cell phone, but Chance had his set up on a tripod in the loft area. We carried our drinks upstairs for my lesson. It was good. Despite being snarky sometimes, Chance is a good teacher. I'd be setting up his camera when Tom and I got to the observation site, so I needed to know how to use it.
After the photography lesson, we took a break to refill our drinks. "I figured we'd save the outdoor stuff until after lunch. I didn't want you to freeze," Chance said, as we headed back upstairs. He sat in his desk chair and turned it to face the sofa, so I sat down and pulled my feet up underneath me. I'd left my shoes by the door when I came in.
"I don't know if you gave any more thought to expanding your business at the cafe or not. I now you were thinking of adding pizza. Delivery isn't viable out here, but the takeout option would be good. You said you like to bake, and all the things you've made for me have been great, so I had another idea. Come take a look." He turned around to face his computer and pulled up one of his drawings. I leaned over his shoulder which put us literally cheek-to-cheek. “How about turning a corner of the cafe into a coffee bar? You don't have to get an espresso machine unless you want to for the city folk that pass through. Even if you just sell high quality coffee and tea, it would be a big step up from what's available now. Add in some of your baked goods, and you've got more take out options."
"Cryptid Coffee. I love it." I put my arms around his neck and leaned in for a better view. I kissed his cheek. "This is great."
He turned his chair around, pulled me into his lap, and kissed me until I lost all grasp of reality. When I finally regained my senses, I pulled away.
"It's OK if you're not into the coffee idea," he said.
"I love Cryptid Coffee. I just don't understand."
"It's just an idea. We can work out the details after you've had time to think about it."
"I'm not talking about the drawings, Chance. What's going on here?"
"We're talking about business ideas? A cryptid museum or whatever."
"No, Chance. What's going on between us?"
"If you're not clear on that by now, then it probably doesn't matter."
"Stop. You talk in riddles. The banter is fun, but I have no idea what you want from me."
"What I want is you, City Girl. Do you think I kiss other girls like that?"
"That's the thing. I have no idea. Why are you OK with me dating Tom then?"
"Believe me, I'm not OK with it. I'm OK with you checking out your options. We belong together. I know you'll figure it out. I'd rather you sample other offerings before we get involved, because once you're mine, I'm not letting you go."
"Are you being serious or just teasing me?"
He pulled me back down into his lap and spent the next half hour letting me know just how serious he was.
When we finally came up for air, Chance said, "We really do need to get back to the agenda. I really do want you to do whatever you need to do to be sure you're not in love with Tom Beckett or anyone else. I want you to figure out that I'm the man you want before we get more involved."