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I thought Chance might have trouble sleeping. My double bed was much smaller than the king he's used to, and he's a big guy. I realized the size of the bed didn't matter much when he sleeps with his arms wrapped around me. I slept well and enjoyed not having to set the alarm. When I woke up, Chance was gone. I stumbled downstairs in my pajamas and walked into the kitchen just as Chance said, "I'm giving her time to warm up to the idea."
"That's probably a sound approach," Mama said. "Oh, good morning, Baby Girl. How did you sleep?"
"Fine, Mama. Is there tea?"
"Of course there is."
Chance's hair was wet, so I knew he'd already had his shower. "Morning," I said, bending down to give him a kiss. "I'm going to have my shower. See you in a few." I carried my mug upstairs. I would ask Chance later just what idea he was giving me time to warm up to. I kept the fear of leaving him alone with Mama at bay long enough to finish my morning routine.
Chance was telling the story of me pushing him off the cliff, when I walked back into the kitchen.
"Baby Girl, is he making this up? You didn't really push him off a cliff, did you?"
"Sort of. He was in a cast for 10 weeks. What other stories has he told you?"
"We've been talking about the hunt he's going on after the holidays. It sounds very exciting."
After eating a big breakfast, Chance headed upstairs to check on some business stuff, leaving me to fend for myself with Mama. "Are you going to tell me why you didn't want me to know about Chance?"
"I just wasn't ready yet. We've only been dating exclusively for a month or so."
"But you've been involved with him since you got to Wilkins' Gap in one way or another."
"Yes, that's true."
"I understand there was quite a competition to see who'd win your heart."
"How long have you two been down here talking?" I asked, hoping to divert this discussion.
"I'm going to put on my shopping shoes. We've got a busy day ahead. Hang onto this one. He's everything Jamison wasn't." She gave me a half-hug on the way by and headed upstairs.
Our town is really just a suburb of Atlanta that has been overtaken by the metro area, but we still have a downtown area with cute shops and restaurants. Although I expected Chance to seem out of his element, he was his usual happy, sweet self. Snarky Chance had taken an extended vacation since I agreed to date him exclusively. He held my hand, carried my packages, and helped my mom too.
Lunch conversation was filled with talk about Uncle Harry and what I'd learned about him since moving to Idaho. "I remember Harry mentioned Helen a few times," Mama said. "Then I couldn't imagine a woman being into cryptid hunting, but I guess now I have to accept it." She reached over and patted my hand. I gave Chance a look that I hoped said "what have you done to my mother."
Late afternoon, we walked into the Magnolia Tea Room. The fear I had about wishing I was back was unfounded. It held memories, but no longer felt like home.
"What's that grin for?" Chance asked as we sat down.
"Just thinking about Hairy's, and how much I belong there now." He leaned in and brushed my lips with his. Everywhere we'd gone, I'd seen the women react to Chance. In Wilkins' Gap the women were used to seeing him, though they still reacted like school girls crushing on their favorite pop star if he spoke to them. Here, there were lots more people, and it was clear that most of these women had never seen anything quite as impressive as Chance Munroe in a t-shirt and well-worn jeans.
Several of the staff stopped by our table to say hello and get a closer look at Chance. He opted for coffee instead of tea, but it was served in a china tea cup that looked ridiculous in his huge hand. Once that thought was in my head, I noticed just how out of place Chance looked sitting on the dainty floral chintz chair in his jeans, t-shirt, and hiking boots. The shirt pulled tight across his well-muscled chest.
We were enjoying our tea and cakes, when Jamison walked up to our table with his fiancé, maybe she was his wife now, in tow. "Everly, I thought that was you. How are you?" he asked, nodding a greeting to Mama.
"Having a pleasant visit," I said, hoping he'd take the hint and go away. I guess the male ego doesn't work that way.
Chance stood up with his arm extended toward my ex-husband. Mama gave me a nervous glance. As I watched the two of them, their hands morphed into jousting swords in my head.
"I'm Chance Munroe."
"Jamison Grant." Chance kept one hand on my shoulder the whole time. He held his hand out to the fiancé who reacted as all women do with a blush and a giggle. "It's really nice to meet you Chance."
"I heard you moved to Idaho," Jamison said.
"That's right. I'm just home for the holidays. We'd like to get back to our celebration, if you don't mind."
Jamison ushered his fiancé to a table on the other side of the room, but I noticed her looking back over her shoulder. "Well, played, My Love," Chance said, giving me a high five. Wait. Did Chance just say the L word? I guess my mouth was open, because he put his hand under my chin and gently closed it. "Don't look so shocked. I told you we were meant to be together." And with that he went right back to talking to my mother about the plans for our holiday celebration.