Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 52100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
“Enjoy your breakfast,” I said softly.
“Don’t work too hard.”
I smiled at him as I got out of the truck, trying to make my expression light, though my heart was heavy.
I wouldn’t be a woman who put pressure on a single dad to give me more than he was ready for. It wasn’t how I was made. But deep down inside, I could admit to myself that I’d never wanted more with any man as much as I wanted it with Holt.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Holt
“Up and at ’em!” I flipped the light switch and both kids groaned. “It’s moving day, offspring! Let’s get going.”
Spencer, true to form, sat up and put his glasses on. Marley, also true to form, pulled the covers over her head, refusing to get up.
“I guess we’ll have to find some other kid to give Marley’s room to,” I said loudly.
“Can we?” Spencer asked hopefully.
I gave him a look.
“I don’t want to leave,” Marley said, her voice muffled by the covers.
“You have a cool new canopy bed at the house, peanut. The movers set it up yesterday. You’re gonna love it.”
“I like it here.”
I sat down at the end of her bed. “You want to stay in these two rooms at The Moose forever?”
“Yes.”
“We like it here, Dad,” Spencer said. “We get to see Shea and all our other friends all the time. We’ll never see them when we live in the house.”
His mention of Shea shook me because I had the same worry. No more run-ins or evenings on the lawn. The closer the two of us got, the more I missed her when we went several days at a time without seeing each other.
“People come and go from here, guys,” I said. “The friends you have who are staying here this summer won’t be here forever, either.”
“Shea’s not leaving,” Spencer said glumly.
I rubbed my forehead, trying not to think about the amount of money I spent building the house my kids felt no enthusiasm for.
“Our kayaks are at the house. We can go out on the lake anytime we want now. You guys will have your own rooms again. We have that cool ice cream machine you guys wanted so much in the kitchen.”
“Can I still go to adventure camp with Marina?” Marley asked, still beneath the covers.
“Uh...no, that’s for inn guests only, but we can make our own adventure camp. We have lots of woods at the new house, or we can go to the farm.”
Spencer came out of the bathroom, dressed and ready to go already. “We can eat breakfast here, right?”
“Right. And I bet we’ll be able to find another kid to take Marley’s room while we’re there.” I walked over to the door. “Bye Marley!”
“No, I’m coming!”
She scrambled out of bed, grabbed clean clothes and ran to the bathroom to change.
“So we’re eating, then packing up the room, then heading for the new house,” I told them before opening the door.
“I need to see Shea before we go,” Spencer said.
Same. I ruffled my son’s hair. “She said you can stop by the kitchen anytime.”
As soon as we got to a table in the dining hall, Spencer went to see Shea. It was painful knowing she was so close and I probably wouldn’t get to see her today, but I was glad he’d have a chance to say goodbye.
Marley and I ordered drinks and were discussing a sleepover she wanted to have for a friend she’d made in my parents’ neighborhood when Spencer returned, grinning from ear to ear.
“Shea’s making us a special breakfast,” he said. “We’re having churro pancakes and bacon and...I forgot the other stuff.”
Marley beamed at me. “Churro pancakes are my favorite.”
“That’s why she’s making them,” Spencer said.
The director of children’s activities at The Moose, Marina, came to our table to hug the kids goodbye. Guests we’d gotten to know stopped by, too, and I had to remind a tearful Marley that none of them would be staying here forever, either.
Our summer in the bubble of The Sleepy Moose was everything we needed. I was ready to live in a full-sized house again and have more than one bathroom, but I was also going to miss the people here.
One in particular. Shea brought our breakfast out herself, a server following behind her with the dishes she couldn’t carry.
For Marley, she’d made churro pancakes with whipped cream and a side of bacon. Spencer got the same with a side of the fresh mango he loved. My plate had an omelet prepared exactly how I liked it: with spinach, tomatoes, sausage and cheddar. Crispy hash browns and wheat toast completed my plate.
“No shellfish,” she told Spencer with a grin.
“This looks amazing,” I said. “All of our favorites. Thank you.”
“We’ve loved having your family here this summer. And we wish you a wonderful moving day.”