The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor, #5)(66)

‘I really have to answer that,’ she said.

Mac sighed, leaning his forehead against hers for one more breath before he pulled away. He looked like he wanted to say more or maybe just to lean forward and kiss her and God, Annie wanted him to but…

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, and Mac nodded as she scrambled for her phone because he knew her. He knew she couldn’t not answer. He knew she had to help. And that meant more to her than his apology.

She mouthed sorry one more time and Mac gave her a slow smile, and Annie briefly reconsidered her stance on answering the phone, before picking up.

She was who she was.

‘Hello?’ she said, not recognizing the number.

It was Estelle.











Chapter Thirty-One





Now


‘What do you mean she’s in New Hampshire?’

Annie huffed, continuing her search for her clothes. Mac wouldn't mind if she stayed in his lacrosse T?shirt for the rest of forever, though, so he wasn’t being particularly helpful. Getting dressed was the last thing he wanted Annie to do.

He wanted her back in his bed.

He wanted to do everything they hadn’t last night.

He wanted to kiss her finally. Again.

They were so damn close.

‘I mean, Estelle and Dot are in New Hampshire, and they need a ride home.’

‘What the hell are they doing in New Hampshire?’

Annie tossed aside his pillows and found the shirt and bra she'd apparently tucked under there last night and held them up triumphantly.

‘Your pants are still downstairs,’ he said with a smirk, and thanks to the fact that Annie had flung on the overhead lights as soon as she finished her phone call, Mac was treated to the sight of a delicious blush working its way up her neck and cheeks at the memory of what they’d done in his kitchen last night. He knew it was one he’d hold onto for a very long time.

‘Right,’ she said, clearing her throat, tucking her clothes under one arm and marching out of his room like a woman on a mission. Mac grinned and followed her downstairs. Sure, he was pissed that their moment had gotten interrupted. He hadn’t felt that close to Annie in over a decade, but there was something about seeing her in her element that also got him off. So, he’d have to take that for now.

He found her in his kitchen scooping her jeans up off the floor.

‘Can you drive me home?’ she asked, turning to face him. ‘I figure I have time for a quick shower before I drive up there to get them.’

‘Wait, wait, wait. You’re going to drive up to New Hampshire alone today?’

‘Of course I am.’

‘On the day of the wedding you’ve been helping to plan for months?’

‘Someone needs to go get them, and it can’t be Logan or Jeanie, obviously. So, I’ll do it. Estelle called me.’

‘I'll come with you.’

‘That’s unnecessary.’ She didn’t even pause, didn’t take one second to consider that she didn’t have to do this by herself, that she wasn’t single-handedly responsible for her friends’ happiness.

Mac stared her down. ‘You have too much to do today, Annie. And your car is presumably buried under snow right now with an empty gas tank, so you can let me drive you around to do all the things I'm sure you have on your wedding day to-do list, or you can go attempt to dig your car out of the snow and add a drive to New Hampshire into everything else you have to do.’

‘You can’t leave the kittens.’

‘The kittens will be fine. I’ll put them in the bathroom with their cozy box and some food and water. They won’t even miss us.’

Annie scowled, clearly dying to argue with him but he knew he had her. There was no way in hell he was letting her out of his sight now, not when they were so close to fixing things between them. He leaves Annie alone for a few hours, and she’s right back to assuming he’s plotting against her. No freaking way.

‘When do you have to be back here to get your hair done?’

‘Two o’clock,’ she said slowly like she was suspicious of why he wanted to know.

‘Okay, and what else is on your list for today?’

She was still looking at him like he was trying to get state secrets out of her, but she begrudgingly answered. ‘I need to check in at the bakery. George is feeling better and is opening it up this morning and I need to make sure the other wedding desserts are ready to go.’ Mac was sure George was capable of handling that himself or that a quick call would do the trick, but he knew Annie needed to see it for herself.

‘Okay, what else?’

‘I’m supposed to pick up the bouquets and boutonnières.’

‘Hazel can do it.’

Annie paused like she didn’t have a good reason to argue with him on that one. Good, he was making progress.

‘We’ll swing by your place for a change of clothes and then we’ll go check in at the bakery. We should be able to get to Estelle and back before your hair appointment if we hurry. Unless you want me to do your hair,’ he said with a wink, clearly joking, but Annie was staring at him like he'd grown another head.

‘Why are you looking at me like that? It was a joke. Hairdressing is one of the few skills I don’t have.’