Lydia closed her eyes and smiled at his hearty declaration and let him hold her for as long as he wanted to. They stayed like that, and she realized he was rocking her from side to side in a gentle swaying motion. She’d never felt so comforted in her entire adult life.
That was how Clayton found them a few moments later. He hung his keys on one of the hooks by the back door, and Lydia realized she hadn’t even heard him come in.
Clayton hung his hat up as well, and his gaze rested on them. She wasn’t able to interpret the look in his eyes before he turned to get a bottle of beer from the refrigerator. In a neutral tone, he said, “Something smells really good in here.”
“Thank you. Supper will be ready soon.”
Lydia wasn’t ready to leave the circle of Chance’s arms but didn’t want to make Clayton uncomfortable. She looked up at Chance, and he smiled reassuringly at her as he set her back on her feet.
Clayton took a seat at the table in the breakfast nook, twisted the top off the bottle, and pitched it into the trash. “I just checked in with Gil. The guys sound excited about supper tomorrow night.”
“Oh, yeah? Wow, that was fast. I just met Gil earlier.”
Chance seemed surprised. “You did?”
“He needed Tylenol and I made him a headache remedy. I talked to him for a minute. I told him that I’m going to cook a big meal for all of you tomorrow night. If what he said is true, it’s a wonder you’re not all sick.”
Clayton said, “Gil asked me to tell you the remedy worked wonders. He gets migraine headaches but won’t take prescription medication for them.”
Lydia got them occasionally and could commiserate with Gil. “I’m glad it helped. I’ve had migraines before so I know how they feel.”
Chance asked, “Baby, are you sure you wouldn’t rather take a few days to get up to speed before you jump into cooking for everybody?”
Lydia smiled and happily replied, “No. I’m dying to get started actually.”
Chance said, “Okay. I just don’t want you to think that’s the primary reason we wanted you to come here. It’s been a rough few months for you and a hard day, yesterday.”
“I’ll go to bed early tonight, but I feel ready to get started. I plan to inventory the kitchen in the morning.”
With their help, she washed and dried the few pots and pans she’d used to make supper and then set the table. Both men ate with gusto, praising her culinary skills.
“Lydi, this is delicious,” Clayton announced. Lydia smiled at his shortening her name into an endearment. Nobody had ever called her that before, and she found that she liked it very much.
“Thank you. Is there anything in particular that either of you would like me to cook for tomorrow night?”
Both men shook their heads, and Clayton replied, “I can take you to the grocery store in Divine tomorrow after lunch.”
Chance said, “It doesn’t matter to me what you cook. I’ll eat anything you serve me.”
Her mind went straight into the gutter with that comment, and it must have showed in her heated cheeks because the men chuckled but said nothing else. The bread was a disappointment, but the men seemed to enjoy it. She grinned thinking she would knock their socks off the following night. Chance and Clayton helped her clear the table after they were done eating and assisted with the cleaning duties as well.
It was only eight o’clock and still relatively early, but she wanted to get unpacked and have time to wind down before going to sleep.
After everything was back in its place, she said, “Guys, if you don’t mind, I’m going to make an early night of it tonight. I have a big day tomorrow.”
Chance hung the damp dish cloth on the oven handle and then turned to her. “Totally understandable, baby. Is there anything you need up there?”
For some reason, her dilemma of the night before, closing herself in the bathroom without clothes to change into, came to mind. The memory of what had happened next caused heat to creep into her cheeks. She shook her head and resisted the urge to press her hand to her injured nipple, which still ached and throbbed a little.
“I think I have everything I need.”
Chance reached for her as naturally as if he’d hugged her a million times, and she went to him easily. “Pleasant dreams then, baby.”
“You still need towels,” Clayton said. “I brought down all the laundry and meant to put some more in the cabinet and forgot. I’ll bring them up in just a minute.”
“Okay. I’m going to go unpack.”
She turned back to Chance and looked up into his eyes, and he gave her a good-night kiss that ended way too soon. “Good night, baby.”