She walked down to his room and knocked tentatively on the door. She was a little nervous, but this needed to be done. They’d both feel better afterward, and they’d be able to enjoy their day out.
She was about to knock again when he answered, wearing only a towel and a few droplets of water. Oh my. She smiled. “I hope I’m not interrupting, but—”
“I just got out of the shower. What do you need?”
Okay, so maybe he was still mad. “I wanted to apologize for last night. I’m sorry for trying to force you to do something you didn’t want to do. That was wrong. And I’m sorry.” She’d said that twice. Stupid nerves.
A flicker of something passed through his eyes, then was gone. “Good. Don’t do it again.”
“I won’t.” She blinked, trying to find the man she’d fallen in love with, because the one in front of her was so cold and distant she didn’t recognize him. “Do you still want to go to the parade or should I go by myself?”
“I said I would take you.”
He hadn’t smiled once. What the hell was wrong? “Okay. Thanks. The parade starts at one. I’ll be downstairs whenever you’re ready to go.”
He nodded and shut the door.
She stared at the paneled wood, unable to process what had just happened. Clearly she’d upset him more than she realized. Finally, she trudged downstairs. Maybe he just needed coffee. She sure did.
Stanhill was in the kitchen. He stood as she came in. “Breakfast?”
“Um, sure, I guess.” She plunked down in a chair.
He poured a cup of coffee and put it in front of her. “Something wrong, miss?”
She stared into the dark liquid. “I apologized to Hugh this morning, but he still seems really upset by what I did last night. I thought he’d be over it by now. Or at least after I said I was sorry.”
He placed the sugar and creamer beside her cup and sighed like he was worn out. Or frustrated. “Don’t let him upset you too much. He can be like that. Too many years of navel gazing and what have you. He’ll get over it. Just be yourself. You’ve apologized. That’s all that’s required of you.”
She hoped he was right. After all, he knew Hugh better than she did. She dumped some sugar and cream into her cup and drank.
“Omelet okay?” Stanhill asked. “I can do ham and cheese.”
“Great, yes. Thanks.” She sipped her coffee.
“Are you still going to the parade then?”
She nodded. “I asked him that too. He said he was going to take me so…” She shrugged.
“You’ll have a good time. It’s quite a laugh what some of the floats get up to.” He cracked eggs into a bowl. “The theme of panic has come to mean what scares you, so most of the floats try to pick a fear and run with it.”
Stanhill was a little chattier than usual today, but she was glad for it. Better than obsessing about Hugh and his cold shoulder. The look of sympathy in Stanhill’s eyes didn’t go unnoticed, but by the end of breakfast and her delicious omelet, she was feeling better.
Until Hugh came downstairs. She met him in the foyer. It was clear his mood hadn’t changed.
He looked handsome in his jeans and button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to show off his toned forearms, but the seemingly permanent scowl on his face made him look intimidating. He’d added a pair of dark sunglasses, making it even harder to judge his disposition. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” She nodded. Stanhill said just to be herself. She focused on that and smiled brightly. “This is going to be fun, huh?”
He said nothing.
Stanhill stuck his head out of the kitchen and looked at Hugh. “Can I see you a moment?”
Delaney stayed by the door. The harsh, muted tones told her whatever they were discussing wasn’t for her ears.
When Hugh returned, his mood was unchanged. In fact, all the way there, he said nothing. Not until they’d parked did he finally speak. “Stay close. Don’t wander off.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not a child.”
“No, you’re not. But you’re also not out of danger yet. I doubt Rastinelli has had time to get more men down here, but you need to be careful all the same.”
She gave him a little salute, realizing the bit of sass probably didn’t help his mood, but she couldn’t help herself.
People were everywhere. She chalked up their decent parking spot to Hugh’s knowledge of the town. They got out of the car and followed the others walking to Main Street. Crowds already lined the street, which had been roped off. Vendors in Keller’s Sweets-n-Treats T-shirts strolled the street on the insides of the ropes selling popcorn, cotton candy, and enormous pinwheel lollipops.