Chapter 55 Cancelled
Hannah
I scowled all the way out of the house.
By the time the car pulled away from the gates, I was muttering under my breath, replaying Timothy’s tone, his audacity, his absolute gall. Who did he think he was, declaring dinner like it was a summons instead of a request?
My jaw stayed tight the entire drive to the shelter.
But the moment I stepped inside and saw Sienna, everything else slid sideways.
She was near the front desk, talking to one of the volunteers, and when she spotted me her face softened instantly. I crossed the space between us in three long strides and wrapped my arms around her.
“Hey,” I murmured. “How are you holding up?”
She hugged me back hard, like she needed the anchor. “I’m okay. I think. It comes in waves.”
The rest of the staff noticed us then and drifted over, quiet voices and gentle touches, everyone offering condolences, squeezing her shoulder, telling her to take it easy. Sienna smiled through it all, eyes glassy but grateful.
Eventually we escaped into her office, closing the door behind us. She perched on the edge of her desk while I leaned against the filing cabinet, listening as she updated me on her family, how her mum was barely holding it together, how the funeral arrangements were already becoming overwhelming, how unfair it all felt.
I listened. Really listened.
When she finished, she tilted her head, studying me. “Okay. Your turn. What’s with the face?”
I waved it off. “Nothing important. Timothy pissed me off. Like always.”
She narrowed her eyes but let it go, and soon the day swept us along with it.
Work was merciful that way.
Hours passed in a blur of feeding schedules, cleaning, paperwork, and the low, constant hum of life moving forward. I threw myself into it, grateful for something that demanded all of me.
Sometime in the afternoon, the bell over the door chimed.
I glanced up and froze.
Nate stood there, sunlight at his back, beard scruff just as unfairly attractive as yesterday. He smiled when he saw me.
“Hey,” he said easily. “Sorry to bother you. I think we might’ve forgotten something yesterday.”
Concern sparked immediately. “Oh…what happened?”
He lifted a hand. “Natalie’s bracelet. She’s convinced it disappeared here.”
“Oh!” I exhaled. “Let’s check the lost and found.”
We headed over, one of the staff confirming they’d found a small bracelet earlier and tucked it away. When I handed it to Nate, he smiled in obvious relief.
“That’s it. You just saved my evening.”
I laughed. “Happy to help.”
We walked back toward my station, and he apologized again for interrupting my work over something so small. I waved him off, telling him it was no trouble at all.
He lingered.
Just a second too long.
He cracked a joke, something dry and self-deprecating, and I laughed, really laughed before I could stop myself. His eyes stayed on my face, warm, assessing.
For a moment, it felt… easy.
Then something shifted in his expression, like he caught himself.
“Well,” he said, stepping back. “I should go before I actually become a disturbance.”
I smiled. “It was nice seeing you again.”
“Likewise.” He lifted a hand in a small wave and turned toward the door.
I watched as his truck pulled away through the front windows.
“Girl.”
I turned slowly.
Sienna was staring at me, one eyebrow practically in her hairline.
“What?” I said defensively.
“That,” she said, pointing vaguely toward the door, “was flirting.”
“No, it wasn’t,” I scoffed. “He was here with his daughter yesterday. They adopted a rabbit.”
“Mmhmm.”
“And today he came back for a bracelet.”
“Mmhmm,” she repeated, unconvinced.
I sighed. “Fine. He asked for my number yesterday. I told him I’m married.”
Sienna gasped. “I knew it.”
I rolled my eyes, but I was laughing too. “It wasn’t a thing.”
“Oh, it was absolutely a thing,” she said smugly. “You just didn’t take it.”
We fell back into work, the mood lighter somehow, the rest of the afternoon slipping by until closing time crept up on us.
As we were locking up, a few of the staff gathered around Sienna again.
“Let’s go out,” one of them suggested. “Dinner. Drinks. Something to get you out of your head.”
I shook my head immediately. “I’ll pass…”
“Nope,” Sienna cut in. “You’re coming.”
A chorus of pouts and protests followed as I tried to bow out once more.
I sighed dramatically. “Fine. Alright. Let’s do this.”
The guards were waiting outside, and I told them I’d be riding with Sienna and they could trail behind. I climbed into her car, exhaustion settling into my bones in that pleasant, end-of-day way.
As we drove, I pulled out my phone.
I hovered over Timothy’s name, thumb hesitating.
I could text him. Tell him I couldn’t make dinner tonight. Avoid another confrontation. Avoid… whatever this strange tension between us had become.
But before I decided, we pulled up to the bar.
Sienna was already unbuckling, grinning at me. “Come on.”
I locked my phone and slid it back into my bag.
For tonight, at least, I chose distraction.
We bundled inside, laughter and music washing over me as I plastered on a smile, pushing thoughts of dinner, declarations, and one infuriating man firmly to the back of my mind.