chapter three

Glancing over her shoulder, Hazel caught sight of the woman shuffling up the drive, floral cotton dress flapping behind her as she wiped her hands on her apron. There was already an abundance of flour dusting the faded pink fabric. Gray-speckled hair was tacked into a low bun, strands of brown falling around the weathered skin of her face. Crinkled coffee eyes squinted in her direction as she continued her path across the gravel.

“Hello to you too, Lou,” Hazel laughed, moving to meet the woman halfway.

Lou Callahan was shorter than Hazel remembered, softer around the edges now with her sun-kissed skin looking tired and worn. She held her hands on her hips, a plaid tea towel scrunched in her dusty palm. Something deep inside Hazel’s chest twinged, the subtle reminder of the age her mother never grew to be. She swallowed it down though as Lou wrapped her stocky arms around Hazel’s middle, squeezing tightly.

“Your dad’s been talkin’ of you comin’ back for months,” she chuckled, wiping the dew off her top lip as she stepped back, brown eyes scanning Hazel over. “I thought it was just him hopin’.”

“I think it was for a while,” Hazel laughed, her hand rising to shield her eyes from the sun. It was warm and inviting, but goddamn it was bright. “But the more he talked, the better it sounded.”

“Bet it feels nice to be home.”

“It really does,” Hazel smiled, gaze shifting back to the pastures, the green fields smattered with animals. “A bit of an adjustment, but…”

The corners of Lou’s mouth tugged into a solemn smile, the dimple in her cheek deepening as she let out a sigh. “Must feel a bit different,” she nodded slowly before brushing her hands against her apron once more. “Fancy comin’ over for a coffee? Got a fresh pot brewed and a cake still warm from the oven.”

Hazel’s stomach growled, the temptation of baked goods too much for her to resist. “Who can say no to that offer? Let me just put Blue back in the house.” Floppy black ears perked at his name, his head twisting to look up at Hazel.

“Don’t be silly. Bring him along,” Lou waved her hand, tea towel flapping in the gentle breeze. “Cole’s out in the shop. He could use some company.”

Cole.

Just his name was enough to send a slow prickle across Hazel’s spine, each nerve ending firing up as the images of her dreams flooded back into her mind. His hands skimming across her stomach, lips cinched around the tender bud of her nipple, the tip edging between her saturated folds. Her pulse quickened, a heat creeping between the valley of her breasts as she struggled to tamp the memories down. She swallowed and nodded, afraid the pitch in her voice would give away her ache.

Lou smiled warmly, either completely oblivious to Hazel’s reaction or actively trying to ignore it. She wrapped one arm around Hazel’s shoulders, as if worried she’d flee, and filled the walk back to her home with animated chatter, spilling all the town gossip that Hazel had missed over the years. By the time they’d reached the property, she’d learnt all about the dispute between the Fields and the Wrights, the pastor’s daughter getting caught smoking marijuana, how Odette Allen got knocked up at sixteen and the how badly the old Walker house was damaged by the flooding of the creek.

The wind chimes tinkled on the front porch, the stairs creaking as Lou clambered up them, one hand stretching out to pet the ginger cat curled up on one of the rocking chairs. She swung the front door open, ambling in to the kitchen. The house smelled like apple cake and coffee, the smells of the farm left at the stoop. Hazel sunk into a wooden dining chair, forearms resting against the table as she glanced around at the home she had practically grown up in. Not much had changed. The thought crept into her mind that the last time she’d been in this house, she’d snuck out in the morning, mascara smeared across her eyes, her hair matted at the back of her head. She remembered Cole kissing her at his bedroom door, slow, deliberate, as if he knew it would be the last time he’d get the chance.

“Hazel?” Lou’s voice slipped through the fog of her memories.

Heat nipped at her cheeks. “Sorry, I missed that. What’d you say?”

Lou let out a soft chuckle. “I said, did you wanna take our coffee outside? It’s nice sitting out there in the breeze.”

“Sounds good.”