Page 65 of The Sasquatch and the Hairdresser

He gently places a big, warm hand on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “There’s nothing to apologize for. Everyone has nightmares from time to time. And after everything you’ve been through, neither of us should be surprised after, you know, a portal to the Demon Realm showed up during our date and all. It was a wee bit stressful there for a while.”

I run a shaky hand through my hair and snort. “Not to mention the gang of fleeing naked gnomes. They were every-gnome-for-themselves-ing it! Fuckers kicked a bottle into my shin. Would’ve taken me out if I was their height.”

Hal chuckles and Elvira yawns.

After my nightmare, I’m hardcore craving a damn cigarette, but I’m not going to let some shitty memories mess with my habit-kicking progress. Instead, I lean over and grab one of Hal’s Craving Crushers from the small glass bowl on my nightstand.

He’s taken to refilling it every day for me and putting similar candy dishes around the entire B&B. Just so I can fill my pockets whenever I need to.

He’s so fucking special.

Sucking on the lozenge helps calm me down a bit, and I smile weakly at Hal and give Elvira’s center head some scritches. “Still kinda hoped I’d be past this by now though. I should be able to make my brain stop rehashing shit that I’d rather stayed dead and buried.”

Elvira swivels her heads a bit, and I start scratching her chins. It’s a bit of a slapstick comedy sketch happening in my lap as her three heads vie for my two hands.

I lean into Hal’s side and he wraps an arm around my shoulders, grounding me and making me feel safe. “Give yourself time. Healing is a process.”

“You sound like Dr. P,” I jokingly grumble.

Hal chuckles. “I will take the comparison to your therapist as the compliment I’m sure you intended,” he teases. Then he sobers a bit. “Do you think you can go back to sleep?”

“Nah. You can go back for another hour or two though,” I say. “I think I’ll just head down and get started on the day early.” After all, I need to get the online booking system up and running on my website now that opening day is almost here.

Hal gets up and helps me out of bed. “Come on.”

I stare at him in confusion. “Where are we going?”

He grins. “We’re going to watch one of my favorite nature documentaries before our days have to begin. That should take your mind off all this. And maybe a nice herbal tea or mocha instead of your usual coffee this morning?”

I don’t know if it’s the lingering terror from my dream or what, but all of a sudden I’m on the verge of tears.

“You…” My voice falters. “You don’t have to do that.”

Hal’s answering smile is bright and beautiful. “But I want to. Skylar, I care about you very much, and now that I’m your…” He blushes and clears his throat. “Now that I’m your boyfriend, I’m taking that role seriously. Please, let me take care of you.”

“Let’s go with the mocha then. If I’m getting up at the ass crack of dawn, I need fortification.”

Hal chuckles. “Besides, you know how much I love fiddling with that espresso machine Ryder bought me. Before we start getting more guests staying here, I need to be a pro at using it.”

I should probably fight him more on this. Just because I can’t fucking sleep anymore, I shouldn’t mess with his rest, but I can’t deny that the idea of watching some nature documentary and drinking a mocha sounds a whole lot better than being alone with my thoughts.

“Lead the way to the mocha, babe.”

Hal’s eyes sparkle. “You called me that last night too. No one’s ever called me babe before. I love it.”

“I’m glad. It just felt natural and right. To call you that, I mean. Cuz I care a lot about you too.” I wink at him. “Just in case you didn’t know.”

Hal sighs happily, and I swear he damn near floats down the stairs as I follow behind him, Elvira hot on my heels.

Fucking hell, the adorableness factor of this giant teddy bear of a sasquatch is gonna kill me in all the best ways.

The house is quiet as I trail Hal into the kitchen. Elvira appears to like this early morning adventure because she’s prancing along, all three tails wagging.

Hal fiddles with the espresso machine and milk frother to make my fancy mocha while I help out by getting some toast going so we can have it with his homemade preserves. While the bread’s toasting, I sneak some leftover chicken from the fridge to give Elvira a treat, which she scarfs down with enthusiasm.

She’s so goddamn charming, she could almost give Hal a run for his money. Not exactly like the kind of dog I imagined having when I was a kid, but her arrival through that portal was some type of cosmic destiny, if you ask me.

Elvira’s also super fucking smart. She must sense I’m still a bit rattled from my nightmare because she jumps into my lap once I sit at the kitchen table, and I have to stifle a grunt while she makes herself comfortable. Even though she’s only a puppy, she probably weighs a good forty or fifty pounds. I have to wonder how big she’ll actually get.