Page 15 of Call of A Eagle

Hopefully, that would be soon.

7

LYRA

Isat on the edge of my bed, staring at the clock on the wall. Any minute now, Waylen would be pulling up to take me to lunch. My stomach was already tying itself into knots. I sighed, smoothing a few stray hairs from my face. I couldn’t believe I’d agreed to go out with him.

What was I thinking?

I’d spent so much time convincing myself that getting involved with him was a mistake, yet the second he asked me out, I said yes.

This was definitely a bad idea.

“Ready for lunch with Waylen?” Granny’s voice pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts.

She stood in the doorway, her eyes accessing me.

“You knew about that, huh?” I asked, even though I wasn’t surprised.

She was wise beyond her years and observant as could be.

“Of course I did, dear. I know everything that goes on around here.”

“Yeah, well.” I smoothed my hands over my thighs as if the motion could soothe away the nervous tension building inside me. “I’m not sure agreeing to lunch with him was a good idea.”

She crossed the room and sat down on the bed beside me. “Why not? Waylen seems like a nice young man—attractive, too.”

I chuckled. “He is, but it’s complicated,” I muttered, knowing she wouldn’t understand.

It wasn’t just that I was worried he might distract me from the cabin, the business, and taking care of her. There was also something about Waylen I couldn’t quite figure out—something that made me both wary of him and drawn to him at the same time.

“Sweetheart, everything’s complicated if you overthink it,” Granny said, tapping my knee. “Sometimes you’ve got to let yourself enjoy the moment for what it is.”

I met her gaze, feeling warm and fuzzy. She’d always had a way with words.

Was she right? Was I overthinking this?

“What’s holding you back?” she asked. “Name one good reason.”

“One? I can name a few,” I insisted with a chuckle. “The garden beds, the business, taking care of you…”

She waved a hand dismissively. “Nonsense. The beds are looking better than they have in years, thanks to Waylen. The business is doing fine. And as for me, well, there’s no need to worry about me.” She grasped my hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You deserve to have a little fun, dear. Don’t let your responsibilities weigh you down so much that you forget to live.”

I was about to argue, but the rumble of a truck in the distance silenced me. My heart skipped a beat as I glanced out thewindow, spotting Waylen’s truck coming to a stop in front of the cabin.

Another wave of nerves hit me hard.

Granny gave my hand another gentle squeeze and then stood. “Go have a nice lunch. Relax. And don’t worry about a thing, I’ll be here when you get back. Everything will be. Nothing’s going to come crashing down if you take a break for yourself, sweetheart.”

I hesitated for a moment, but knew she was right.

“Okay,” I said, holding my hands up in mock surrender as I stood.

“I mean it.” She gave me a stern look, but there was a glint of mischief in her eyes. “Have fun and relax some.”

“I will.”

“Good. Now go,” she said, making a shooing motion with her hand. “Don’t keep that poor boy waiting.”