Page 71 of Dark Verse

“Only sometimes. And only with bad news.”

“I…” I freeze again, now more unsure. “I talked with Alice today.”

“Yeah? Is she happy with how things are going?”

“Very. She’s…she said she’s looking forward to my presentation at the beginning of next month.”

“That sounds like good news.”

“No, it is. It’s very good. It’s just…” I barely breathe before the word salad begins. “I’m supposed to be in California for the presentation, and then of course she’s going to want to assign me to a new venue, which could be anywhere, obviously, but probably not here, and now I don’t know what to do.”

“You’re going to do your presentation, and you’re going to impress the hell out of them, sweetheart.”

“And after the presentation?”

I can’t bring myself to say the words. What even are the words I want to say?

Knox reaches out and takes my hand. I glance up to see if anyone can see us, but no one else is near the office door at the moment.

“After the presentation, we’re going to celebrate your success.”

“I…” I freeze again before I let the words tumble out. “I like you. A lot. And I don’t want this to end yet. But I don’t know how it keeps going.”

“I don’t like you a lot, Raven. I love you. And this,” he gestures between us, “is not going to end just because this assignment has.”

Okay, just dropping bombs left and right on my head.

I don’t even try to respond to his I love you because now my brain and my heart are doing cartwheels.

“How? You’ll be here, playing as many days and nights as you can. I’ll be—well, I don’t know where I will be, but how?”

“Did I fall asleep in the 2020s and wake up in the 1820s?” Knox jests, “Sweetheart, we’ll call and text and video chat with each other every night.”

His saying the words reminds me that long distance is a real option. It’s never been my choice, but I’ve also never been with a partner who made the option worth discussing. I was happy to see all my exes go by the end.

“Maybe we could take a long weekend here and there and meet halfway,” he suggests.

“And halfway between LA and Denver is…”

“Vegas, baby.” His expression brightens.

I can’t help but laugh, and Knox joins me, the sound of his chuckle releasing every bit of tension left in my body.

I say, “I think your geography is a little to very off.”

He squeezes my hand, and I squeeze right back.

“Probably.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

KNOX

“WAYNE, NAT, come look at this!” I hear Davis’ voice coming from down the hallway.

“What is it?” Nat asks.

“Just come look!”