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“Come away with us,” I say suddenly. She turns to stare at me, her brow creased.
“What?” she says with a laugh. “With who?”
The more I think about it, the more I realize how perfect this idea is.
“Me,” I say slowly. “If you’re helping me with the kids, it’s the perfect excuse. We’ll have every night, just the two of us to get to know one another, without any interruptions or anyone getting suspicious. I’ve been meaning to take the kids somewhere anyway. I’m due for a vacation, and your spring break starts next week.” I stare at her, waiting for her to react.
She stares at me for a second, before a smile breaks out on her lips. Her eyes begin to shine. It’s like the more she thinks about it, the more she agrees it’s a fucking great idea.
“Okay.” She nods slowly, her eyes sparkling. “I guess it could work. Where would we go?”
“I have an idea.” I grin. “Leave it with me, and I’ll sort out everything,” I promise her.
“Okay.” She shrugs. She laughs and wraps her arms around my neck, kissing me. “Let’s do this, then.”Anna hangs around for another hour, watching me flesh out my plans for the new theatre. I wouldn’t tell her which building it was, other than it was a big deal to have been offered the project in the first place. I’d been chosen out of a dozen other candidates to redesign one of the most historic buildings in the state. Of all the projects I’d done, it was this one I valued the most because it was the location of the last outing I ever went on with my Nan.
I wanted to surprise Anna with the new 3-D model when it’s ready next week. It’s so much more impressive than trying to explain my ideas on paper. If anyone were going to get it, though, it would be her. Just talking about this kind of thing with her was all the inspiration I needed. She brought out a creativity in me that I never knew existed.
“Now I really should get going,” Anna says.
At least this time it sounds like it’s the last thing she wants to do. I curl my hands around her neck, kissing her softly. She kisses me back and then pulls away, her eyes half closed. She smiles at me as I walk her to the door, but before I open it, I explore those lips again.Once she’s gone, I take a break from work to organize our vacation. I’ve already hatched the plan in my head, I just needed to set it in motion. A cruise had the potential to be romantic and private. But then I take it one step further. A houseboat.
Yes, that’s fucking perfect.
My cousin and I hired one for a fishing trip a couple of years ago, and we had a blast. The only thing was, I couldn’t for the life of me remember the name of the company we hired it from. I did recall the owner being a friend of my cousin, but I couldn’t exactly ask him because he’d been deployed last week. I’m just about to give up on that idea when the bell above the front door rings. I look up and see Dan walking through to my office.
“You’re like the candyman,” I say with a chuckle. “I only have to think about you, and you appear.”
“I won’t ask what or why you were thinking about me,” he retorts. “Hey, I need a favor. Do you still have that old camper thingo? The one that sits on the back of a trailer that you sleep in?”
“Uh, yes…why?” I say slowly. “Anna kicked you out?”
“No,” he retorts, narrowing his eyes at me. “I’m going to surprise Anna,” he says proudly. He sighs when I look at him strangely and elaborates. “I thought we could use some time alone together, and I figured camping would be perfect.”
“Okay,” I hesitate. I didn’t want to crush the guy’s dreams, but I struggled to think of anyone less suited to camping than Anna. I couldn’t imagine her holed up on the back of a trailer, sleeping in a bag, whilst swatting away bugs. “Uh, does Anna actually like camping, Dan?”
“Sure.” He shrugs, looking at me like I’m crazy. “What kid doesn’t like camping?”
“Come over whenever you like and get the camper,” I say, stifling a laugh. All arguing with him was going to do was make him ask questions. He sits down at my desk and glances around at my laptop screen.
“A houseboat?” he says, confused. “What are you doing? Going away with the kids or something?” he asks.
“I was thinking about it,” I say. This was as good a time as any to mention the next part. “I invited Anna to come along, too. You know, help me with the kids.”
