It would have been easy to go up with them, but he was kind of looking forward to having a little time to himself. It was just after two in the afternoon, and he had nothing else on the agenda. Evie wasn’t going to be back until six, so having some quiet time to rest after not getting much sleep was mildly appealing.
Slater wasn’t stupid. He knew there was something on her mind last night when they got back to the cabin. But in typical Evie fashion, she kept it to herself because she was afraid to give voice to her own thoughts and needs. She was starting to let herself fade into the background, just like she used to do before she came to Harbortown.
Before them.
That was just one thing that was bothering him about the whole situation. Obviously, he hated the thought of her reverting to the shy and quiet woman she had been. He loved seeing her come out of her shell and taking what she wanted and being unapologetic about it.
Although the thought of her being that free and outgoing with another guy really didn’t sit well with him either.
So there was that. And every time he thought of her leaving and going back to Seattle, it made him…uncomfortable. Thinking of her with someone else made him even more uncomfortable. And knowing he’d probably only ever see her a handful of times ever again made it hard for him to breathe.
Stepping into his office, he dropped onto his chair with a weary sigh.
“I am so fucked,” he murmured, dragging a hand over his face.
This was foreign territory for him. He’d never been the jealous type or the guy who was looking for anything beyond a good time. And the thought of wanting to stay in one place with one woman had never once entered his mind.
Until now.
Until Evie.
Leaning back in his chair, he got comfortable with his feet up on the desk and hands clasped behind his head. The only thing missing was maybe a hot cup of coffee and one of Connor’s cinnamon rolls. The thought stopped him long enough that he actually considered trudging up to the lodge, but he just didn’t have the energy. Time alone with his thoughts is what he needed more than anything. Leaning back a little more, he closed his eyes and let out a long breath.
“Knock, knock!”
Slater opened his eyes to see Nora walking in and knew his quiet time was over. “Hey. I thought you had a hike starting in a few minutes.”
“They canceled.” She pulled the chair out from behind her desk and slid it closer to his. “Do you have a few minutes? I kind of need to talk to you about something.”
He wanted to be annoyed, but Nora rarely came to him with nonsense, so he knew whatever she wanted to talk about had to be important. “Sure. What’s up?”
She shifted in her seat for a moment, trying to get comfortable, but when she faced him, her expression was almost somber.
“What are you doing?” she asked carefully.
“You’re gonna need to be a little more specific, Nora. I mean, right now I’m just coming in after a hike and was enjoying a little quiet time. If you’re asking about life in general…” He shrugged. “I’m doing what I’ve always done.”
“Okay, you’re right. That was too vague. I want to know what you’re doing with Evie.”
He did his best to keep his expression neutral and was pretty sure he had failed. “That’s not really any of your business.”
Nora sat up a little straighter. “Um, yes, it is. Evie’s a friend, and I’m just concerned about what’s going to happen when she leaves next week.”
Slowly he lowered his feet to the ground and then clasped his hands on the desk. “That’s funny, because I thought you and I were friends too.”
“We are, and I’m worried about both of you.”
“Why? You never worried about this sort of thing before.”
“That’s because you never were in a relationship like this before!” she said with exasperation. “Come on, Slater, you and I both know your MO was to hook up with women you met on hikes and tours—they were on vacation and you weren’t going to see them again. You had to know it wasn’t going to be that way with her. Evie’s not the one-night stand kind of girl. Hell, she’s got future soccer mom and suburbia written all over her.”
Raking a hand through his hair, he wanted to be angry, but he couldn’t.
“I kind of thought the same thing about you and Milo,” he said after a moment. “I couldn’t understand what you saw in him because he was the complete opposite of everything you ever went after.”
“Yeah, well, I kept some secrets,” she admitted. “That whole last year before I met him, I knew I didn’t want to keep living like I had been. I wanted a home and a husband and kids.”
He looked at the ring on her finger, twinkling in the sunlight. “You’re almost there,” he said with a small smile. “And I’m happy for you.”
