Page 28 of More Than My Hometown

“It’s very outdoor oriented. All sorts of different hiking and camping things going on, including multi-day treks with volcanoes and waterfalls and whatnot. And they have these sites where you can rent these little glass igloos to sleep in to see the northern lights—I think that would be so cool.”

Maisey lights up, starting to rival the northern lights, as she continues to talk about the far-off island country. I file away each tidbit she mentions, nodding along as I make my mental notes, not sure if I’ll ever need them later. Maybe not, but who knows, there could be a test at some point. Then again, just getting to listen to her ramble like this is more than enough. It’s everything I’ve missed summed up in one little action.

“And the blue lagoon, which is the geothermal hot spring, like an hour-ish or so outside of Reykjavík. It’s amazing.”

“So, it’s a great big public hot tub?”

I’m not sure what about that sounds amazing.

“A geothermal hot spring,” she corrects. “It’s one of the wonders of the world. Even you have to admit that’s cool.”

Okay, yes, that’s cool. I’ll give her that. And I’m sure it’s an incredible experience. Everything she rattled off sounded great actually—even better if she’d be with me. Then again, so are the woods just outside town where cell service is spotty and there isn’t another person for miles.

Maisey stretches, the hem of her tee riding up, showing off the soft skin of her tummy. It’s tan—perfectly sun-kissed—making my mouth water. The boat rocks gently beneath us, the early morning sun starting to peek up over the horizon.

“Still no desire to travel, huh?”

I shrug. “I get out.”

“Fishing and hunting trips don’t count.” She giggles, playfully shoving me with her bare foot. I hadn’t even noticed that she’d slipped her flip-flops off, her oversized joggers doing a good job of hiding her legs.

“I also go camping.”

“Ohhh, sorry. I forgot about camping…” she teases.

“I did get a passport a while back,” I admit.

“You did?”

There’s no hiding the shock in her voice. Or the question. The one that I’m not really sure I want to answer.

“You said the other day your contract was up, so, no more Nicaragua?”

I hate myself for asking the question. It feels like I’m asking for all the wrong reasons. Like I’m trying to change the subject. Like I’m prying. Like I don’t trust her and her intentions. When really, what I want is to know more about her. Her life. How this whole traveling nurse thing works.

She shakes her head, the regret and disappointment clear. Looking at me, she swallows hard. “The cancellation of the contract came out of nowhere. Usually I know my end date—and in this case, I had another six months until I was scheduled to leave. The overall, big contract that my company had with the Ministry of Health wasn’t up for renewal or anything either, but there were some changes, and politics…” Her voice wavers, eyes fluttering closed as she fights back unchecked emotion. “For reasons I’m not privy to, they decided that using a service such as ours wasn’t the way to go, so they terminated it. I’d been there for eighteen months and had really become a part of the team at the hospital and involved in the community. And then basically overnight, my job and work visa were terminated.”

Maisey’s eyes meet mine, the little bit of light from the rising sun catching in the sheen from her unshed tears. My heart squeezes, wanting nothing more than to erase her pain.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” she replies, a wry laugh escaping. “Unless you’re in cahoots with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health.”

“I am not.”

A slight tug on my pole steals my attention for a split second, making me think we’re going to see some action. A quick glance over tells me it’s a false alarm, and I can turn my attention back to where I really want it—fully focused on the blonde beauty sitting next to me.

“Then there is nothing for you to be sorry about.”

“Well, that’s not true, and we both know it,” I admit.

“You’re not alone in that, Ewan.” She sighs, voice heavy with an emotion I can’t name. Turning to look out over the water, she mumbles something to herself before continuing. “I won’t lie. I held on to this secret hope in the back of my head for a while that you’d come chasing after me. Just show up randomly on my doorstep or in the ER that I was working in and sweep me off my feet. But, how were you supposed to know?”

Maisey sniffles, turning back to face me, a single tear running down her cheek.

“I cut you off.” Her voice breaks ever so slightly. “It never occurred to me that you were hurting too. But that’s why I never came back, because I was dying inside and knew that it would kill me to see you not hurting, and I didn’t want to see you being all incredible when all I wanted was to break.”

My heart shatters. In the back of my head, I can hear the actual ping of the first crack, the spiderwebbing immediately following as all the pieces fall, scattering like glass.