Page 41 of Worth the Trip

He looked at me, clearly pleased. “See? Now you talking my language.”

The humor stayed, but something tired lived beneath the answer. He didn’t explain it, and I didn’t ask him to. I understood the instinct to leave certain things where they fell.

“I’m Landon.”

“Nolani.”

He repeated it once, slower than necessary without making it theatrical. “Nolani.” I became too aware of how closely we were walking. “Pretty name.”

“Thank you.”

He looked at me again. “Hershey still fits, though.”

I shook my head. “You were doing so well.”

“I got comfortable.”

“You shouldn’t have.”

“You smiling.”

“I was smiling before.”

“Yeah, but I’m taking credit for this one.”

“Based on what?”

“Evidence.”

“You really do have a methodology for everything.”

“I respect evidence-based practice.”

That one made me laugh hard enough to look away.

When I looked back, he was watching me with the satisfaction of a man who had successfully made his point.

My fingers started toward the pendant.

Stopped.

His eyebrows lifted.

“Don’t.”

“I ain’t say nothing.”

“You were about to.”

“See? Now you studying my patterns.”

“Occupational hazard.”

“Yours or mine?”

“Apparently both.”

His laugh followed us toward the parking lot.