Page 232 of Romeo

Jasper: Good?

Me: Yes.

Jasper: That sounded dangerously close to approval.

Me: Don’t ruin it.

Jasper: Wouldn’t dream of it.

I smiled.

Me: Goodnight, Jasper.

Jasper: Dors bien, Ma Belle.

I started to set the phone down when it buzzed one last time.

Jasper: And, Fiona?

Me: Yes?

Jasper: Nebraska isn’t that bad.

I laughed quietly.

Me: Keep telling yourself that.

Jasper: I’ll prove it someday.

I didn’t answer.

Not because I didn’t know what to say.

Because I did.

I slipped the phone into my lap and looked toward the television. Granny had slept through the final reveal of the renovated house, including the missing wall she’d been so offended by twenty minutes earlier.

I reached for the remote and turned down the volume before gently pulling the afghan from the back of the couch and draping it over her.

Then I went upstairs.

My bedroom was cool, and the window over my desk had fogged slightly at the corners. I changed into pajamas, plugged in my phone, and climbed beneath the blankets.

For several minutes, I stared at the ceiling.

Then I reached for the phone again.

I opened the weather app.

Rosewood sat at the top, followed by Richmond from the last time Josie and I had gone shopping.

My thumb moved to the search bar.

Diamond Creek, Nebraska.

I added it to the list.

Thirty-eight degrees.