Page 95 of The Best Thing He Never Wanted

Cash: Good. Hope you meant what you said about taking her out there sometime. She likes that idea a lot.

Blane looked away from the phone and stared out at the olive covered hillsides. He liked the idea too. Taking her anywhere with him would be a big deal after all the years he’d spent telling her no, but there was something else buried inside the idea that caught at him now. If he brought Brooke to Crete, he’d have to come back himself. His gaze went to the open doors and the bedroom beyond them, where Bea was still sleeping. Yeah, it felt good to think about coming back. But first he had to deal with the fact that, in just over a week, he’d be leaving. He looked back down at his phone.

Blane: I’ll call her. Talk to you soon.

When he went back inside, Bea peered at him through sleepy eyes. “Is everything all right? Are you going out for your run?”

He sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hand over her hair. “I’m going to make us some coffee before I do anything else. And then…” He smiled. “What do you think? Want to come with me this morning?”

Her eyes widened. “Blane, you run. I don’t run.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I know. I’m not trying to sign you up for boot camp. I was thinking…” He ran his hand over her hair again. “It’s beautiful out there in the morning. You should come with me. See it. Get to know it.”

When she continued to stare at him, he shook his head with a smile. “I mean I’ll walk, Bea. I know you don’t want to run.”

Her hand came to rest on his thigh. “I’d love to go for a walk with you, but I don’t want to stop you from getting your morning exercise.”

He covered her hand with his own and moved it a little higher. “Maybe when we get back from our walk, you can give me a different kind of workout.”

Her eyebrows shot up.

“We’ll probably be sweaty by then anyway. Might as well start in the shower.”

“Oh.” Her eyes widened as her fingers climbed higher still.

He reluctantly caught her hand and took it away before getting to his feet. “But first, coffee.”

She chuckled. “Okay. I’ll see you down there in a few minutes.”

She was true to her word, and that was one of the many things he liked about her. He was only just pouring the coffee when she came into the kitchen wearing shorts and sneakers, looking ready for their walk.

“You don’t have to come,” he said as he set her coffee in front of her.

“No, I know. But I want to.”

When she met his gaze, he caught the trace of sadness in her eyes and knew she was seeing it the same way he was. Before too long, they wouldn’t have the opportunity to go for walks or do anything else together. It’d be crazy not to make the most of the time they had.

After their coffee, they set out up the lane hand in hand. Blane didn’t even realize he’d taken hold of hers at some point. He only noticed when she squeezed his fingers and pointed across the field.

“Do you think that’s the same goat we keep seeing? It looks like him to me.”

Blane narrowed his eyes. “Pericles.”

She laughed and looked up at him. “I don’t know whether to say excuse me or bless you.”

He laughed with her. “It’s the goat’s name—Pericles.”

“How on earth do you know that?”

“Had a run-in with him the other morning. Woman who owns him rescued me.”

Bea laughed out loud. “Oh my goodness, I wish I’d seen that. Did you lose the staring match?”

He lifted one shoulder. “Would’ve won if the woman hadn’t come out. Pretty sure, anyway.”

He was surprised by how comfortable it felt to walk with her like this. He didn’t have to deliberately slow his pace; he matched hers without thinking about it. He’d run this route pretty much every morning since they arrived, and yet Bea pointed out a dozen things he hadn’t noticed. It turned out the flowers growing along the roadside were oleander.

“I thought about picking some of those for you the other day.”