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Silence. Then, her laughter burst through the phone, rich and victorious. “Oh, my sweet ice queen. You are melting. I can feel it all the way from here.”

“What if I said I already have?” I asked, bracing myself for the inevitable chaos of her response.

“I knew it!” she shouted, loud enough to make me wince and glance over my shoulder to make sure no one had heard. “You think you can outsmart me, baby, but I hate to break it to you—you never had a chance.”

I laughed despite myself, shaking my head. Laney always had a way of seeing through me, no matter how hard I tried to hide.

“Okay, okay!” I admitted, throwing my free hand in the air, water splashing slightly. “He’s different, and it’s…refreshing. I’ve been enjoying spending time with him, even when he’s grumpy.”

Laney let out a soft hum, her tone warm. “Good. It’s been a while since I’ve heard you genuinely happy—like, really enjoying life.”

I bit my lip, hesitating for only a moment before confessing, “I do think I’m…maybe…starting to have some feelings for the guy.”

There was a pause, followed by Laney’s cautious question. “Do you think it’ll complicate things when it’s time to come home?”

I nodded reflexively, even though she couldn’t see me. The motion was more for myself—a silent acknowledgment of what I already knew deep down.

I’d been keeping myself at a distance, trying to shield my heart, because I knew how this would end. Long distance was never my thing. And despite my outwardly cool attitude, I wanted love. Not just any kind of love—I wanted the real kind. The kind that didn’t feel like we were sacrificing pieces of ourselves to make it work. I wanted someone who could love every part of me, flaws and all.

And I couldn’t help but wonder, in the quiet of this moment, if things were different…could Colton be that person?

“Yes,” I finally said, voice soft. “So, I’ve just been enjoying the physical side of things and keeping the emotions at bay. But…” I sighed, the truth settling like a weight on my chest. “With time running out, it’s harder to do. Because I know it’s all going to come to an end soon.”

“I’m sorry, babe,” Laney said, her voice carrying the kind of sympathy only a best friend could offer. “When you’re back home, we’ll plan the ultimate girls’ night. We’ll drink too much, eat terrible food, and forget all about him.”

I smiled at her effort, but it didn’t touch the ache in my chest. Laney didn’t quite understand the pull Colton had on me. In just a few weeks, he’d rooted himself so deeply in my mind, in my heart, that I wasn’t sure a girls’ night in the city would erase him.

Maybe nothing would, but that wasn’t going to make me deny Colton Stone.

“Also, I should probably mention…Axel works here.”

Laney screamed, a high-pitched shriek that, if I had the phone to my ear, would’ve blown an ear drum.

“I need all the details!”

Chapter 30

Eleanor

BEFORE COLTON AND I left for Utah, there was one last thing I had to do—no matter how much I dreaded the conversation.

After everything that had happened with Axel, I knew I couldn’t just leave without talking to him. A tinge of anxiety had been gnawing at me relentlessly, the worry creeping in at every quiet moment.

What if he ran his mouth? What if he told someone what he saw?

I hoped he wouldn’t. But then again, I had set him up by sending him to Colton’s office…and I reacted rather brashly when we broke up.

I sucked in a sharp breath at the memory, wincing. That hadn’t been my finest moment.

Seeing Axel again brought back a lot of emotions from the day everything between us ended. I replayed the moment, thinking about how I’d reacted, how I treated him. Yelling, calling him names that he didn’t necessarily deserve.

My neck tensed and this funny feeling washed over me. Here I was about to ask him for a favor when for the last few months, I’d been telling anyone who would listen he was an asshole and that he left me jaded. With this reflection, I realized that wasn’t particularly true.

As I walked down the hall toward the kitchen, my nerves coiled tighter. Having hard conversations with clients came easier than confronting people in my personal life.

Tawnie had sent me the staff schedule, so I knew Axel would be prepping for the morning shift. I didn’t want to scare him, so I slowed as I reached the steel doors, setting my suitcase and purse outside before pushing the door open just enough to peek inside.

It didn’t take long to find him. His back was to me, broad shoulders tense under his black chef’s jacket, his blond hair styled the same way it always was. He moved with focus, working through a routine that was second nature.