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“But you just got home, Travis.” Those words only reminded her that Divine might not be his permanent home. He might have made a decision about the job he was on the short list for by that point.
Both men were smiling at her and Hank said, “That’s the second time you’ve referred to Divine as home.”
She frowned, wondering what he was talking about as she allowed them to lead her from the club. They seemed to not care that people could see them both holding her hands and their arms casually draped around her. On the way out the door, she realized how assumptive she’d sounded, referring to Hank’s house as home, and Divine as home. With Travis following them in his truck, the ride back to Hank’s house was a blur as myriad thoughts crowded Veronica’s mind.
As Hank helped her from the truck, Veronica said, “Hank, I’m so sorry.”
“Stop apologizing for what comes naturally to you, Nika.”
“What I did was dumb. You have an election coming up.”
“That remains to be determined.”
“But you’re a good sheriff. They need you in this town.”
“Thanks, Nika. I think I do a good job, too, but there’s more to me than a uniform and a badge. And if having you in my life and being sheriff are mutually exclusive then it’s time I made some choices.”
His words barely registering, Veronica rattled on as she hung up her coat and plopped down on the couch. “And then I go and practically deliver an ultimatum to you, when you’re already risking your position by being seen in a threesome situation, and I don’t even know if Travis plans to stay in Divine. So I’m basically making demands all over the place when I can’t even decide what to do about my own situation. I don’t know what to do.”
“You were right, Nika,” Hank said. “I was asking you to make a declaration when I hadn’t made one.”
“And now you feel forced into making a declaration because I jumped the gun. I’ve ruined everything, haven’t I? I’m so sorry.”
Hank sat on one side of her and placed a hand on her thigh. “Veronica, slow down. Breathe for me. And stop talking because you’re just earning licks right now.”
Travis sat down on her other side. “Nika, I know I’m in the running for that job but they won’t decide until after Thanksgiving, and I haven’t decided if I’ll take it if they offer it to me.”
“Either way, you’ll be leaving Divine, won’t you?”
Travis pressed his lips together as he stroked her jaw. “I’ve decided to retire. I’ll be going back to DC to pack up my mostly empty apartment and tie up loose ends.”
“By then you’ll know about the job in California. You’ll have made a decision.”
Suddenly the time remaining felt so precious and fear settled in that what remained was now tainted by her outburst.
Hank let out a long sigh and said, “Nika, you’re torturing yourself because you can’t imagine a permanent solution which involves you being happy, can you?”
She couldn’t reply because the only answer she could give wouldn’t make him happy, and might only get her in deeper trouble for kissing Travis in front of everyone at the Dancing Pony when she’d showed up with Hank. People were probably talking about that already. He was worried about how she felt when he should be worried about damage control.
“Hank, I shouldn’t have said anything. I should’ve stayed home tonight. Maybe this was hoping for too much. I’ve been in my own happy fantasy bubble for two weeks but I was bound to come back to Earth eventually. This is what I get for hoping—”
Hank growled. “Just adding more licks, Nika.”
Travis pulled her toward him and kissed her hard. He gathered her hair in his fist and held her tight when she squirmed, immobilizing her. He pulled back, licking his lips. “I’ve missed you for five days. And I get home and when I’m expecting a warm welcome, all I hear is you talking about how it’s going to end soon. That’s not a warm welcome, and what makes you think I’d throw away what we have together so easily? That job is not the only opportunity out there.”
