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Irritation burned through her. “What do you mean you’re not sure if it fits anymore? What do you even know?”
“I know you gave up traveling, and since you teach online now, I’m guessing you gave up nursing.” When she didn’t respond he gave her a cocky smirk.
“Okay. So?”
“So, do you miss being Corey? Do you miss traveling and hypnotizing men with your boobs so you can sneak medical procedures on them?” When he grinned, her stomach flopped right over.
“You’re the only one I’ve ever used that particular skill on.”
He barked out a laugh. “I’ve never been more thankful for slippery rocks.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “You were lucky I was there. How would you have gotten down with injured fingers? You would have been in so much pain.”
“And I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to experience boob hypnotization as a medical technique.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous. I didn’t hypnotize you. You just . . .” Well, she didn’t exactly know what had happened on top of those falls, but something had shifted between them for sure.
Not waiting for her to gather her thoughts, Seth leaned against the lounge chair and looked up at the stars. “I think I would miss traveling if I had to stop. I’m not fully committed to the van-life like you were. I have a little house that belonged to my grandparents, but in the summer, I chase the fires, and in the winter, I spend most of my time in my van going to different events.”
Her heart beat a little faster. How would her life differ if she’d met someone like Seth instead of someone with roots so deep they’d never move like Kyle?
“That sounds fun,” she whispered through the conflicting emotions in her throat.
“You should come with me sometime,” he offered without turning. “I don’t know how your teaching works, if that’s something you can do from anywhere or whatever, but it would be cool if you came out, watched a race, showed me how true vagabonds live.”
She didn’t answer him. She didn’t know what to say. Part of her wanted nothing more than to follow Seth anywhere, which was ridiculous, she’d only known him for a few days. Another part chastised her for even considering leaving Kyle’s home to spend time with another man.
“The invitation’s open,” he told her. “Zack usually knows where I am, so you can just ask him or Ashley. You’ll always have a place to stay. As long as you don’t mind cramped quarters.”
She didn’t. In fact, she much preferred the confines of a van or small camper than the cluttered space in the home she’d shared with her late husband.
“What if I show up and someone else you’ve extended the offer to is there? Two people in a van is crowded enough, a third would be impossible.”
He shrugged. “I’ve never offered anyone else a place. I like my space.”
“But you asked—”
“And I like sharing my space with you.” This time when he smiled, it didn’t hold its usual playfulness. Seth was serious. And she was in trouble.
* * *
Seth hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but he must’ve drifted off. As he looked at his watch, he saw that nearly an hour had passed since he last remembered checking the time. Beside him, Courtney lay on her side facing him. Her eyes were closed, her dark lashes casting shadows on her face. He should wake her and help her back to her room, but he liked looking at her. She was always on guard, always holding part of herself back. Not in sleep. In sleep, he could just look at her and appreciate her beauty.
The thought gave him pause. Not that he hadn’t thought women were beautiful before. Certainly he’d thought the women he’d dated over the years were beautiful, but he wasn’t dating Courtney. And that thought gave him more than pause, it made him a little sad. Although the cruise wouldn’t end for three more days, when it did, he and Courtney would go their separate ways. He’d meant what he’d said earlier about her coming to visit him. He loved to travel, and luckily his job allowed him to do plenty of it. With him, Courtney could go back to the nomadic lifestyle she’d lived before. She hadn’t said she missed it, but she hadn’t had to. From the way she spoke of her life pre-marriage and the stories that Ashley had told him about her best friend Corey over the years, he knew she hadn’t shed all her wanderlust.
Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her. She mumbled incoherently and tried to snuggle closer. He groaned, wishing they were somewhere private where she really did want to cuddle with him. Instead of giving in and pulling her close, he nudged her again.
“Hey Courtney, wake up, hon.”
Her lids fluttered open, revealing sleep-dazed gray eyes. Nerves flooded his system. The same nerves he often experienced as he sat perched on the edge of a plane waiting to jump into a fire.
“I don’t wanna get up,” she mumbled.
He smiled. “Well, the sun will be up soon, and the singles will swarm the deck. You might want to get back to your room before then.”
Her eyes popped open now, and she shoved herself into a sitting position. She searched the deck. “Was I asleep? Out here?”
He nodded. “We both were. Not for long though. I doubt anyone saw us.” Not that it would matter if they did. They hadn’t done anything wrong.
