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"Is everything all right? You seem anxious." Aye, I noticed that the second she walked into the room. Hard to miss the signs. She'd been wringing her hands and chewing on her lip.
"My emotions are private." She stands, giving me a cool look that doesn't fool me for one minute. "I don't know how long this will take, so don't wait for me."
But I want to wait for her. I want to go with her, actually, but I can't do that.
"I'll be here," I say. "Come find me when you're done."
She nods and walks out the front door.
What can I do until she comes back? Everything I've done on my holiday so far has involved Erica. I don't have a bloody clue what to do with myself when she's not here. I head back to Gil's house to wait for her.
It's been too long since I took a real holiday. That's the only reason I'm sitting in the living room, staring across the way at Erica's kitchen window, and it's the only reason I keep jogging to the front door so I can peek outside. After an hour of that nonsense, I get on my computer to look for destinations Erica might like to visit during our road trip. I'm not obsessing over her. I'm being a good, ah, traveling companion.
Making all the arrangements for our trip doesn't take as long as I'd hoped, but I get everything set up. I even find a dog sitter for Casey since the places we'll be going to don't allow pets. The older woman who lives across the street, Mrs. Abernathy, is more than happy to help. Once I've got the pup's accommodations settled, I pack a suitcase and take it out to the car so I'll be ready to go whenever Erica comes home.
When she returns, she goes straight into her house instead of coming over here. I don't care. She is not my girlfriend.
Mhac na galla. Is this what I've become? A whingeing ersehole? I'm too old to act like such a numpty.
To distract myself, I ring my brother Aidan. Even his jokes can't take my mind off the woman in the house next door. I ring several of my cousins too and have pleasant conversations with them, but I still keep thinking about…her.
Someone knocks on the front door.
I leap off the sofa and bolt for the door, my heart racing, anticipation tingling over my skin. I'm off my head for sure, but right now, I don't give a toss because my mind insists the visitor must be Erica. But I'd given her a key, so she doesn't need to knock.
At the door, I pause. The ridiculous joy that had overcome me seconds ago has faded just enough to make me wonder—worry, actually—about what awaits me on the other side of the door. I take a breath, iron the excitement out of my expression, and roll my shoulders back.
Then I swing the door open.
Erica smiles at me. "Sorry to keep you waiting for so long."
"Donnae mind. You're worth waiting for. But why didn't you use the key I gave you?"
"This is more dramatic. Don't you think?"
"Aye, but you don't need to impress me with grand gestures."
"I know, but I liked surprising you this way. And I have some news." She spreads her arms wide. "Let's go on our road trip right now."
"What?"
"I said let's do it right away. Why waste more time? I'm ready for a road trip sundae with lots and lots of hot, caramel-y Lachlan on top."
When did I become an ice-cream sundae? Not that I mind if Erica wants to lick me. I plan on tasting her body from head to toe too.
"Are you comatose?" she says teasingly. "I said let's get on the road immediately. Unless you have something better to do…"
I swoop her up in my arms and whirl us both round and round. Her feet sail through the air, though not as high as my spirits have soared in the last few minutes. I step backward and kick the door shut behind us. Why am I so excited? The answer doesn't matter. She wants to go with me, and that's all I need to hear.
I deposit her on the wood floor of the entryway, though I keep my arms around her, unwilling to let go yet.
"It's true?" I ask, as my grin gets bigger.
"Yes." She pecks a kiss on my mouth. "I want our road trip to start today. I thought about it all night and this morning and then in the car I realized—"
I silence her ramblings with my lips. When I finally make myself stop kissing her, I ask, "How soon can you be ready?"
"Already packed. Got ready last night."
