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“We could try the long-distance thing. I’m not ready to let you go.”
“Lucas, this time with you has been a dream, the best in my life. But the real world has a way of breaking in.”
With a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she grabbed a few clothes from her bag, walked to the bathroom, and closed the door. I wasn’t invited to join her this time.
My chest hurt. I may have had the touch in tech, but I definitely didn’t have it with women. I was thinking love and forever, and she was planning to walk out the door.
She left the bathroom, fully dressed in those tight leggings and long sweaters she loved. I showered and tried to get a grip. Maybe it wasn’t love. I’d never been in love. It wasn’t just sex, but that didn’t mean it was love. I would bounce back once I was back in my old life. Tech, I knew how to do that, and I was good at it. There were no doubts there. I was feeling all sorts of doubt about Jo.
We packed the car, and I took the key to the resort office.
“It’s good to see you again, Lucas. Have you talked to Tess lately? I’m a little worried about her.” Mrs. Curtis had owned the resort forever and managed it with the longtime handyman and possibly something more, Mr. Rose. Mrs. Curtis was a bundle of love and energy with her short dark hair, clear eyes, and bright smile. She loved her guests like family, and it showed.
“Yeah, she was home for the festival and told us she was having problems with one of her professors. She wouldn’t say more, but knowing Tess, it’s all under control. She keeps things close these days. Not like when she was a teenager, a chronic oversharer.”
“Oh, I liked those oversharing days. I’ll sure miss her around here this summer. It’s the end of an age.”
“She’ll make time to visit. She loves this place almost as much as you do.”
Mrs. Curtis looked a little pale and was moving slower than I remembered.
“Are you feeling okay, Mrs. Curtis? Everything good here?”
“I’ve got it all under control.” She winked. “How was the cabin?”
“Great. Thanks for letting us stay before the official opening.”
“Well, your sister is the daughter I never had. I guess that makes you the son I never had. I was happy to do it.”
I pulled her in for a hug. Her frame felt slighter than I remembered too. She was such a kind woman. I should come back more, but the idea of returning without Jo didn’t hold much appeal.
I waved to Mr. Rose as I strode toward Jo and my packed car.
“Good to see you, boy.” He ran a hand through his gray hair. “The lady would love to see you and your family this summer.”
“Thanks, Mr. Rose. I’m heading back to Seattle, but I’ll tell Finn to bring his girl, and now that Dad retired, he and Mom should make a trip too.”
“Good. Drive safe.”
The ride back to Perry Harbor was quiet. I missed Jo already, and she was sitting right next to me. Was she floating out of my life like she floated in? Each of us going back to our different worlds where we belonged?
At the top of her landing, she took her overnight bag from me.
“Thank you for everything. These past couple of days. And all the days before that, too. You’re an amazing man.”
Something bloomed in her eyes. No one had ever looked at me like that before.
“Jo, we have a few days until I go, and I’ll come back. As often as I can. I don’t want this to end. I want you in my life.”
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss. She hesitated, then dropped her bag and opened to let me in. My world righted again.
She leaned back but, thankfully, didn’t leave my arms. “I’d really like that.” Finally, her smile hit her eyes.
I watched her step inside her apartment, still smiling for me as she closed the door.
We’d find a way to make it work. We had to.
40
