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Her smile was forced as I walked by her and kissed her on the cheek. Had I said something last night? I was pretty sure I hadn’t.
She’d been quiet ever since we left Preston and Harmony’s. Rubbing the tension in the back of my neck, I pulled out my phone and sent a text message off.
Me: Did Rory happen to mention anything being wrong when you guys went for a walk?
I tossed my phone onto the bed and waited for Angie to text me back.
Little Sis: Nope. Nothing. Why, what’s wrong?
Me: Probably nothing. My imagination.
Little sis: Probs. Love you, big bro. Got to run. Hugs to Rory!
I sat down on my bed and blew out a deep breath. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. There was something different in her eyes this morning.
Shaking it off, I stood and pulled on a pair of jeans, then a light sweater shirt. The temperature was supposed to be on the chilly side today.
With a quick run of my fingers through my hair, I took off back to the living room. Rory was on the balcony talking to someone. I grabbed Finn’s leash and he came flying over to me, jumping around like an idiot.
“You ready to go spend the day with other dogs?”
Flash jetted his front paws out and barked. Laughing, I clipped the leash on. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“All ready?” Rory asked.
“Yep. Who was that?”
“Russell. We have a meeting with the client and his accuser tomorrow morning. I’m hoping it’s to tell us she’s dropping the chargers against Robert Long.”
I shook my head and grabbed Rory’s bag. “I hope so. He’s a good guy, and I never believed those accusations in the first place.”
Rory simply nodded her head as she reached for her purse. “Yeah. You know, I think McCormick’s butt hurt that it was me who exposed this lady.”
I shut the door behind me, then locked it. “Fuck him. Let’s not talk shop. Today is all about us.”
Her eyes filled with happiness, then suddenly looked sad. “Sounds perfect.”
Jesus, why is she so emotional?
She clapped her hands together, her mood instantly changed. “So…you going to tell me where we’re going?”
I chuckled and shook my head. Grabbing her hand, I kissed the back of it. “Nope. You’ll find out soon enough.”
With a sweeter-than-sweet smile, she gazed up at me as we headed to the elevator. “Another surprise huh?”
I kissed her nose. “Well, I know how much you love them.”
“Yes I do, Mr. Ward. Yes. I. Do.”
—
The streets were lined with red and yellow leaves as I drove through town. This was one of my favorite times of the year.
“Salem? We’re spending the day in Salem?”
I could hear the excitement in her voice. “Well, when you said you hadn’t been since you were a little girl and it was one of your favorite towns, I thought why the heck not.”
She bounced in her seat. “How do you always know what I want to do?”
Laughing, I took her hand in mine. “Because I listen when you talk.”
Her head turned, and she stared at me with nothing but love in those beautiful baby blue eyes.
“I hope you like carnivals.”
“What? I love them! The carnival in Salem is amazing!”
There was no way I could contain the smile on my face. I loved making Rory happy, and I had the strangest feeling I needed to do that today more than ever.
Chapter 46
Finn
What went wrong?
“Best candy apple ever!” Rory stated as we headed back to my car.
Laughing, I adjusted the giant stuffed animal in my arms.
“I still can’t believe you won it.”
“He underestimated my ability.”
Rory giggled. “You know they were secretly moving those targets, right?”
“Of course I did. Why do you think I stood there for so long watching before I knew I was ready to walk up and shoot ’em all down?”
Rory let out a contented sigh as we walked through the town.
“I love the fall. The smells, the sounds, the beauty of it. It’s my favorite time of year. No, wait—winter is. No. No, I think it’s fall.”
I chuckled and shifted the bear again. “It’s mine, too. When I was younger I always looked forward to going to all the fall fests. Apple cider.”
“Pumpkin carving!”
“Making scarecrows.”
Giggling, she said, “The smell of cinnamon in everything!”
I rolled my eyes. “Ugh…yes.”
A young man approached us, a huge grin on his face. “Good afternoon! Would you like to take part in tonight’s haunted-footsteps ghost tour?”
With a polite nod, I responded, “No thanks. We’re heading back to Boston.”
“It’s a lot of fun.”
“Nah, we’ve got plans this evening, but thank you.”
Rory took another bite of her candy apple before tossing it into a trash can. Facing me, she asked, “What’s the plan for tonight?”
With a wink, I stated, “You’ll see.”
She shook her head, and I held the door open for her as she slipped into the car.
