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It's a ridiculous dream and I know it, but I want it all the same.
I love my life, my job, my friends. But there’s something magical about this cabin away from everything, where responsibilities don’t exist, rules are ignored, and all that matters is today because tomorrow is an eternity away.
Cole frowns and wipes his mouth with a napkin. Because yes, after cooking us naked breakfast, he sets the table, pours us coffee, adding sugar to mine the way I like, and uses utensils properly. It’s the little things, but it makes me feel like even a lazy Sunday breakfast is a valuable experience. He makes it feel like I’m worth making it important.
“That sounds good. Mostly the no annoying people part.”
I grin, teasing with wide, fake-innocent eyes, “Aww, are you calling me not-annoying?”
His lip lifts in a small smile at the barely-a-compliment I’m giving myself. “What’s next for you?”
I catch the little add-on there where he’s specifically asking about me, like we aren’t a thing anymore. Not that we ever were, but part of why I wish we could stay here is because of Cole. All week has been fun, and last night-slash-this morning was amazing.
Maybe I need a sex-cation with Cole?
But I don’t suggest that. Instead, I answer his question. “I’m driving home this morning, then I have laundry to do and groceries to buy because tomorrow is a regular Monday for me. I’ll be taking reports by seven a.m. and handing out meds by eight.”
The weight of reality crashes down on me. Imagining a typical workday, I say, “I’ll take care of my patients all day, and Mason’ll force me to go out for dinner, even after I tell him I bought food, by reminding me that I can’t cook. And we’ll talk about my vacation and the wedding. He doesn’t know about you yet, and I can’t wait to tell him about the sexy stranger I almost killed with bear spray and my ninja skills but ended up seducing into helping me escape my family’s death grip.” I curl my hands like claws and wrinkle my nose like my family is full of literal monsters.
“Sounds like a hell of a Monday,” Cole says in a monotone, disinterested voice that sounds too familiar. He might as well have said ‘mmhmm, yeah, sure’ for all the inflection in his words. Is he really that suddenly uninterested? Or is there something more to it?
“You?” I prompt, trying to reengage the way we’ve been all week.
He shrugs. “Home. Work. Repeat.”
“Won’t any of your friends or family check on you? You’ve been gone longer than expected. Are they worried?” I ask in concern. “Oh, you probably texted them already, right?”
He looks at me with his brows low over his blue eyes. “Nobody knows I’m gone. They don’t know when I’m there either. I show up for dinners when I can, or if they’re mandatory, because that usually means shit’s hitting the fan, which is good entertainment more often than not. But, no . . .” He finishes with a shrug like it’s completely normal that no one knows when he leaves home for an entire week.
It’s shocking. I told Mason my plans, including giving him the link to the cabin’s ad, the emails from Anderson, and my expected route to and from the cabin. I also have a neighbor getting my mail and watching my place for any suspicious activity. If I didn’t show up today, there’d be at least two people who’d call the police and report me missing, and I’d probably be on the news by Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest, because Mason wouldn’t leave the networks alone until they were running ticker tapes at the bottom . . . Have you seen this woman? She needs to show up to work because we’re out of ratio! And oh, yeah, she’s my bestie.
But really, I have people who would care and that’s important.
“You can text me when you get home,” I offer. It’s a bigger deal than it sounds like and I know it. I’m asking if he wants to continue us outside the fantasy world of the cabin and the fake boyfriend deal.
I hold my breath, waiting.
“Janey,” he says gently.
Nope, nope, not doing that ‘let her down easy’ tone. Not today, not any day.
I rush to smooth over the awkwardness I’ve created. “I mean, someone should know you’re okay and didn’t drive into a ditch along the way home. It doesn’t have to be me.” I laugh, but it’s high and forced and sounds fake even to my ears.
I should’ve taken the win of an amazing week with an even more amazing stranger and been grateful. And I am. So grateful for everything Cole’s done for me. But I pushed too far.
“You finished?” Cole says flatly, pointing to my plate with a jerk of his chin. He’s nearly hugging his empty plate, slouched forward with a hand pressed to the island on either side of it. I glance from his plate to mine, which has a few bites left, but the tasty breakfast is sitting like a rock in my stomach now and I couldn’t eat another bite if I tried.
