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Only the biting cold of the air makes us pull apart. A few clouds have sprouted and, even if it’s only mid-afternoon, the temperature is dropping fast.
I still have my arms around Blake from behind and she’s still staring at the scenery, one hand buried at my nape like an anchor, as she asks, “It’s time to go back, isn’t it?”
I go a little rigid. “Technically, we could spend the night. The house is fully stocked.”
Blake doesn’t reply for a long time. “Maybe next time.” She turns to face me. “I’d prefer to get back to the hotel tonight.”
I nod and help her back down the tree house ladder.
She skips the last few steps, jumping onto the grass, waiting for me to join her. “But could I use the bathroom before we go?”
“Sure.”
I unlock the main house for her and show her inside. It’s a compact space. Open-space living room with annexed kitchen and four doors, one each for bathroom, bedroom, guest bedroom, and the connected garage.
“Bathroom’s that way.” I point to the middle door.
As soon as she gets inside, I go back out and call Mila from the patio.
“Boss,” she picks up on the first ring. “Everything going according to—”
“Abort the next part of the plan,” I interrupt. “I’m taking Blake back to the hotel.”
“Oh! Things didn’t work out the way you hoped?”
They went beyond my wildest expectations.
“I don’t have time to talk,” I say. “Cancel everything and send me a confirmation text when it’s done.”
I hang up and put the phone away just as Blake comes out of the house.
She hugs me from behind, asking, “Should we go back the way we came?”
“If you want, but I have a car in the garage. We can drive back down the main road, and I’ll have someone bring the car back tomorrow.”
“Oh! So the almost two-hour hike in the woods was just for fun?”
I flash her a fish-eating grin. “Exactly.” I make a beeline for the picnic blanket, saying, “Do you mind if we clear up the picnic first? I don’t want a horde of raccoons to set up camp in my front yard.”
I’d usually have someone come later to clear everything up, but I need to give Mila enough time to erase the next part of the plan without leaving traces.
Blake’s smile is wicked as she follows me. “Or we could wait for them to show up, capture one, and release it in Thomas’s room.”
I cup her face and stamp a kiss on her forehead. “I like the way you think.”
I more than like her, and it almost slipped my tongue earlier.
We make a quick job of collecting everything up from the lawn, but in the house, I take my time putting everything away while Blake watches me, making ridiculous comments like, “You look very domesticated when you do the dishes.”
I flip her off, and she smiles.
When I have no more pretexts to delay, I excuse myself to the bathroom to check the phone for messages. There’s a single one from Mila:
From Mila
All clear, boss. You’re good to go.
I sigh in relief. In hindsight, my plan was really stupid, reckless, a step too far. I wash my hands and exit the bathroom, ready to tell Blake I’m ready when the earth shakes and a low rumble starts in the distance, picking up intensity. The noise must come from far away, but it feels like booming thunder is cracking in our ears.
