Realizing she was babbling, she reined in her enthusiasm. “I’m sorry. TMI, right?”
“Not at all. Have you looked into how you would go about doing something like that?”
She shook her head, embarrassed. “No. It’s just a silly idea; that’s all. Blue-skying, my cousin Toni calls it. Unlike you, I am not technically inclined, and since I am not independently wealthy, I need to earn an actual living.”
He frowned. “Tell me about Toni.”
“She’s more than family. She’s my best friend,” Bree said truthfully, trying to think of a way to best describe Toni. “Fearless. And a complete nut. I told her I was moving to California, and the first thing she said was, ‘When do we leave?’ ” Bree smiled at the memory. “We lucked out, both getting jobs at the Voice—me in the mailroom, her as a gofer. She’s in research now.”
“She sounds awesome.”
“She is,” Bree confirmed.
Breakfast finished, she stacked the plates and stood. As much as she would like to spend the rest of the day talking—and potentially doing other things—with Nick, there was no use in prolonging the inevitable. The longer she stayed, the harder it would be to leave.
“Well, I should be going. I have some things I’d like to check out in town before I leave.” She thought briefly of inviting Nick to spend the day doing those things with her but dismissed that idea as well. It wasn’t Sanctuary that was hard to walk away from. It was him.
He stood, too. “I’ll walk you to the lot. It’s not far.”
“Sounds good. Let me just change, so I can give you your clothes back.”
“Keep them, if you want. I’ve got plenty.”
It was tempting. His clothes were roomy and comfortable and didn’t smell like they’d been hanging in a stable. On the other hand, they didn’t exactly convey the kind of professional image she hoped to maintain. Or what little of it remained after her unplanned sleepover.
As a compromise, she kept his shirt, tucking it into her oversize bag—a memento of sorts.
His mood seemed to change when she reappeared, dressed in her own clothes. Gone were the easy smile and mischievous sparkle in his eyes as they made the disappointingly short walk back to the lot.
“When are you flying out?” he asked.
“Late tomorrow night.”
“Do you have everything you need? For your article, I mean.”
“I think so.”
“So ... I guess this is good-bye.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
And yet they stood there, reluctant to part ways. At least, that was how Bree felt. She wasn’t sure what was going through his mind. His expression was no longer readable, his body language stiffer than it had been. He’d shut down, as if he’d already moved on.
“Thanks, Nick. For everything.”
“You’re welcome. Safe travels.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Bree
Bree thought her mood would improve as she put more distance between herself and Sanctuary, but it didn’t. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was leaving something important behind.
But that was ridiculous. She barely knew Nick. They’d spent one night together—albeit one amazing night. Now, it was over, and it was time to wrap up this assignment and move on to the next one.
The thought left her uninspired.
Telling Nick about her dream job—and why exactly did I do that?—had reminded her what it felt like to be excited about something. How long had it been since she’d actually experienced that kind of hopeful anticipation over an assignment?
Oh, it wasn’t as if her job was horrible; it wasn’t. It allowed her to travel to places she might otherwise never go to and meet interesting people. Plus, she earned a decent wage, enough to keep a nice roof over her head and pay her share of the bills. That was the goal of adulting, right? Responsibility, not dreams.
But is it enough? And is it wrong to want more?
When Bree turned onto Martha’s street, she was surprised to see a Sumneyville PD patrol car parked in front of the B & B. Hoping nothing bad had happened to Martha, she parked quickly and hurried in to find Officer Lenny in the kitchen with the older woman.
“Bree! Thank goodness!” exclaimed Martha when she saw her, clasping her hand to her chest.
“What happened? Is everything okay?”
“Where have you been? I was so worried.”
It took Bree a moment to realize that nothing was wrong. Martha had been worried about her. “Why?”
Just that quickly, Martha’s expression went from one of concern to one of irritation. Her tone was chastising when she pointedly said, “You didn’t return last night.”
Bree was surprised she’d noticed; Martha had been sound asleep and snoring like a chain saw every other night. Then again, Martha had probably noticed that her car wasn’t parked in the driveway when she got up that morning and thought the worst, although, in reality, Sumneyville’s version of a worst-case scenario was most likely being broken down on the side of the road and having to wait for service.
Been there, done that. Aloud, she said, “My plans ran later than expected.”
Martha sniffed. “You could have told me you were going to be out all night.”
Bree wasn’t sure what to say about that. She wasn’t used to explaining her comings and goings to anyone, least of all someone she barely knew. She was about to apologize but then decided against it. What she did was no one’s business but her own.
“See, Martha? Told you there was nothing to worry about. Bree’s a big girl.” Officer Petraski stood and thanked Martha for the coffee and then cast Bree an unreadable look. “Walk out with me?”
Bree followed Lenny outside, unsure of whether to expect a rebuke or commiseration. “I’m sorry she called you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I got a decent cup of coffee and a
