She visibly relaxes, and I can see a hint of a smile. “I don’t. That wasn’t what I meant. I meant…rather than trying to fix my process or even change it, you’ve found a way to embrace it.”
I feel my ears heating a bit. “Well, I’m trying to change it a little bit. I’m basically asking you to speed date with several cities.”
“Oh my God! I love that!” she gushes before lunging at me and hugging me. We stay like that for several long moments before she pulls back and cups my jaw. “I must have done something good in a former life to be rewarded like this.”
That’s such a powerful statement and I don’t even know how to respond.
“Honestly, Ash, I just…you’re so good to me—literally everything I need and want. It sometimes makes me feel inferior because…”
I know exactly where she’s going with this and instantly place a finger to her lips. “We’re not going there again. It’s not a competition and you are everything to me, okay? There is nothing inferior about you.”
“But…come on. Even you have to admit we’re a little unbalanced. You show up here to surprise me and then have this phenomenal idea to help me with this next book! And that’s on top of all the crazy plot ideas you’ve come up with!”
Smiling, I nod. “Yeah, I know. I’m awesome,” I tease. “But do you know what you’ve done for me?”
“Other than make you crazy?” she murmurs.
Grabbing her hand, I place it firmly over my heart. “Olivia Ashley, you have reminded me that there is more to life than work. You came into my world in the most casual and quiet of ways, and yet you turned it all upside down. This last month I have laughed and smiled and felt more alive than I ever have. You make my heart happy,” I tell her as I press her hand more firmly against my chest. “I was merely existing before I met you. You brought color and life and laughter into my very dull and quiet world.”
Her shoulders sag. “Really?”
“Really. The thought of traveling with you has given me so much to look forward to! And when it’s all over, we can rest in Raleigh for a while. By then, your stuff will be there, and we can set up your new apartment.”
“How will my stuff get there?”
I glance around her place. “Um, I hate to break it to you, but we can have this entire place packed up in a day. We can call one of those moving pod companies and they can have it all shipped to Raleigh in no time, and they’ll hold it until you have a place.”
I watch her look around, frowning. “I guess there really isn’t a lot. And I don’t mind breaking the lease. I’ve been on a month-to-month basis for the last six months, so I won’t lose a lot of money.”
“That’s awesome!”
She nods.
“Look, I’m not trying to pressure you or rush you. If this isn’t the way you want to do things, I will totally understand. The whole idea just came to me, and I didn’t want to text you about it; I wanted to be here with you.” Reaching up, I caress her cheek. “I’ve missed you. A lot. I miss going to sleep and waking up looking at this face.”
“Oh, Ash…”
We’re interrupted by the doorbell and we both jump up to grab the groceries. No sooner are we unpacking them than the doorbell rings again with our dinner. That one I can handle. I have no idea where Olivia puts all of her groceries, so I stay out of her way and set the kitchen table up with our food.
“I have some white wine,” she says when she joins me with plates and silverware. “I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s fine. Trust me.” So we get settled and serve ourselves. I figure we’re going to take a break from talking about the move and all the traveling, but she surprises me and brings it up first.
“Is your boss okay with me traveling with you?”
“I mean, he’s not going to pay for your airfare, but he’s fine with you staying at the hotels with me.”
After taking a forkful of sesame chicken, she nods. “What is your typical day like when you travel? Like, is it a nine-to-five situation or are you putting in twelve-hour days?”
“For maintenance and updates, it’s a typical workday. I’ll be back at the hotel by 5:30 the latest and we’ll have the nights to do whatever we want. And depending on the system, I could even be back earlier. I just like to plan for a normal day.”
“That makes sense.”
I love that she’s seriously considering this.
“I’ve never been to California,” she says shyly. “Is it wrong that I’m almost stupidly excited about actually going there?”
Laughing, I reach for her hand and kiss it. “Not at all. I think that’s kind of cute. I know we won’t get a ton of time to sightsee, but Carlsbad is actually a really quaint little beach town. You can walk around there all day and see most of it. The town’s literally right on the ocean.”
