Her eyes go wide.
“And then there’s San Francisco. You can do a lot of walking there, but you’re probably not going to see it all.”
“Are you kidding? That’s been a bucket list place for me, so I already know all the places I want to see there!”
“Seriously?”
An enthusiastic nod is her first response. “Oh, definitely. I think it could be an exciting setting for a story! And now I’ll get to find out for sure!”
“Okay, then! Great!” I pause. “Wait, does that mean you don’t want to go on the rest of the trip? Like…if San Francisco really spurs on your creativity, will you be able to leave or will you want to stay?”
“I’m going with you, Ash. You don’t have to worry about that. I’m kind of realizing how I don’t have to live someplace to write about it. And if there’s more research to be done, I can always go back for another week.”
“Oh. That’s good. Okay.” I’m oddly relieved by her logic. “I was hoping you were going to like this plan, but I didn’t want to do a hard sell on it. This has to work for you.”
She takes a sip of her wine before stopping and smiling. “You know, I was mildly overwhelmed just thinking about how I was going to get everything done and then move back to Raleigh. Sort of like the car. I still don’t know how I’m going to get it there.”
“There are shipping companies that handle that sort of thing. It’s not quite like the pods for your furniture, but there are car transports.”
“How do you know all of this?”
I feel a little silly admitting it, but…
“Like I said, I didn’t want to do a hard sell on this plan, but I needed to cover all my bases too. So, I researched everything I could about moving across the country.”
The look she gives me says she’s seriously considering her next words.
“And what if I didn’t like the plan? Then what would you have done?”
“Um…well…I would have asked you what your timeline for moving looked like and if you needed my help, and I would have adjusted my work schedule around it.”
“Ash, no! That’s too much!”
“Don’t you get it? I want to be there for you! And even though I used up some of my vacation time to go to the beach, I’ve hardly taken any time off in a long time. If I call my boss and tell him I need more time off, he’d give it to me.”
“Wow. That’s nice.”
“Not as nice as being my own boss like you are,” I tease.
“Yeah, well…I don’t have as much freedom as you think. I still have deadlines.”
We talk about the publishing business as we finish our meals and clean up. Afterwards, Olivia lights the small electric fireplace as we take our wine back over to the sofa, where we get comfortable.
The soft glow of the fireplace flickers against the walls, casting shadows that dance in rhythm with the slow hum of rain tapping against the windows. When she sees me glance over that way, she laughs softly.
“You know the Pacific Northwest is famous for our rainy weather, right?”
“I did know that. I’m not usually a fan of the rain, but right now, this is kind of nice.”
I watch as Olivia sinks into the plush cushions, her legs curled beneath her. We’re both quietly watching the fire and there’s a kind of comfort in the silence. I turn to look at her because now that we’re in the same room together, I love that I can. My heart still races at just the sight of her.
“You’re staring, Sebastian,” she says silkily. I love it when she uses my full name; the sultry sound of her voice makes my pulse quicken.
“I can’t help it,” I tell her as I settle close beside her, our thighs brushing, the warmth of her seeping into my skin. She takes a sip of her wine, her eyes never leaving mine. The tension between us is like a quiet, electric current.
Just like it’s always been.
I reach out, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, my fingers lingering because I love the softness of her skin.
