“Oh? What about?”
“My job is almost finished here at The Cabot.”
She closed her eyes, willing him not to continue. Not go on to the inevitable next words.
“I’ve gotten another job offer and I’m going to go check on it next week.”
She pulled away from him slightly, bracing herself.“Where is this new project?”
“It’s in…Oregon. On the coast.”
A person couldn’t get much further away from Moonbeam than that. She looked down at her hands now, noticing a bit of chipped polish and the way her watch was twisted off-center on her wrist. She twisted it back into place.“Well, we knew your job would end here sometime.”
He reached over and placed his hand gently under her chin, tilting her face up to look directly at him.“The job has ended…but my feelings for you haven’t. I have to go check out this job on Monday, but I’ll be back at the end of the week.”
She didn’t want to ask the question. Didn’t want to think about it. But it needed to be asked.“And then what?”
His forehead creased.“And then we’ll have to work something out. I don’t plan on just walking away from…this.”
“Whatisthis?”
“I’m not sure, but I know that I care about you. Deeply. I love spending time with you, talking to you.”
She reached up, touched his face, and he covered her hand with his.“I enjoy spending time with you, too.”She’d gotten used to seeing him almost every day. A coffee here, a dinner there. And most evenings he came over to her house to sit out on the point and they’d have a glass of wine or chamomile tea. She would miss that.
“We’ll figure this out, Donna. We have to.”
She nodded, not daring to speak.
He pulled her close again, and they sat not talking, each of them lost in their thoughts. She finally pulled away.“We should probably get going. I have an early day tomorrow.”
He rose and held out a hand for her, pulling her gently to her feet.“We should, then.”
They headed through the hotel and out to the long circle drive in front of the hotel. Barry laughed softly.“Remember when I couldn’t find my way around town and you had to lead me back to my rental house?”
“I do.”
“Quite fortuitous that I rented the house right next to yours.”
“It was.”Fate was sly like that sometimes. Found ways to drop someone right into your life.
He stopped under the lamplight and turned to look down at her.“Donna, we’ll figure this out. We’ll work something out.”
Maybe. But then, maybe it would get too complicated with a long-distance relationship. Or he’d get tired of traveling back to see her. She couldn’t just go jet-setting across the country to see him. She had to be here for Parker’s, especially with the cafe just opening.
She wanted to reassure him that things would work out. That it would all be okay. But somehow, she just wasn’t able to. She just nodded again.
He sighed and took her hand. His hand was warm and comforting wrapped around hers. She glanced down at their grasp. She’d miss this, too. The little things. Like holding his hand.
They continued walking home in silence until they reached her front steps.“I’ll let you go in, then. I know you have to be up early.”
She had planned on asking him to sit outside and have some tea. But she did have to get up early. But maybe he was pulling back now. In preparation for the new stage of their relationship?
He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close, and kissed her gently. She slid her arms around his waist and leaned against him after the kiss. She’d miss this too. His kisses. His holding her.
Loneliness swept through her, which was ridiculous because she was right here in his arms. She pulled away and looked up into his face, seeing the same emotions she was feeling flit across his features. He gave her a small smile.“Good night.”
“Night, Barry.”He walked over to his cottage and waved one time before he slipped into the house.
