my soul. I say goodbye to everyone at the door and thank them again for coming. In the corner of the living room, I catch Nate checking his phone. With a frown creasing his forehead, his fingers fly over the screen as he texts. As I study him, a strange burst of unease moves through me, a restlessness that I just can’t shake.
We need to talk, that much is sure, but as I think about the last couple of days, the private phone calls, all the texts, the strange secret way he’s been acting, it fills me with discomfort. Last night, I fell asleep while waiting for him, exhaustion from many late nights, work, and dealing with the studio and the B&B, had finally taken its toll on me. I’d expected him to crawl in beside me, wake me, and take me in his arms. But when morning came, there was no sign that he’d been in my bed.
Is it possible that I’m reading more into this relationship than there really is? Was he only in my bed because of the sex, and once it was off the table because I was sound asleep, there was no need for him to snuggle in next to me? But then I woke up to a brand-new set of winter tires on the old land yacht. If he didn’t care, would he have done that? And I can’t forget how he snuggled me in the tent that night, just to keep me safe and warm.
God, I don’t know what to think anymore.
After the last of the crowd disperses, I, along with the others, start tidying up, and Nate comes into the kitchen, his hair a mess from running agitated hands through it. I catch his eyes, raise a questioning brow, as another wave of unease hits.
“I have to go,” he says. “I have some things to take care of.”
“Yeah, sure. You’re just trying to get out of cleaning up,” Jason teases.
Nate takes my elbow, puts his mouth to my ear. “We need to talk,” he says, his voice so serious my pulse leaps in my throat.
“We do,” I say.
He glances past my shoulder to the back door. “When I get back.”
I nod as he pulls on his winter coat and boots and disappears outside. I cross my arms over my body, suddenly chilled to the bone.
“Have you thought any more about staying?” Jason asks, breaking my trance.
I nod. “I have, Jason. There are a few things I need to figure out before I can commit to moving my life across the country.”
A big smile comes over his face, over all their faces, and when they pull me into a group hug, I suck back a big hiccupping sob.
“You guys are the best,” I say.
“Yeah, we kind of are,” Sam says and scrapes his knuckles over my head.
“Now, don’t give away our rooms to anyone else while we’re gone,” Cody says.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, but guys, I’ve not committed yet, so don’t get your hopes up.”
Izzy goes back to loading the dishwasher, and once we finish cleaning, they all head to their rooms to relax. I walk around the B&B and let old memories bombard me. I step into my office, but it’s not work that’s calling to me. No, I’m ready to go to Gram’s studio, to bask in all that we shared there.
With winter tires on my car—and I plan to pay Nate back for that, sneaky guy that he is—I dress, tug on my hat and mitts, and yell up the stairs to let everyone know I’m headed out for a bit. I grab my phone and find a message from the damn law firm, offering even more money for the studio. When will they get it through their thick heads that I’ll never sell, not in a million years, not for any amount of money?
I message back one word. No.
When I head outside, it’s nearing four and getting dark already, but the roads are clear, so the drive to the studio is a good one. I turn onto the cottage road, but it looks like there are