Page 49 of Double Booked
“It’s me,” he replied.
She swung open the door and faced him with an unreadable expression.
“Hey,” he said.
“How long have you been home?”
“I just got here. I heard you typing, and I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“I was writing.”
“Your story?”
“Um-hmm.”
“Good for you.”
She scrunched up her face. “It’s harder than I thought it’d be.”
“I’ll let you get back to work, but when you’re done, can we talk?”
“Yeah. Just give me a few more minutes.”
“Take your time.”
She nodded and shut the door. In the meantime, he shucked off his boots and went upstairs to freshen up. Freshen up? Why did it matter how he looked? Oh, that’s right. Because I’m falling for her.
Sighing, he changed into a clean shirt and washed his face. Then he dug around in his toiletries bag, searching for a comb. He found an old black one at the bottom and rinsed it off before running it through his hair. Even a comb couldn’t tame his unruly locks. Oh well. He took one last look in the mirror and left the room.
When he went downstairs, she was already there, perched on the couch in the same spot she’d sat in last night.
“You changed,” she said.
“I was sweaty from hiking.”
“Where’d you go?”
He sat, leaving a safe distance between them. “The alpine tundra off Trail Ridge Road.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“The elevation is so high not much grows there.”
“What did you take pictures of?”
“Mostly the mountain vistas and some Pika.”
“Pika?”
“They’re a small rodent common to the area.”
She scrunched up her nose. “Like a mouse?”
“They’re bigger than that. I can show you some pictures if you want.”
“Maybe later.” She pinned him with her gaze. “What did you want to talk about?”
He shifted and faced her, knowing he couldn’t avoid the conversation any longer. “It’s about Patrick.”
