Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
I meant it when I told him, “You look absolutely beautiful, Kit. For the record, you always do.”
“That’s definitely not true.”
I smiled at him and gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Kit opened the door, but then he turned back to me and asked, “Do you walk me to and from work because you’re worried something will happen to me if you don’t?”
The answer was yes, but I countered with another question. “Why would I worry about that?”
“Because you think I’m ‘snatchable.’ You called me that the day we met. Do you actually believe someone will toss me into an unmarked van if you’re not around to defend me?”
“Maybe I want you to defend me. Did you ever think of that?”
He tried to frown as he pointed out, “You never actually answer me. You just ask more questions.”
“Do I?”
He rolled his eyes. “Now you’re doing it on purpose.”
I chuckled and said, “Go to work, Kit. I’ll see you soon.” He took one last look at me and grinned before stepping through the door.
At about five-thirty, I was sitting in a café with a huge vat of iced coffee when Kit texted, asking where I was. I sent a reply, and two minutes later, he slid into the seat across from me and blurted, “The club is closing, effective immediately.”
“Oh, no! What happened?”
“The owner’s husband had a mild heart attack. He’ll be fine, but they decided it was time for both of them to retire and do all the things they’ve been talking about for years, like traveling.”
“I’m glad he’s okay.”
“Me, too. I’m in shock, though. That place was a San Francisco institution, and I guess I thought it’d be there forever. But the owner doesn’t want to leave his husband’s side, and really, there’s no Miss Lady Jane’s without the grande dame herself.”
“True, but it’s a bummer that you’re out of work with no notice,” I said. “If you need some money, just let me know. I’m happy to help out.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m totally fine. They gave all of us severance pay. Mine was almost two thousand dollars, can you believe it? I went straight to the ATM when the meeting ended and deposited my check, because I was nervous about carrying that much around with me.”
“That’s good news.”
“It really is. Instead of trying to find another job right away, I think I want to take the rest of the month off and concentrate on my designs. I’ve been feeling pretty uninspired, so hopefully I can find my groove again.”
“You know what you need? A change of scenery.”
“You’re right,” he said. “Maybe I’ll try sketching at the park, or in a coffee shop, or—”
“Or at the Grand Canyon, and at your friend’s house in Texas.”
“What?”
“We need to do a road trip, Kit. I was going to suggest it earlier while we were talking about your bucket list, but we got interrupted when you were called in to work. Now it feels like it was meant to be.”
He processed that for a few moments before asking, “Could we really do that?” He seemed reluctant to get his hopes up.
“Absolutely. I’ll rent us a car, or maybe an RV. We can drive to San Diego first and visit your dad, and then we’ll go to the Grand Canyon. Do you want to camp, or stay at the lodge?”
“I don’t know.”
He was clearly feeling overwhelmed, so I said, “It’s okay, we can decide later. It’s the off-season, so nothing’s going to get booked up. Anyway, after that, we can drive to Texas. What part of the state is your friend in?”
“He lives near Austin, out in the country.” He searched my eyes as he asked me, “Why do you want to do this?”
“Because I love road trips, and I also love the idea of getting to experience all of this with you.”
“What would we do after Texas?”
“Whatever we want.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Just say yes, and we can leave tonight. All we have to do is hop online and rent something, pack our bags, and hit the road.”
Kit still seemed uncertain. “I know I just got that check, but I’m not sure how much of it I should spend. What if it takes a while to find another job? I might have to make that money last.”
“I’ll pay for all of it. You won’t have to spend a dime.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“But I want to, and this trip isn’t just for you, Kit. I need it as much as you do, maybe more. With my birthday inching closer, this would be the best distraction I could imagine.”
I knew that would convince him. He had a hard time accepting good things for himself, but if it was going to benefit someone else, he was all for it. The worry line between his brows eased, and he murmured, “It feels like I’m dreaming.”