Page 37 of Passions & Peonies

Will

“You’re welcome.” I wipe the tears off her cheeks. “I’d do it again and again just to see you sleeping in my bed, using my shower, and walking into my kitchen in the morning. But not because you’re sick—it’s because I want you here.”

She lifts up on the tips of her toes and pecks me lightly on the lips. “I don’t want this week to end.”

“Let’s not talk about it then.” I can’t think about it. My heart will go with her when she leaves, and I don’t know how I’ll survive that. “Is your stomach ready for some tea, or would you rather drink water?”

She unwraps her arms from my waist and lifts up the different boxes of tea. “You really went and bought these for me?”

“Sky told me which ones you like. I bought them all.” I fill up the electric water boiler that I bought this morning, then turn it on. I’ve never had to boil water for tea here before. I could have just used a pot, I guess.

Her hands fly to her forehead. “Wait, I’m so horrible! Where is Sky?”

“Don’t worry. She knows I’m here with you. I went to the office earlier to pick up stuff to work on here and went to the store for your tea. I forgot to bring stuff for breakfast. She said we live like typical bachelors and have no food. I kicked her butt out and told her to take a break and eat at the hotel.”

“I hope she doesn’t mind that I’m still here. This isn’t the way we planned to spend vacation. Actually this whole vacation has been nothing like I expected.”

“I don’t know… she had a sort of twinkle in her eye. I don’t think she minded leaving you here. I think she knew it would make us happy, that it’d be good for both of us.” I rub the back of my neck. “Am I making any sense?”

Probably not. It’s like we’re all walking on eggshells to avoid talking about what’s going on between us. Josh and Sky know exactly how Lacey and I feel about each other. They’re giving us time together because it will soon be up. Meanwhile, Lacey and I are too scared to admit it to each other.

“You make perfect sense. They’re encouraging us to spend time together before we need to leave early Saturday.”

Just as she finishes her sentence, the water boiler clicks. I take a mug out of the cabinet and set it on the counter. She opens the chamomile box and pulls out a packet.

“Oh my gosh! What about Josh? Didn’t you say you had something important to do today? You mentioned something on Monday. You should be at work,” she babbles worriedly.

“Hey, hey. Calm down.” I rub her arms and kiss her forehead. “There are things in life that are more important than work. Josh and I are a team. He said he’d take care of everything. I have my laptop and phone here, so I can work from home until you’re well enough to go back to the hotel.”

“Why are you doing this for me? For someone you hardly know?”

I place her hand on my heart. “Remember that lasso you talked about?” She nods and looks at me with puppy dog eyes. “It’s even tighter now.”

“I know. Me too.” She blinks back another tear. “You’ve done more than enough. Even though it was the worst thing ever, I’m so glad you were there. I felt safe.”

“Good. I’m glad. Now drink your tea.” I pat her on the butt.

“Yessir.”

“What time is your flight, anyway?”

“I think it’s eight in the morning. The hotel told us we need to leave around five thirty.” Steam rises from her mug, and she dips the bag in the water.

“That early, huh?”

“Yeah,” she says. “I’m dreading it so much.”

I know how she feels. “So, do you want pretzels or crackers?”

“Probably both, but maybe just the pretzels first. Thanks.”

I grab the bag and walk around the island. “Let’s sit outside. You can see the view Josh and I were bragging about last night.”

She hugs the cup with her hands and cackles. “Oh, you mean right before I became the new star ofTheExorcist.”

I open the door to lead her out. “Stop it. It’s over and done with. The patio hasn’t been this clean in a long time, though.”

She laughs but avoids looking over in the corner. Instead, she sets her tea on the table, then gazes out at the view. Her body relaxes and her face lights up. “Wow. It’s even more beautiful than you described.”

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