Page 39 of Protection for Nichole

“You should be. It’s provocative and forced people to see deeper.”

“Come in.” Nichole stepped back as she ushered Lana inside. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

“Once I knew when you were landing, I forced an opening in my schedule to come see you. I should have flown out to New York, but life was busy.”

“Hey, I get it. It’s good to see you now.”

Land nodded. “So you’re really moving to San Diego.”

A thrill slid through Nichole. “I am.”

“He must be very special.”

“Oh, he is. He’s the best person I’ve ever met.”

“He’s the one you met at that resort, right?”

Heat crept up Nichole’s neck to her face. “Yes.”

Lana chuckled. “I remembered how you were after coming back from that trip. You were energized like no one I’ve ever seen.”

She chuckled, unsure what to say about how she’d reacted to meeting Jesse. He certainly had changed everything for her back then. That one week had helped her focus, making her really see the effects of her reporting.

Maybe not meeting Jesse would have still made her see everything just as clearly. Or maybe not. After leaving the resort, she’d just seen everything more deeply, clearer. It was like she’d woken up to the possibilities.

Her work on exposing corporate corruption had been great, but after that vacation, her writing became better. She wasn’t sure what had made it all click. Meeting Jesse could have had something to do with it, or it could have been something else. Whatever the reason, she’d changed, and Lana had seen it.

“Do you think being with Jesse will make your writing even better?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I am happy.”

“That’s good. I’m glad you’re happy. I liked that last piece you wrote.”

“Thank you.”

“I know you’ll be writing for more papers, maybe some in California, but I hope we can keep working together.”

Nichole met Lana’s gaze. “I know. I love working with you. If I hadn’t found Jesse again, I wouldn’t leave, but I can’t stay away from him.”

“So he’s that good for you?”

Her lips spread into a wide smile. “I’ve never met anyone like him before. He’s special.”

“I’m happy for you even though I will miss you.”

“At least you have a reason to go to California now.”

Lana chuckled. “I hate California.”

Nichole nodded. “I thought I did. I think I love it now. Maybe it’s just being with Jesse. But yeah, it’s great.”

Lana laughed out loud. “I’d think you’d joined a cult if I didn’t know you better. But I’m glad you’re happy.”

“I am. I like being with him. It’s good.”

“Well, I hope it’s good for you. You took a chance moving here instead of staying in New York.”

“It was a good move. And this will be a great move for me.”

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