Page 27 of One Sweet Day I Found You

Eight

Courtney sipped at her latte from the passenger side of Kira’s four-door, blue sedan. She checked the map on her phone.

“Oh, hey, so the turn-in’s about a mile ahead on the right.”

Nick had been right about Kira. Courtney found herself appreciating Kira’s no-frills approach. At least she was honest.

“Okay.” Kira glanced in her rearview mirror and back at the road ahead.

The weekend had come and gone without incident. On Saturday, Courtney went exploring on her own, checking out the shops in town and writing on her laptop at the charming little coffee shop near the office, where she’d first met Nick.

On Sunday afternoon, with her story complete, she found the Home at Grandma’s bakery that Mrs. Brady had recommended. Later, she’d stopped in for a visit with Mrs. Brady. The sweet little woman had been delighted to sit outside and chat. They’d arranged to take a walk to the lake soon.

By mid-morning on Monday, Courtney had turned in her story on the kayak trip.

Kira had only suggested a couple of edits over the weekend. Courtney thought Kira’s advice had been solid, and it turned out Kira’s instincts had been good. Beecham had expressed great satisfaction with both Courtney’s story and Kira’s video, and the post went live. It seemed Courtney’s first battle had been won.

This morning, she and Kira started the first leg of an ongoing project for the blog to update the lodging guide on the website. It was due by the end of June.

Every hotel, B&B, rental condo, and resort property had to be contacted to inquire about updates to their services, amenities, or rates. The list alone involved several hundred.

Courtney didn’t need to visit the properties, since her role in the project could be accomplished by phone or email. But Kira did, and she needed to visit three properties today to take photos of the renovations they’d made since last summer.

She’d invited Courtney to join her. Kira said it usually gave Sam fresh ideas for stories when he’d go with her, and she thought Courtney might benefit from the change of scenery, as well.

Courtney had been happy to go. Plus, it would help her get to know Kira a little better.

“So you and Sam must’ve spent a lot of time together?”

“Yeah. He was a lot of fun to work with. Went with me on a lot of shoots—for like, almost a year.” Kira kept her gaze straight ahead.

Courtney didn’t want to press, but she sensed Kira might want to talk about Sam.

“Wow. You two got along well, then? I mean—it sounds like it.”

“Yeah.” Kira was silent for a few moments. “Truth be told, we actually dated—for almost a year. I was really bummed that he left. Felt like it came out of nowhere.”

Courtney motioned to the side of the road. “This looks like the place. On the right.”

Kira slowed and turned into the long driveway of the bed and breakfast. They passed tall trees and soon came upon a classic blue Victorian with a wraparound porch, a manicured lawn, and lush, green landscaping. The place oozed with charm.

Courtney pulled a soft-pink lipstick out of her purse and adjusted her mirror. She ran the lipstick across her mouth. “Ouch, Kira, that must’ve really hurt. I’m so sorry he left.”

Kira waved it off. “I know, but what could I do? He had a great opportunity in Colorado. He couldn’t turn it down. And that’s where he grew up. He wanted to move back home.” She sighed. “Wisconsin is my home. I wanted to stay here.”

“That’s rough.” Courtney cocked an eyebrow. “Not gonna lie, though. Worked out pretty well for me.” She flashed a wry smile and waited for a response.

Kira grinned back. “Very funny, Aussie.”

Courtney had figured out that Kira responded best to humor.

“Hey, if we’re talking truth here, I should be honest,” Courtney confessed. “Nick told me about you and Sam the other day. He didn’t want me taking it too personally when, well...when I made you guys late.”

Kira pulled into a parking spot. “No worries. It’s no secret. I’ll get over it. Anyway, that sounds like Nick. He’s a sweet guy.”

Kira turned off the car.

Courtney grabbed her purse. “Seems like it. And I’m glad you’re handling it all right.”

---