Page 82 of Stormswept Colorado

I cleaned up a bit,and then we each got dressed. I braided my hair to make myself presentable, while Teller smoothed out his own messy strands.

Then Teller helped me pack my things. He stopped every so often to kiss and touch me. Like he was as eager for these last few moments together as I was.

I checked my other messages. There hadn’t been any formal plans for breakfast this morning, but I’d missed a few texts from the O’Neals. “I wanted to see Maisie one more time and give her a kiss and hug goodbye.”

“Go find your niece,” Teller said. “I’ll carry your things down to the lobby for you.”

“Thanks. Do you want to go to your room first to change? Someone downstairs might notice you’re in the same clothes from the wedding.”

He tilted his head like he was thinking about it. “Nah. Actually, I don’t have the energy to care about that. Unless you mind.”

“I don’t. Just thinking of your reputation. Don’t want your constituents to see their chief on a walk of shame.”

“No shame here.” He smiled and pressed his lips to my forehead.

I wasn’t ashamed either. I didn’t plan to publicize our night together, but I was on the same page as Teller. He’d wiped me out last night and this morning, and I’d loved it. I didn’t have it in me to worry about the Hart County gossip mill just yet.

Maisie was playing with Emma’s little siblings again. I gave her as many hugs as I could fit into five minutes, then said another goodbye to Emma and Ashford, who wouldn’t leave for their hot springs honeymoon until tomorrow.

I felt rushed and didn’t like it. But I probably would’ve felt the same if I’d spent the entire morning with them.

And I couldn’t regret the hours I’d spent with Teller last night and this morning, either. It had meant a lot to me. So much that I still struggled to wrap my head around what I was feeling for him.

But there was no time to ponder it. Not until later, when we’d be hundreds of miles apart.

In the lobby, Teller stood off to the side with my bags. Cheryl paced by the fireplace, decked out in a designer tweed pantsuit with long necklaces layered over her silk blouse. She stuck out here like a giant sign declaring,This doesn’t belong!But Cheryl was always herself, and I appreciated that about her.

She crossed the lobby to me as soon as I stepped out of the elevator. “So that’s the chief of police?” She nodded at Teller with a frown. He regarded her coolly right back, though he stayed where he was.

“Yes? So?”

Cheryl pulled me a few feet from the elevator, away from the wedding guests milling around the checkout area. “I recognized him. A few more photos of the altercation in Silver Ridge have made it to social media. Him carrying you out of there.”

I shrugged, hoping that my cheeks weren’t turning red.

“And now he’s got your luggage. I recognize your suitcase. I also know the look of a man who just rolled out of bed and is wearing the same clothes from the night before. Just how close are you two?”

“That’s not important,” I whispered. “I want to know whyyou’re really here. This wasn’t necessary, showing up with no notice like this.”

“I did give you notice when I texted this morning. I was concerned about you when we talked on Friday, after your video interview for the magazine. You were evading my questions, and I don’t like that.”

“But it’s not your job to?—“

“Itismy job, Ayla.” The pure calm of her tone was so infuriating. “Are you forgetting how you got so overwhelmed that you suspended your tour less than two years ago and then disappeared altogether? Ran away to Colorado? Trust me, the media hasn’t forgotten. Your label has not forgotten either. They’ve invested too much in you.”

“Right. I’m an asset, not a person. Is that why Paul is here somewhere? To protect his investment? Is he waiting in the car because the Last Refuge Inn is beneath him?”

She sighed like an indulgent mother dealing with a wayward child. “Paul is here because it’s his job. Just like me. Dear, I know you hate some aspects of this business. So do I. But we work within those boundaries. That’s why you hired me after you returned to work and made a fresh start. To help you navigate these issues. To step in when I see you need help so we avoid future hiccups. I’m on your side.”

My past mental health episode was ahiccup? I took offense at that. But everything else she’d said was true. So I swallowed down my annoyance and my disappointment at my time with Teller being cut short.

But I wasn’t leaving without a proper goodbye.

Teller picked up my bags as I approached him. “Everything alright?” he asked under his breath. I knew he meant with Cheryl.

“Mostly. Yes.”She was worried I’d run away again and refuse to leave Colorado, I added silently.

Had I been tempted to stay? Maybe a little. But I’d decided all on my own to take the wiser course. I wasn’t running away from my career again.

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