Page 34 of Oliver

A long pause. Then—

“Understood. I’ll send the location.”

21

Oliver

Iwatched Emery pace back and forth, trying to reason with the man on the phone.

“Why can’t I train here? I’m not ready to leave yet,” she said, her voice tight with frustration.

Pause.

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. Yes, I know the man is locked up. I’ll meet you at the airport.”

She ended the call and turned toward me, her expression weary.

“My vacation’s over. I start training again on Monday. The committee is letting me back in because of everything that happened.” Her voice softened. “I’m going to train hard the next few months. I don’t want to go… but so many people are counting on me.”

“I don’t want you to go either,” I said, pulling her into my arms. “We should both retire. Then we could spend all day together.”

She gave a half-laugh. “I’d go bonkers if I weren’t busy. Ihaveto be doing something. Maybe I’ll start my own clothing line when I retire from competitive swimming. That would be fun. I could open a boutique downtown.”

Her face lit up as the idea grew.

“I’ve thought about it for years,” she added. “I just never had a reason to retire before. Now I do.”

“That’s an excellent idea.” I cupped her face. “Emery, I love you. I don’t want you to leave. Open the shop now.”

Her eyes widened. “I’ve already signed a contract to compete… Did you say youlovedme?”

“I did.”

“I love you, too.” She smiled softly. “I promise I’ll come back. You can visit me.”

“Where are you going?”

“Colorado. For the next six months. I’ll have my own cabin. If you can get away, you’re always welcome.”

“I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you, too.”

“When do you leave?”

“In the morning.”

“Then let’s make tonight count.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “We have tonight.”

Just as she said it, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen.

“What’s up, River?” I answered.

“We need to leave in five minutes,” he said without preamble.

“Where are we going?”

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