Page 49 of Playing it Country

“Make sure you put your feet up,” Hank says, and Isla glares at him before pointing her finger at the rest of us.

“Do something with him; he’s making me crazy,” she growls. Hank opens his mouth to say something, but Sorren leans forward in his chair and places a hand on Hank’s shoulder.

“We’ll take care of it,” I say because that seems like the right answer.

“Thank you. And don’t worry, I’ll return her soon!” Isla yells, but they’re already giggling about something I can’t hear.

“Wow,” Otto says as his gaze bounces from me to Hannah. “You got it bad.”

Changing the subject, because I’m absolutely not ready to talk about her, I look at the guys and say, “How about we figure out how to keep Isla from killing Hank for the next several months.”

20

HANNAH

“Can I tell you something crazy?” I ask Case as I lie with my head on his chest and he runs his fingers through my hair.

“Of course.” Talking with the girls today had me really caught up in the moment, and despite the agreed-upon blow job and Case’s exemplary bedroom skills, I’m still feeling a little wistful.

“You can’t tell.”

“Okay.”

“I’m going to do a boudoir shoot for the girls.”

“Like the sexy pictures?”

“Yeah. Marlee wants to do something special for her anniversary and Isla mentioned it and I just blurted out that I’d take the photos.”

“I think that’s awesome.”

“You do?” I ask, surprised.

“Of course I do.” I look up to meet his gaze as he adds, “I’ve seen some of your photos; you’re really talented.”

“Thanks,” I say and settle back down on his chest.

“How come you don’t sound excited about it?”

Feeling brave under the cover of darkness, I tell him the truth. “You know I traveled a lot as a kid, and I guess my parents always harped on the freedom of it—the lifestyle. I’ve always had a camera in my hand but somewhere along the way it stopped being formeand it became a job with deadlines and parameters for my creativity. I feelstifled.”

“Do youwantthat fancy traveling job you applied for?”

“I don’t know. I’ve worked hard to be considered for it, and it would feel like a waste if I didn’t accept. It’s not that I don’t love photography anymore; I just need to recharge, maybe. The wedding helped.”

The silence stretches on between us and while it’s never been a problem before, I’m compelled to fill it now. “Before I got swept up in all this, I wanted to open a bookstore.”

“Tell me about it,” he says simply, but I can hear the smile in his voice—the genuine curiosity.

“I’ve been so blessed being able to travel and see so many parts of the world people can only dream about, and what better way to bring the world to them than through books? There are these incredible stories that come alive on the page, and you can travel through time and space without ever leaving your living room.”

“I think that sounds pretty amazing.”

“I’d display my pictures on the walls and the work of other local artists. I’d want it to be a space that’s comfortable and eclectic, relaxing and fun.”

“So all the things?” he asks on a chuckle.

“You don’t think it’s cheesy?”

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