She laughed.He smiled.It wasnice.Just a normal, frigid evening walk.
But nothing could erase what came tomorrow.Sam knew that.Even thisstepNate was taking, looking into buying a house here.It didn’t change that the next few weeks were going to be a mental and emotional gauntlet.
Nothing would.
Nate stopped in front of a little house with a Realtor sign in the yard.There was a running car parked in front.The engine turned off and a middle-aged woman stepped out.The sun was setting behind Copper Mountain, putting the neighborhood in a pretty golden light.
“Nate.Good to see you again.”The woman held out her hand for Nate to shake.Her gaze turned to Sam.
“This is my friend, Sam,” he introduced gruffly.
The Realtor shook her hand too.“You run the private investigator business here in town, don’t you?Where Nate works?”
Sam nodded.“That’s me.”
“Well, let me show you guys around.”She walked briskly up the stairs leading to the front door.
She talked about landscaping, the updates the current owners had done.She led them through the house.It was a cute place, and Sam thought it would actually suit Nate.It was small enough for one person, but the responsibility of taking care ofspace—house, lawn, et cetera would be good for him.Settling.
Nate didn’t ask any questions, so Sam did it for him.She’d bought the Honor’s Edge building with her dad’s help, so she knew what was important to know.Had there been any inspections, how old was the roof, the plumbing.Things like that.
The Realtor was cheerful and efficient and answered most of the questions in a way Sam figured was a positive.But even after the showing was done and the Realtor was leading them back outside, Nate said nothing.
“So, what are we thinking?”She looked from Nate to Sam.
“Oh, it’s not a we,” Sam said, trying not to sound as awkward as she felt.“I’m just a friend… helping out.”
“It’s a nice place,” Nate said without any inflection to his tone, his hands deep in his coat pockets.“I’ll just need to… take some time to think about it.”
“Of course.You’ve got my contact information.Now, thisisa popular location, so it might not be on the market forever.The sellers are very motivated.”
“Sure, yeah, I’ll… think about it quick.”
Sam couldfeelhis indecision.It sat over him like a cloud as they stepped back out into the frigid night.Fully dark now except for streetlights and stars.
They said their goodbyes to the Realtor, started walking back.It was even colder now in the full dark and Sam hunched in her coat.Nate didn’t say anything, and while Sam was comfortable in a silence, she felt the need to remind him.
Well, it didn’t have to all happen at once.“I know Aunt Lisa’s raising the rent on you, but maybe now isn’t the time to make big buying decisions.It’s a great house, but if you’re not ready to commit, you’re not ready.No harm, no foul.There will be other houses.”
“When’s going to be the time, Sam?”He shook his head, powering forward at a pace that required her much shorter legs to work twice as hard.“It’s just one thing after another around here.”
She couldn’t argue with that.It certainly had been bludgeon after bludgeon since she’d brought him back to Marietta.“I guess you could make a case for blaming me for that.”
She felt his gaze, but she didn’t want to meet it, so she kept looking ahead as they walked.
“I’m glad to be home, Sam,” he said in that straightforward way of his that felt like gentleness.“Regardless.”
They made it back to the office.She couldfeelthe edginess waving off him.The house.The trial.The guy from this morning.One or all three weighing on him.And she wanted to… fix it somehow, even knowing she couldn’t.
“Wanna go grab a drink?I’ll even drive, since you’re so sensitive to the cold.”
He chuckled, which was gratifying.“Better not.Be a little too tempted to have a lot more than one, and I’m guessing hungover and irritable isn’t going to help anything tomorrow, even if I don’t get called up to the stand just yet.”
“What about some pie?”She gestured toward Main Street, wanting to offersomething.She’d seen Nate go through the wringer, but he’d always handled it with that shield, that stoicism.
It was cracking and it worried her.
He didn’t answer right away.
