I close the footage and clear my viewing history. Nobody needs to know I was here.
For now.
In the evening, I find Samantha in the library.
She’s curled up in one of the oversized chairs by the window, book in her lap, watching the snow fall. The lamp beside her casts warm light across her face.
She looks peaceful.
“Good book?” I drop into the chair across from her.
She jumps slightly, then smiles when she sees it’s me. “You scared me.”
“Sorry. Thought you heard me come in.”
“I was lost in thought.” She closes the book and sets it aside. “How was your day?”
“Productive.” I stretch my legs out. “Made some calls about a business problem. Went skiing. The usual.”
“The usual for you sounds exhausting.”
“Says the woman who came up with a viral marketing campaign that broke the internet.”
She laughs. “That was months ago. I’m practically retired now.”
“Retired at what, twenty-six?”
“Twenty-seven, actually.” She tucks her feet under her. “But close.”
Outside, the blizzard continues its assault on the mountain. Inside, the library is warm and quiet.
“Can I ask you something?” I say.
“Sure.”
“Why do you read so much?”
She blinks. “That’s your question?”
“Yeah. I see you in here constantly. You’re always reading. What’s the appeal?”
She considers this. “Escape, I guess. Books let me be someone else for a while. Experience things I’d never do in real life.”
“You don’t strike me as someone who needs to escape.”
“Everyone needs to escape sometimes.” Her smile is soft. “What about you? What do you do when you need to get away from everything?”
“Drive fast. Ski recklessly. Pick fights I shouldn’t pick.” I grin. “All the healthy coping mechanisms.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“It is. That’s the point.”
She studies me with those sharp eyes. “You like the danger.”
“I like feeling alive.” I lean forward. “Where’s the fun in being careful and playing it safe?”
“It’s called being responsible.”
