I can’t deny that the woman has a point—a bizarre point—but a point nonetheless. “I see. Well, it’s still strange in my book.”
“That’s just because you haven’t tried it.”
I lift Remy from her playmat and lay her on my chest as I lean back on the couch. She reaches for the scruff on my jaw as I kiss her cheek. “And I probably never will.”
Shrugging, she takes one last bite and sets her empty bowl and spoon on the coffee table. “You’re missing out.”
Remy is making all sorts of noises while I study her gorgeous blue eyes. “How was she today?”
“Good. Eating a bit more than usual and she took a longer nap too. I think she’s about to go through a growth spurt.”
“How often will that happen?”
Elodie smirks at me. “Well, think about how small she is and how big she’ll be by the time she’s a year or two old, Henley. So, I’d say a lot.”
“The sarcasm wasn’t necessary.”
“That’s funny coming from you.” Smiling, Elodie takes her phone from her pocket and snaps a picture of me holding my daughter, something I’ve grown accustomed to her doing now, so I don’t bother fighting her on it.
I feel the corner of my mouth lift. “How was your day?”
She slides her phone back in her shorts before answering. “It was all right. I tried to sit down and start making a list of different jobs I could do if singing doesn’t pan out.”
“And what did you decide?”
She stands from the ground, taking her bowl to the sink and grabbing a bottle of water and a notepad from the counter before returning to sit next to me on the couch. “Well, a flight attendant is in the top spot right now.”
“Really? Why’s that?”
“I love the idea of getting paid to travel, and since I’m unattached and don’t have a family, I have the freedom to do that right now.”
My chest grows tight at the thought of her leaving again. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”
“But I want a dog, and having a pet doesn’t really work with that career. Plus, I know I want a family and a home someday, so even though the job sounds great now, it would only be temporary, and that’s definitely not the sort of thing I’m looking for right now. If I’m going to make this type of decision, I want a job I can see myself doing for a long time.”
A family. A home.
The exact opposite of what you’ve ever wanted for your life, Henley.
Yeah, but can one person change how you feel about stuff like that?
“Okay, so any other options?”
She sighs. “Nothing that doesn’t require me to get another degree.”
“You went to college?”
“Yeah, my parents made me get a degree before I went to L.A. so that I had something to fall back on in case music didn’t pan out, which they hoped wouldn’t work out anyway. I knew they were just trying to help me, but those four years were the longest of my life so far. I just can’t stand the idea of sitting still for another four.”
“What’s your degree in?”
“Business. Something generic enough that I could use in pretty much any arena.”
I nod. “I never went to college. School wasn’t my thing either. But working at the lodge for seven years before the owner sold it to me was far more valuable to me in the end.”
She turns to face me, propping her head up on the back of the couch, her lips curling into a soft smile that makes her look so fucking beautiful and relaxed right now, the urge to lean over and pull her lips to mine slams into me like a train. “You know, I was thinking aboutsomething when you brought this up before, and after Dilynne told me a little bit about your daredevil history.”
“Okay…”
