He laughs, leaving me with a kiss on my cheek and falling into step with Sana along the dirt road.
I turn back to Luke, seeing an opportunity with Rohan right here. “Do you want to plug your phone into the water wheel-powered outlet?”
“Fuck yes, I do. I didn’t want to impose, but I really do.”
I focus on Rohan. “Do you mind if I show him? You can say no—the barn is totally yours.”
He gestures for us to lead the way. “I’m surprised it took you so long to ask.”
“Alright, come on, come on,” I say, taking the shortcut through the first floor of the barn. “And Rohan, you’replugging your phone in too. Not many people can say they’ve charged their phone via water wheel.”
“Oh, it’s definitely a bucket list item for me and Sana,” Rohan says.
I turn to him as we start up the stairs to the studio. “Thank you for indulging me.”
He gives me a genuine smile. “There’s nothing quite like someone sharing something they’re truly passionate about. It’s cool seeing people nerd out like that. Plus, now I have something to brag about when I get home.”
“Exactly!”
When we get inside the barn, I head straight for the small coffee table next to the water wheel outlet and the two armchairs on either side of it. Papers are strewn across the table, and I make a mental note to tell Ryder off for making Sana work while she’s supposed to be enjoying a quiet weekend away with her husband.
I hold up the cord to Luke first.
And he grins as he plugs his phone in, his eyes lighting up at the same time his phone does. “Wow.”
“Right? Isn’t that so freaking cool?”
He takes a few moments to stare at the charging screen and then takes a screenshot. “I’m going to have to make a note in my phone that that picture was from a water wheel charge.”
“Yes, you will. You don’t want to forget that,” I say, and after a few moments, he unplugs, handing the cord to Rohan, who does the same.
He nods as his phone lights up. “And today I can say I did something I’ve never done before. I’ve charged my phone via water power,” he says.
“I should really have T-shirts made that say something like that,” I say. “You can be my product designer and Lukeover here will do my marketing materials. Truly a recipe for excellence.”
The two of them laugh as Rohan unplugs his phone. “Thank you for sharing your nerdiness with me. That was cool.”
“Anytime!” I say. “And now I will get out of your hair and go track down Sana because the two of you should be relaxing, not working and entertaining your host.”
He waves me off. “We don’t mind at all. I love Sana’s passion. Sometimes it takes over during vacation, but I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of watching her. She’s a force.”
I hold a hand over my heart. “I love the way you love her.”
He shrugs. “She makes it easy.”
“Stop it, you’re going to make my heart explode.”
He laughs. “No different from the way Ryder loves you.”
The words get stuck in my throat. I force a laugh becausedoes he?These past few days have felt like an encore by your favorite band, the song you were hoping to hear finally ringing out around you.
My eyes dip to the papers spread across the coffee table.
“Oh, I guess,” I say, my brain falling short on what I’m supposed to say becauseme too,but I can’t tellRohanthat first.
And in the second I wrack my brain, trying and failing to figure out how to talk my way out of this, my eyes snag on the words printed in bold across the top of one of the pages laid out across the coffee table.
PENNSYLVANIA REAL ESTATE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
