There was no sense in trying to lie. “Rob.”
Erika frowned. “Rob?”
“His brothers call him Bobby to annoy him.”
“Oh.” After a few seconds, her eyes widened. “Oh.He’s the one taking us out for a ride tomorrow.”
“Yes, and you willnotembarrass me.”
“Define that.”
Hannah sighed. “You know what I’m talking about. No winks or nudges when you think he’s not looking. No innuendo. We’re just hanging out and I don’t want you to make it awkward.”
“Are you hanging out in bed?”
“We have...hung out in bed, yes.” She waved her hand. “It’s not a big deal.”
That was a lie. Rob was a very big deal, but confessing that would just muddy the waters. While Erika might think it was fun to tease Hannah about a guy she liked, she wouldn’t be so cavalier about it if she realized he was a guy who might factor into Hannah’s thoughts about her future—a future which impacted Erika’s in a big way.
“Is it serious?” Erika asked in an unusually quiet voice, and Hannah could see that awareness was setting in already.
“No, it’s not serious.” Saying the words out loud felt wrong somehow. “How can I be serious about a guy I’m only going to know for a few more weeks?”
“Okay, so a campground affair. A summer fling.” Erika brightened immediately, and she didn’t notice Hannah didn’t do the same. “For the record, I one hundred percent approve of that. Have a little fun and then come home and get back to work.”
“Speaking of work,” Hannah said, because it was time to address the elephant in the room. “You didn’t tell me you were flying to Boston.”
Guilt flashed in Erika’s eyes. “I met with a potential sponsor. They submitted an offer I couldn’t ignore, but I wanted to talk to them first to make sure their vision and sense of ethics around true crime aligned with ours. Yours mostly, I guess.”
“And yet, you went without me? And you flew all the way to Boston for what could have been a Zoom meeting?”
“Your expression right now and your tone are exactly why I wanted to vet them first. If I didn’t think you’d like them, there was no sense in wasting everybody’s time,” Erika said. “It’s a lot of money, and the CEO hates virtual meetings. Plus, they paid for my flight and hotel.”
Hannah frowned, trying to make sense of it. “The sponsor paid for all of that?”
Erika tapped her fingers on the dinette, her anxiety showing. “Maybe not so much a sponsor as a production partner. They want to work with us to takeImprobable Causesto the next level, with a full research staff and merch and so much stuff, Hannah. You wouldn’t believe it.”
“No, I don’t believe it.” Hannah paused, taking a few breaths to keep her temper under control. “I’m the research staff, and do they wantImprobable Causesas it is, or your new and allegedly improved version of it?”
“Well, growth requires change, so—”
“Erika.” She shook her head. “You agreed to give me time off to consider what I want to do, and yet you’re flying across the country to take secret meetings?”
“Yes, I agreed to put my life on hold for three months whileyoumake a decision aboutourbusiness. But that doesn’t mean I can’t start putting pieces in place while I wait. They know there’s no guarantee we’ll change the format of the show. I didn’t make them a single promise. It was a fact-finding mission and you can add that data into whatever mental algorithm you’re running while you’re out here in the middle of nowhere.”
Hannah forced herself not to answer right away. She loved this woman, and she needed to consider how she’d feel if Erika took off for three months with their business’s future in her hands. “I’m sorry. I know it’s hard for you.”
“And I know if your heart isn’t in a new format, it’s best to knowbeforewe’re in bed with some soulless corporation.” Erika covered her hand. “I’m not trying to undermine you. I’m trying to find a compromise, and I just want the pieces in place no matter which way we go so we can hit the ground running.”
Hannah nodded and even managed a smile, but the pressure was like a weight on her chest, making it hard to breathe. She had no doubt when she looked over the new information Erika had sent her, the potential income was going to be that much higher, which meant her decision would be that much harder.
“I didn’t come here to pressure you into committing,” Erika continued. “I’ve never been camping and I missed you and I honestly just want some girl time. In the woods, I guess.”
“Fine. I’ll go easy on you today because you did a lot of driving, but tomorrow when we get back from this four-wheeling adventure of yours, you’re going to sit outside at my campfire and make s’mores with me.”
Her nose wrinkled again, but then Erika mustered a game smile. “It’s a deal.”
Chapter Twenty
