Rob sighed. Danny hadn’t come up for the busy weekend because of his book, and it was the right decision—he’d never been expected to be there—but he felt guilty so he kept checking in to see if they needed him, after all.
Brian cursed and took the phone from Joey, sliding the bar to answer it. “What now?”
Rob gestured for him to put it on speakerphone so he and Joey could hear both ends of the conversation, but Brian wasn’t looking at him.
“Yes, we’re busy. No, we’re not busy enough to need you even though you keep interrupting us to ask if we’re busy.” He listened for a moment and then snorted. “What you can actually do to help us is finish that book and then sell another book, and when you get that shiny advance, buy us some air conditioners that actually blow cold air.”
Then he hung up and took a deep breath. “Okay, I feel a little better.”
Joey gave him a dry look. “That’ll be a big comfort to me while I’m fielding pissed-off texts from Danny all day. Use your own phone next time.”
“I’ll drive down there and smashhisphone if he doesn’t stop,” Brian said. Then he chuckled. “I almost hope I have to do that because my truck has great AC and it’s a long drive.”
When Brian sank into a chair and put his feet up on the table, Rob saw his opening. “All three of us don’t need to be in here generating body heat for the AC to blow back at us. I’m going to get some fresh air, even if it feels like I’m in a sauna.”
“Tell her we said hi,” Joey said, and Brian snickered.
He took his time walking through the campground so he wouldn’t show up at Hannah’s door drenched with sweat. People waved to him and he waved back, happy that everybody seemed to be in a good mood. Luckily, they seemed to have more families than groups of adults here for the holiday. There was usually less alcohol involved—or at least it was consumed more responsibly.
Hannah’s truck was there, so he assumed the door was closed because the AC was on. He knocked on it, and faintly heard her asking who it was. When he called back to her, she told him to come in.
He stepped up into the blessed cool air and yanked the door closed behind him before any could escape. She didn’t keep it chilled, by any means, because she didn’t like the sound of it running, but it was a blessed relief for him.
“I’ll be right out,” she called from behind the closed bathroom door. “I just got out of the shower.”
Rob was about to answer when his gaze landed on a notebook on the dinette. He shouldn’t be reading it, but Hannah had left it out. He hadn’t touched it at all. It was just there, drawing his attention.
The page was a mess, but he could see it was some kind of decision tree, with lots of arrows and annotations. Pros and cons. Going with her gut as to leaving her podcast the way it was or changing it obviously hadn’t brought her to a conclusion, so now she was trying to use logic and data.
The projected income data was interesting. She’d potentially be leaving a lot of money on the table—for both herandErika—if she chose not to introduce current true crime to her podcast. He also noted the figures in the bottom corner included office and recording space. Up until now, he’d assumed a podcast could be done from anywhere, and he’d wondered more than once if they boosted their internet, if she could do her part from here.
But nowhere on the page was his name—either as a pro or a con. There were no doodles about how he factored into the equation. There weren’t any notations about loving New England and it being rich in historical fodder. There was nothing at all to indicate she’d even considered staying.
Summer fling.
No matter how many times those two words had echoed through his mind, he could tell they hadn’t really stuck. If they had, it wouldn’t hurt so much to look at the plans Hannah was making that didn’t include even thinking about him.
Because she’d meant them. Erika had used the words because Hannah had, and that’s all he was to her. The last two months had been about having fun while she was in New Hampshire, and he wondered if she’d even glance in her rearview mirror when it was time to go.
The pain was so intense he could barely take a full breath, but he clenched his hands into fists and did his best to push it down. She’d made him no promises. On the contrary, it had been clear to him the entire time that she was going back to California, and she’d never given him a sign she was wavering.
He couldn’t do this for another month. Every single day since they’d met he’d fallen further and further in love with her. Every time they kissed. Every time they laughed. Every time she gave him that sizzling smile that was only for him. There were a lot of days between now and the end of July.
There was no sense in putting his feelings on her. She clearly had enough on her mind and since he wasn’t a factor, what good would it do to pile his emotions on top of it all. All he could do was make as clean a cut as possible now so she could spend the rest of her time here focused on what mattered to her and he could...miss her.
The bathroom door opened, releasing the scent of her soap and shampoo into the main cabin of the camper. He closed his eyes briefly, inhaling the smell of her, and then he braced himself and turned to face her.
Hannah was in shorts and a tank top, her wet hair piled on her head and held with one of those puffy elastics. Her skin glowed and her smile was bright, but it faded quickly. It only took her a few seconds to see something was wrong.
“Hey,” she said with a nervous smile. “What’s going on?”
“Not much.” He touched his fingertips to the notebook, turning it slightly. “You’ve got a lot of planning going on.”
She sighed, scowling at the notebook. “Can’t make an informed decision without being informed, but that woman isreallyinto information.”
“I see that.”
When her gaze returned to his face, the frown smoothed out, except for a tiny crinkle between her eyebrows. “Are you coming over later tonight? I can turn the AC up a little. You look flushed.”
