Her eyes lit up, and she leaned over my desk. The V-neck of her top gaped open, and goddammit, I looked. I yanked my eyes up to the ceiling, grateful I wasn’t behind her when her ass was sticking so temptingly in the air.
“You were looking all this up?” she asked.
I tabbed through all the windows I had open, careful to look her only in the eyes. “During my breaks.” Mostly instead of working.
“Oh, wow. I love it,” she gushed. “But you don’t have to.”
“Sweet Clover, I want to.”
She blinked at me, and what I said finally sank in. I called her a pet name, and it flew out of my mouth like a lever had been flipped.
Heat crept up my neck. “It’ll be fun and get me out of the house.” I’d take the cowardly route and pretend I never said a thing. “Did you find a place?”
She dug in her purse and took out some folded sheets of paper. “There are options. I thought you might want to see them too.”
I didn’t. Rip them up and throw them out. Burn them. Make paper airplanes and fly them into the slough down the road, where they could get soaked and sink to the bottom. “Thanks.”
“There isn’t much available for decent house rentals, but Alder found a couple. I just don’t think I can do an apartment.” She dumped her phone in her purse. “I’m thinking too hard, and I choose not to think at all about it right now. I should get to work anyway.”
“Sounds like a plan. While you’re here, let me show you this.” I selected a tab that showed one of the hotels in Medora. “It might get cold at night. Want me to reserve a room instead of outdoor camping? The cabins are all taken.”
“Let’s do a motel. I want modern plumbing and to not pack all my own bedding.”
“I like that train of thought.”
Her smile made all my lost productivity worth it. “Okay. I’ll make it happen.” The next question I had gave me pause. “I can get a room with two beds.”
Her face froze for a heartbeat before she nodded. “Right. Yes. What a novel idea.”
“Downright revolutionary.” My insides matched her nervous laughter. Disappointment ricocheted through my organs.
I’d still be spending the weekend with her. Why couldn’t I shake the sense of loss? We’d be in the same motel. In the same damn room. But when I woke up in the morning, she wouldn’t be right there, on the other side of the pillow.
The best thing for me would be two separate rooms, but I didn’t even think to offer that as an option.
Chapter Twelve
Clover
* * *
When Saturday rolled around, we packed our stuff and drove the hour and a half to Medora. He had rolled into the shallow valley of town, passing prickly hills that thickened with stubby shrubs the closer we got. I had never been so excited to look for rocks.
We hadn’t checked into the motel yet. He had gone straight to the parking spot where we could hike one of the trails close to the Little Missouri.
The river trickled next to us. The weather was on the cool side, and it was spitting rain, keeping my proximity to the river limited. I wasn’t interested in the muddy spots as much as the sandier parts of the shore, but I also didn’t want to drag a ton of mud into Van’s pickup or into the motel room.
Van remained undaunted. He had pulled out ponchos that he’d procured from somewhere and packed without me knowing. I wore some of my old hiking boots, and he had pulled on a pair of new ones before we took off.
The two of us were living together, partially to get back on our feet, but he’d purchased new clothing. We might be getting divorced, but he was setting the bar for any future guy, and he was placing it out of their reach.
I didn’t want a future guy. “How are your toes?”
“Fine.”
“No blisters?” Because of his thoughtfulness, I was hyper-concerned over his well-being.
“Clover, you don’t need to worry about me.”
