After he gave me the tour of the house, we sat outside in the loungers by the pool, and I asked, “Are there any colleges near Lancastle?”
“Sure. Both Boston College and UMass have satellite campuses in South Lancastle. And there’s a community college in Merryville, about fifteen miles east of Lancastle.” He tilted his head. “Why?”
“It’s good to keep my options open.”
A slow grin formed on his face. “You always want to have options.”
“Where in Vermont are you going?”
“Um”—he nervously looked away—“just outside of Essex.”
“I’ve never been to Vermont.”
Was that too obvious a hint?
Apparently not, because he answered, “It’s nice. A lot cooler than North Carolina, that’s for sure. I’ll probably have to take a couple of sweatshirts for the evenings.”
“Are you going to be working the whole time you’re there?”
“The whole time. Probably sixteen hour days.”
I made a face. “Really? You’re going to bethatbusy?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Doing what?”
“You know. Paperwork. Permits. Meeting with officials and investors.”
“Sixteen hours a day, for two weeks?”
“Well, I could work less every day, but then I’d be gone longer.”
I laughed. “No, don’t do that.”
“That’s what I thought, too. And the worst part is the cell service there is spotty, so I’m not sure I’ll even be able to call you while I’m there.”
“What if Ruthie and I went with you? That way we’d at least be able to see you—”
He didn’t let me finish before he declared, “No!”
No?
My surprise must have shown on my face, because his tone was softer when he tried to backpedal. “It wouldn’t be any fun for you.”
“I mean, I’m sure Ruthie and I could find things to keep us busy while you worked.”
“I wouldn’t be able to concentrate because I’d be worried about you guys, and what you were doing. And besides, isn’t Lainey expecting you at the bakery?”
His reasons for not wanting us to go with him sounded sketchy, and I had to wonder if there was something else going on.
But like the good girl that I was, I simply replied, “Okay,” and let it go at that.
Chapter Seventy-Two
Jessica
“Look who’s all tan and rested!” Lainey said with a big smile when I walked into the bakery’s kitchen Wednesday afternoon. “Did you have a good time?”
