“Yeah,” he said. “They loved the Maple Falls stuff. The swap, your grandparents, the whole thing. They want to run a bigger feature.”
“That’s amazing, Joe.” Her smile was instant, proud. “You deserve that.”
“And,” he added, heart kicking a little faster, “they offered me something else, too.”
She stilled. “Something else like…?”
“Three-month assignment,” he said. “Still Europe. Small towns, markets, all that. Same kind of storytelling, just…across for a bit longer.”
He watched it land. The happiness stayed, but it thinned, like someone had opened a window and let in a draft.
She repeated it quietly. “Three months.”
“Yeah.” He tried to keep his tone even. “It’s kind of a dream gig. I told him yes. At least…I told him I wanted it.”
“That’s huge,” she said. “I’m really happy for you.”
He swallowed. “I wanted to tell you straight away. And I…” He exhaled, looking out at the water. “I want you to come with me.”
He looked back, as her brows drew together.
“Think of the all the long lunches we could have…” His voice lifted at the end in an enticing manner.
She stared at him, the breeze lifting a loose curl against her cheek.
“Joe,” she said slowly.
“I know it’s a lot,” he rushed on. “You grandparents need you. The Hideaway’s in limbo. Your sister just got here. I’m not pretending any of that doesn’t matter. But I wanted you to at least have the choice. Because when I think about markets andold streets and sunsets over rooftops now…you’re in the frame. I want you there. And maybe this place can hold up for a while without you.”
Her throat worked as she swallowed. She looked out over the lake, then back at the campground, at the bathhouses, the cabins, the office. All the invisible strings tethering her here.
“I want to say yes,” she admitted, voice barely above the breeze. “You know that, right?”
“I hope so,” he said.
She laughed once, a sound that cracked. “I’ve wanted to explore Europe since I was nineteen. And now here you are, dropping my dream in my lap. But my grandma just fell. The Hideaway still isn’t sold. My little sister’s here. I can’t just vanish for three months.”
He nodded. He’d known all of that before he’d asked. Hearing it out loud still stung.
“I get it,” he said quietly. “But I want you to know how much I want you there. I know we’ve only been in each other’s lives for a week, but it’s been the most important week of my life. This trip is important to me, but so are you. Whatever happens, you’re in the equation for me now. Whether that means you come, or I go and come back later, or we find some way to meet up during that time. I don’t have the logistics figured out yet. I just know I don’t want this”––he gestured between them––“to end.”
“I want this too. I want us. But can I be honest?” she asked.
“Of course,” he replied.
Silence stretched between them, while Krista put her thoughts together. The lake lapped against the dock and in the distance, he could hear the squeal of a kid’s bike brakes up in the campground.
“I’m terrified,” Krista said, looking out toward the water. “Because two weeks ago, I didn’t do this. I didn’t catch feelings.”
She drew in a breath and faced him. “But then the swaphappened. And living your life, seeing the world through you, changed me. Before, you could’ve told me about Europe and I would’ve wished you well, poured you a Hot Honey Margarita. Let you go.” She flicked her wrist as if to say goodbye. “But now you’re…you.”
He smiled, helpless. “Terrible problem to have.”
She ignored that, eyes shining. “You’re helping my grandparents. You’re in my bed. In my kitchen, making breakfast with Kit. You’re the reason I actually sit still long enough to breathe some mornings. I don’t want to let you go.”
He stepped closer. “You don’t have to,” he said.
Her eyes lifted, wide and shining. “But you’re leaving.”
