“That all sounds wonderful.”
“I think so too.”
“What else? What other dreams do you have?”
“I dream about the beautiful hotels and resorts I want to work at. I dream about one day becoming a hotel manager, although that’s still a long way off.”
“It will happen for you. I’m sure of it.”
She squeezed his arm, touched by his confidence in her. “I have a lot more to learn before then. And that’s okay. Learning and travelling and experiencing things are all part of the process, part of the adventure.”
Peter kissed her forehead and twirled her hair in his fingers. “Do you think…”
When he stopped talking, she tilted her head to look up at him. “Do I think what?”
His gaze settled on her, his expression hesitant. “Do you think you’ll ever… want to settle down somewhere? Find a place to call home?”
The question caught her short. “I… I don’t know. Maybe one day. I’m not sure.”
His blue eyes were unreadable in the darkness. After a long moment, he smiled and tucked her back against his chest and kissed her forehead. “Why settle down when the whole world is waiting out there for you, right?”
“Right,” she said.
She heard a sliver of regret in his voice but didn’t want to think about what it might mean. As Peter’s hands caressing her skin erased her ability to dissect what he’d just said, she gave herself over to the moment and to their time together… while it lasted.
* * *
She might have lain in his arms all night long, enjoying the sensation of his fingers running through her hair and his lips brushing soft kisses against her forehead, if she hadn’t finally come to her senses.
The clock on his bedside table showed it was almost two in the morning.
“I should go,” Gaby said.
“What? Why?” Peter said, tightening his embrace. “You said you’d spend the night.”
“I know, but when I said that you’d seduced me with wine and starlight, Peter. I should go back to my aunt’s house. Itwould be weird to stay out and then saunter through the door tomorrow morning after obviously being with you all night.”
She sat up in bed and reached for her clothes. “If I go back now, it’ll just be a late night, nothing more and nothing less.”
She pulled on her jeans and jumper, feeling Peter’s gaze on her back with every move.
“Are you embarrassed that we slept together, Gaby?”
“No, of course not. I loved being with you again, Peter. Wasn’t it obvious?”
The wry smile she offered had the effect she hoped for and his expression lifted.
“I thought so, yes. That’s why I want you to stay. We could have all night together. And in the morning, I’ll make you breakfast in bed.”
“And if things were different, I’d be all in for that. But I agreed to help Harry Goodwin and work a shift tomorrow morning and I need to be ready for that and…”
“And?” he said when she trailed off.
Sighing, she stood up and turned around to explain. “And I’m leaving on Monday, Peter. You know that. If I stay any longer, it’s just going to make it harder to go.”
“Because you don’t want to go,” he said. “Which means you should stay.”
“If I stay here, you know neither of us will get any sleep. It’s not fair for me to volunteer to help Harry with his staffing crisis and then turn up barely able to do the job because I was up all night.”
