Page 59 of Art of Love

Then she bent down and picked up a stack of papers and started cleaning up.

After Kevin left, Abe helped her clean up and then sat across from her when she pulled out her travel laptop. She was thankful for some of the backups she had on it.

“You should keep all your files on the cloud,” Abe suggested.

“Can’t. Privacy concerns,” she mumbled as she typed up the notes from the meeting. She looked around at her now clean office and sighed loudly. “After today, though, I guess I’ll look into a secure server.”

“Isn’t the headquarters for Internet Security out of Pride?” Abe asked.

She stilled and then laughed. “Yes, of course.” She pulled out her phone and searched for Josh William’s number, then dialed it.

“Good morning, Dylan. How is my favorite PI today?” Josh answered cheerfully.

“Good.” She smiled and leaned back to dive into a very long conversation. By the time she hung up, her remaining laptop was fully locked down to protect what little digital data she had left.

“Why I didn’t think to contact Josh when I opened for business last year is a mystery,” she said when they had stopped for dinner on their way to her apartment.

“One I’m sure you will solve,” he joked as he took her hand.

When had she gone from being super nervous around him to being so comfortable? Her eyes ran over his face, and she realized that instead of seeing the famous singer she’d crushed on for years, she now saw the man that she loved with every fiber of her being.

Dylan unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped aside to let Abe in first. “Home sweet postage stamp,” she joked.

The small studio apartment was cozy and tidy, every inch of space put to good use. A full-sized bed was neatly made in one corner with a navy comforter and two throw pillows stacked like it was staged for a magazine shoot. A compact couch faced the mounted TV, and the kitchenette along the far wall boasted a spotless sink, a two-burner stove, and a coffee maker that probably saw more use than anything else in the place.

Abe glanced around, smiling. “It’s very you.”

She dropped her bag by the door and slipped off her shoes. “Meaning what?”

“Efficient. Clean. Deceptively low-key but probably hiding a hundred useful things.”

She grinned. “Flattery will get you more bed space.”

He chuckled and kicked off his boots. “I’ll take it.”

While she settled in at her desk and opened her laptop to start rebuilding some of the files lost in the break-in, Abe took a few calls in the corner, his deep voice low and professional. Something about studio sessions, album release windows, and a possible guest appearance at an awards show. She tried not to eavesdrop but caught that he mentioned postponing everything until after his commitment watching Max’s place.

Hearing him talk about leaving and going back to his normal life made her stomach flutter in a way she didn’t fully trust yet.

After an hour of quiet work, she finally shut her laptop and rubbed her eyes. “I can’t look at another encrypted folder tonight.”

“Movie?” he offered, already scrolling through options on her TV. “I vote something with no mystery, no crime, no murder.”

“Rom-com?” she asked hopefully.

He gave her a mock groan. “Fine, but only if there’s popcorn.”

Fifteen minutes later they were curled up together on the couch, a bowl of buttery popcorn between them, watching a predictably cheesy romantic comedy. Halfway through, she laid her head on his shoulder, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She didn’t remember how the movie ended, only the steady rhythm of his breathing and the warmth of his arm around her.

The next morning, sunlight slipped through the blinds and warmed her bare feet as she shuffled around the kitchen, tossing together some breakfast.

They loaded up her Subaru around mid-morning and hit the road, windows cracked to let in the fresh summer air. Dylan glanced over at him while she navigated the busy freeway and headed out of Portland. Abe’s sunglasses were hiding his eyes, but his hand was warm over hers on the center console.

For the first time in her life, Pride felt far away, something she couldn’t wait to be closer to.

This wasn’t just a drive back to a town she’d grown up in and left because there were too many memories she wanted to avoid. This was the place she had found him. Found something she never expected. Love. And it was the start of something she wasn’t ready to give up.

The sun glinted off the hood of her car as they cruised down the highway. The trees were flying by in a blur of green and gold. With Abe’s hand warm on hers, it was easy to forget the reason they had met in the first place. Easy to let herself believe for just a little while that everything was simple. She was a girl who had fallen for a man.