Page 4 of After You

As it was, he was sure he was going to be all too aware of Hannah and what she was doing and where she was and who she waswith.

It was going to be a long six weeks.

* * *

“You can’t write this,”Hannah said, looking up at Kade and trying, still, to ignore the fact that they were sitting at a table at the Come Again in Sapphire Falls.

It was common for them to sit across the table from one another at a café or coffee shop and talk about Kade’s writing. So this should be like every othertime.

Except that it was nothing like every othertime.

Other than the fact that he’d written something that made her roll her eyes. New York Times bestselling author. Whatever.

“What do youmean?”

“You can’t make everyone say ‘y’all’.”

“It adds local flavor.”

“Except that we don’t say ‘y’all’ here.”

Kade scratched his neck. “Yousure?”

Hannah rolled her eyes so he could see it this time. “I lived in Sapphire Falls, Nebraska, for twenty-two years of my life. Yeah, I’m sure. And we’re farmers. Not cowboys.”

“I like ‘y’all’.”

“Then set your stupid book in Texas.”

Kade lifted an eyebrow. “It’s going to be a long six weeks.”

Hannah sat back in her chair. “You’re tellingme.”

She was grateful that her best friend had agreed to accompany her to Sapphire Falls. Okay, “agreed” was pushing it. She’d had to do the “you owe me” thing. Twice. But he was here and she was glad. She could not face all of this alone. And thankfully, their relationship was based on three things they could both get behind every time: sarcasm, no bullshit, and coffee. Lots of all three.

“And it has to be six weeks?” Kade asked. Again.

“Yes. At least.” She kept adding the “at least” but he seemed to miss it each time. She was actually hoping it would be more like four weeks. Her grandma was tough, and if anyone could breeze through rehab after a hip replacement, it was Alice McIntire. But Hannah had promised up to six, so that was a possibility.

“And I have to be here the whole time?” Kade asked. Also again.

“Yes. Unless you want to spend even longer dealing with me after I get home and go through rehab again.”

He seemed to be thinking aboutthat.

“Remember the whining? The hot yoga?” she asked.

“Jesus, I’ll never forget hot yoga,” Kade groaned.

“And remember how you hated it all? Especially the weightgain?”

“That’s because I gained weighttoo.”

“I was talking aboutyou.”

He sighed. “Fine. I’ll stay. But someone in this town is going todie.”

Hannah shook her head. “Why can’t you write happy books?”

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