Page 61 of Sometimes You Stay

Besides, he didn’t often have a chance to talk with her without being interrupted by needy puppies or hungry goats. This was his chance to get to know her. After all, he’d sure spilled more than he’d meant to two nights before when they’d stayed up with Bella.

“The content stuff you do?” he tried again.

“I’m a content creator,” she said without facing him.

“Right. And what is that again?”

With a reluctant sigh, she turned away from the window. “You know what I do.”

He shook his head, treading lightly. He did not need a repeat of his first inquisition about her work. “Honestly, I don’t have a clue. I know you travel a lot. I know you need some electronics—phones and computers. But I’m still a little confused about ... well”—he held his breath—“what you do.”

He hoped for a smile but waited for a scowl. Instead, she let out a sweet and full laugh.

“Only you, Finn Chaffey, would have no idea what a content creator does. You and your phone circa 1999.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. It gets the job done. And at least I’m not like those people who go out to a restaurant and never talk to anyone else because their face is in their phone the whole time.”

“Those are my people.”

“No, they’re not.”

Her shoulders jerked, and she sat up straighter, turning on the fabric seat to face him. “How do you know?”

“Because those people can’t go for a thirty-minute meal without staring at whatever is on their screens.” He took his eyes off the road to watch her reaction. “And you went more than a week without a phone and didn’t even get twitchy.”

“How do you know? Maybe I just hid my twitch well.”

He gave her another once-over as she tucked a lock of her jet-black hair behind her ear. The sun through the window made it shimmer and set her whole face aglow. The dark pools of her eyes held a challenge that matched the smirk of her lips.

“You can’t hide that kind of thing from Joe. He may be too spastic to be a working therapy dog, and sometimes he stresses out under high-pressure situations, but he knowsyou. And he likes you. And he isn’t agitated by you. Even I can get him worked up when I’m upset.”

“That’s why he likes Jack so much, isn’t it?”

He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as he thought about her comment. “What do you mean?”

“No stress. No agitation. No fear. Just play. Joe senses that in him.”

Well, sweet cinnamon rolls. He’d never put that into words before. But it made perfect sense. Joe loved the boy and never missed a chance to play with him.

Finn was still rolling the thought over in his mind when Cretia whispered, “Maybe I’m not like them, but they are my people.”

Yanking his thoughts back to the present and his question for her, he waited.

“I don’t get to do what I do without them.”

“Which is...”

“I create videos about traveling. The beauty. The excitement. The best-kept secrets of popular destinations. Money-saving tips and ways to create the perfect itinerary.” There was a smile in her soft sigh. “I try to find the things that would make someone want to visit. The best food. The funnest adventures.”

“Adventures?”

“Zip-lining in Costa Rica. Cliff diving in Portugal.”

“Running with the bulls in Pamplona?”

She slapped a hand to his arm. “No. Never. Not once. I don’t care what Roberta says, that’s just stupid.” She laughed. “And hard to record yourself without losing life or limb.”

His chuckle echoed hers.

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