Page 139 of The Lineman

“You’re healing.” I laughed, stepping closer. “That’s work.”

Elliot grumbled something under his breath.

I reached out, brushing my fingers against his arm. “Hey. I have an idea.”

“Oh God.” Elliot turned, his expression wary. “This had better not involve lasagna and a blow torch.”

I rolled my eyes. “Relax. My friend owns a cabin up in the mountains. He offered to let me use it whenever. Want to get away this weekend? Homer loves it up there, and a little fresh air would do us both good.”

Elliot blinked. “A cabin?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. Mountains, trees, a lake. No responsibilities. Just . . . us.”

Elliot studied me for a long moment.

Then—soft, quiet—he said, “You really like this, don’t you?”

I swallowed. “Like what?”

His lips twitched. “Being here.”

I let out a slow breath.

And I didn’t lie.

“Yeah,” I murmured. “I do.”

Elliot exhaled, something shifting in his eyes.

Then he reached out, curling his fingers around mine.

“All right,” he said, voice warm. “Let’s go.”

And just like that—

We had our first trip together.

Chapter thirty-nine

Elliot

Theroadstretchedoutahead of us, winding lazily through towering pines, the dappled light of late afternoon flickering through the windshield. It was the kind of drive that made you want to roll down the windows, let the fresh air in, and pretend like there wasn’t a single damn thing waiting for you back in the real world.

And for the first time in a long time, I actually felt like I could do that.

Mike drove with one hand on the wheel, the other wrapped around mine, his thumb absently stroking over my knuckles. It was a casual, almost thoughtless touch—which made it even better.

Homer sat sprawled across my lap like some kind of stuffed animal, his tail wagging lazily. Now and then, he let out a huff of contentment, like he was just as happy as we were to be getting away for a few days.

At no point did he attempt to hump any part of me. That was progress.

“All right,” Mike said, giving my hand a squeeze. “Game time.”

I snorted. “Game time?”

He nodded, eyes flicking to me briefly before returning to the road. “We’re playing I Spy.”

I gave him a flat look. “You realize we’re adults, right?”

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