Page 12 of Hot Summer Nights

She clicked a few more pictures and handed the camera back. “Isn’t that lonely?”

“Lonely is a matter of opinion. I love my job and that’s just one of the choices I make so that I can keep it.” He set the camera to the side. “I get that most people don’t understand that.”

Brooklyn sat up and wrapped the discarded sheet around her. “I understand. I sacrificed my life for my career. It took twelve years before anyone noticed me, even though I worked my ass off making others look good. At one time, I wanted a family of my own, you know? I wanted to be a mother and a wife, have something in my life that made all the hard work worth it.” She shrugged. “I’ve never admitted it to anyone, but that was sort of what this trip was about. My life had become nothing but work, and I couldn’t even get a real date because I didn’t know how to have fun anymore.” He stared at her, and embarrassment settled in. “And admitting that right now sounds really pathetic.”

Channing leaned back on his side across the bed, facing her. “That’s not pathetic. Everybody needs a little R and R every now and then. You’ve enjoyed your time here, right?”

She leaned forward and kissed him. “As if you even have to ask.”

Brooklyn didn’t believe in love at first sight, but staring into Channing’s eyes, her heart ached at the thought of leaving him today. They lead two very different lives, and she couldn’t think of any solutions to make their relationship work. Even after spending most of the night thinking about it, the only thing she’d come up with was Channing moving to Boston.

But she couldn’t ask him to do that. She couldn’t ask him to give up traveling the world and doing what he loved to come be with her in a single city, seeing the same people day in and day out. He wouldn’t give that up for someone he knew, well, much less her.

“Enough chit-chat. You’re my model now.” He smiled and stood, naked except for the camera around his neck.

After posing her with the sheet loosely draped around her body, he stood back and snapped a few pictures. All the while, Brooklyn thought of this being his parting gift, something he would hopefully remember her by after she was gone.

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