Page 72 of Wish Lists and Road Trips

The sun was a fiery ball in the sky, streaking orange over the tops of the snow banks. I hadn’t even looked at the time when we left, only realizing it must be dinnertime because my stomach had growled as soon as she mentioned food. We were existing in some weird dimension where I had nowhere to be and nothing but Brit.

Another part of that weird timeless existence was that I could pretend she wasn’t about to invest everything she had into a place that was hours away from me. I pushed down the unease in my belly. It didn’t matter where she was. I was going to make it work.

“Have you talked to Meri?” I asked. It had to be time for the auction to start.

“Yup,” she said. “Spoke to her right before you got out of the shower.” She pulled her lip between her teeth.

“Everything’s good?”

“She knows what to do. I like it here,” she said, changing the subject. Maybe she didn’t want to think about the end of this trip either. I took a small amount of heart in that.

I looked down at her. “Yeah?”

She gestured to the eclectic mix of storefronts, strung together by cobblestones. “It looks like the sort of place where people love to come to work.”

I nodded. “There’s a neighborhood just like this near my office—old charm, newer businesses. There’s more foot traffic to sustain those businesses but the vibe is the same.”

“Yeah?” Her eyes lit up. I loved when they did that so I kept talking.

“It’s sort of up and coming. A lot of opportunity. When I approached my dad about getting into commercial business, I suggested we buy some of the more run-down storefronts, turn them into something, but I couldn’t convince him. It’s been our biggest disagreement.”

Her voice turned soft and she twisted her fingers in mine. “It sounds nice,” she said. “I’d like to see it. I bet I’d like Philly.”

I smiled despite the wheel of regret turning in my head. God, I wished I’d met her before she’d found a place she loved. I could have bought her one. Or built her one somewhere closer.

Maybe I’d move to Boston. Would she even want me to?

Yeah, right, Nick. You can’t even take a vacation to fulfill Alex’s last wishes without giving yourself an ulcer over Mom and Dad.

That was the old Nick, I told myself, but still I squeezed her hand harder like someone was going to come and snatch her away. It was probably crazy to even think about stuff like that, but I knew the time we had like this was running short and it made my chest feel tight.

I pulled her closer. “Hey. I like this, you and me. I know it’s only been one night of, you know, but I’ve liked it since we met on that dock. I like being with you.”

“I like it too.” A shy smile crept onto her face. The kind that undid me.

“Let’s stay here another night.”

Her lips twisted as if to say “Sure, Nick.” Her skepticism made me double down. “Let’s just stay. It will take a few days before you need to be there for the auction paperwork and I—”don’t give a shit anymore“—I can take another day. We’ll skip the bus, spend tomorrow doing whatever you want. Then we’ll rent our own car. Finish this trip by ourselves.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely.”

One of her huge smiles bloomed across her face and she hugged me so hard my breath rushed out in a grunt. “I like that idea.”

“Me too.” I squeezed her back, lifting her off the ground. “And I’m going to like sharing a real bed with you tonight. Are you?”

“Depends,” she said, tipping her chin at me.

I leaned down until our noses touched. “Oh really? On what?”

“If you’re going to snore all night again.”

I barked out a laugh, setting her back on her toes. “You try sleeping with a hundred-pound weight on your chest, missy.” It was the best night’s sleep of my life.

“I offered to go to my bunk.”

“That wasn’t an option.”

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