Page 46 of One Sweet Day I Found You

Nick kicked at the wet sand. “You mentioned you’re from Madison, right?”

“Yeah. Lived there all my life until I moved to Chicago after college. Madison’s great. Have you ever been there?”

“No, I haven’t. I’ve heard good things, though.”

“So, have you traveled a lot?”

“A bit. But I’d like to see Australia someday.”

“Would you? Because you’d love it.”

He glanced over at her. “And what makes you say that?”

“Well, there’s a huge outdoors scene. Surfing, hiking, boating, diving—all that adventurous stuff you seem to like.”

“That does sound like me.” Nick grinned and looked at the horizon. “So, where else would you like to travel to someday? I mean—if you could go anywhere.”

Courtney gazed across the lake. “Hmmm. See, that’s a tough question because I want to go everywhere. But I guess if I had to pick just one place, it’d be somewhere tropical. An island maybe. With coconut trees and a jungle, white sand, quiet beaches with only a few people around—no crowds. A little hut to stay in—by the water.”

Nick listened with interest. “Sounds amazing. Let’s do it.”

“Yeah?” She knew he was only kidding around, but it was fun to play with the idea. “Okay, I’ll put it on my calendar.”

He laughed. “Deal.”

“Okay, your turn,” she said. “Where would you go if you could go anywhere?”

“Hmmm. Well, like you, I’d also have a hard time choosing. But, if push came to shove, I think I’d start with the Alaskan wilderness. See a moose. Climb a mountain. Watch the salmon swim upstream. Take out a canoe on a quiet lake. Hide out in a log cabin for a while.”

Courtney nodded. “Wow, I can tell you’ve thought that through.”

Nick laughed. “Guilty.”

“And it sounds like a great trip. Can I come with you?”

Nick grinned again. “Well, I sure wouldn’t want to leave you behind.” He squeezed her hand and stopped walking then grabbed her other hand. He gazed into her eyes then pulled her in close to his chest.

Courtney held him tightly in an embrace and closed her eyes. Something about this just felt right. Really, really right.

A few moments went by and Nick finally pulled back. He took his phone from his pocket to check the time. “We’d better head back. Time to go to work.”

* * *

A weekand a half had gone by and Courtney had been doubling down on work.

The site’s hotel guide was keeping her busy, and she’d researched and written a few more blog posts. One was on the various sweets to be found around the peninsula.

That one had been a personal favorite for researching. Kira had joined her on a few stops to take pictures. Door County had great confectionaries, fudge shops, and artisan chocolate makers, and Courtney had made it a point to try something from each of the places she visited. It had meant running a few extra miles on the trail at night, but it had been worth it.

Another post, which she was working on today, would be about the sights and sounds of the village of Anderson Cove, which wasn’t much more than a stone’s throw from Heritage Bay.

The village had a wide, sandy waterfront beach and a notable music scene. It was also a popular foodie destination.

Courtney planned to highlight some of its most popular restaurants in her post. There were several.

Kira had already used the drone to get footage of the area and the hotspots. She and Courtney had made the trip to Anderson Cove together and were having lunch at a trendy cafe. They sat outside, under a shaded courtyard, with a view of the lake.

“So, Aussie, tell me—do you feel like you’re up to speed with the job now?” Kira took a sip of her iced tea.

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