Page 53 of Love on the Run

“That’s cute.”

“The woman in the book is an attorney.”

“Oh, nice.”

“It just sounds like he put a lot of thought into it.”

“Rightly so. Carry on. I need more.”

“Then he took me out on a snowmobile.”

“Did you set that up? I don’t remember you talking about it.”

“No. He did! He heard about my bucket list anddecided I should add more things that take me out of my comfort zone. It was so much fun.”

Olivia hummed. “So you two have been getting close. I still can’t get over the dancing.”

“Me either. Liv, I never saw this coming, but I like him. A lot.”

“I don’t even know what to think right now. Part of me wants to jump around and squeal and squeeze you until your ribs crack. The other part desperately hopes Beau feels the same way because I’m terrified you’ll get your heart broken again.”

Anna pressed the heel of her hand to her chest. “That’s exactly what I’m feeling. Help me!”

“Calm down. That’s my first suggestion. You went on this trip to have fun and relax after an incredibly stressful breakup. Remember that.”

“Okay.” The word came out shaky, but Olivia was right. Anna had been living in the moment and having the time of her life until she decided to overanalyze her feelings.

“Next, throw out your expectations. Out the window. You can have a great time on this trip with Beau without any strings attached. You might get home and find that the feelings were just temporary. You might find out that he snores and kicks the covers off his bed and decide he’s a monster.”

“He doesn’t do either of those things,” Anna whispered.

“How do you even know? Are you sneaking into his room?”

“Well, he slept next to me the first night. There was only one bed, and I kinda got the couch wet when I passed out as soon as I got out of the hot tub.”

Olivia gasped. “You slept in the same bed?”

“It was only that first night, and he slept on top of the covers. As far as I know, there wasn’t any kicking or snoring. Did you know he wakes up early and reads his Bible while he drinks coffee?”

“No, but that would explain why God hasn’t smote him for his bad attitude yet,” Olivia said.

“He has these moments when he resists, but then he gives in and we have the best time. He’s so funny.”

“Cheese and crackers, Anna! You sound like you’re completely into him.”

Anna swallowed hard and sat down on the edge of the bed. Resigned, she whispered, “I am.”

Olivia sighed. “I love you. I love you so much. Please don’t let him hurt you. I would kill him without a second thought.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Anna said low.

“I would. I would do anything for you. If he does anything that makes you sad, just let me know and I’ll trash his apartment before he gets home.”

There was a click at the door the second before it opened and Beau stepped inside.

“Gotta go. Love you,” Anna said quickly before ending the call.

Beau pulled a pair of royal-blue swim shorts out of a plastic bag. “You didn’t have to rush off the phone. I can leave if you need some privacy.”

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