Page 74 of Love on the Run

“I’m parked this way.” Brittany pointed over her shoulder in the other direction.

“Why don’t you walk with us to our car, and I’ll drive you over to yours? I don’t like the idea of you walking alone,” Beau said.

Brittany tilted her head as she looked at Beau. “Thank you. That’s thoughtful of you.”

That was Beau—thoughtful. He’d shown his true colors on this trip. Why hadn’t Anna noticed it before now? He stayed close to Anna’s side until they got to her car. He opened the doors for both her and Brittany before slipping into the driver’s seat.

“Is this your car?” Brittany asked as she trailed her fingertips over the leather interior. “It’s nice.”

“Thanks.” Anna hadn’t gone for an over-the-top luxury vehicle, but itwasnice. She’d chosen itbecause she could afford it, and paying for her own vehicle was something she was proud to claim.

“How do you afford it?” Brittany asked.

It wasn’t the first intrusive question Brittany had asked, but the throbbing in Anna’s head had her patience stretching thin. She rested her head back and took a deep breath before answering. “The fashion vlog is my job, but I’m also an attorney.”

“Oh. I forgot about that,” Brittany said, slapping her palm against her forehead again.

“I don’t talk about it a lot on social media.” It wasn’t that she was intent on keeping her day job a secret. It just didn’t come up in conversation about fashion often.

Brittany directed Beau to the lot where she’d parked, and they said quick goodbyes with promises to check in tomorrow. Beau and Anna waited until Brittany was safely in her car and had started the engine before pulling out into the snowy night.

Allowing her eyes to close, Anna whispered a soft, “Thank you.”

“For what?” Beau asked.

“For shopping with me. For carrying the bags around all day. For being nice when Brittany showed up and plans changed.”

“That’s no big deal.”

There was a beat of silence before Anna raised her head. “Is it weird that she found me here or that she came all the way from California just to see me?”

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but it’s kind of weird.”

“But she’s so nice,” Anna added. “I hate to think bad of her when she was kind enough to check on me.”

“If she’s getting closer than you’re comfortable with, just tell her.”

Anna huffed. “It’s not that simple.”

“Yes, it is.”

Okay, maybe in Beau’s mind it was. He lived his life at face value, and it worked for him. If Anna told Brittany she was getting a little too close, she’d no doubt take offense. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her friend’s feelings.

Then again, if Olivia showed up in Freedom, Anna wouldn’t question it. Maybe she’d been looking at her and Brittany’s friendship differently because it had only existed online.

“I’m too tired to think about it today,” Anna said.

Beau glanced over at her as he drove slowly up the mountain through gently falling snow. “Do you need a nap?”

“Yeah. I’ll feel better after I rest a little.”

Chapter 22

Beau

Anna didn’t stir for two hours, which gave him plenty of time to catch up with the guys at the garage and overthink every single thing Anna had said since the day he met her.

Things weren’t going well. The tightness in his chest was worsening, and the impending separation coming for them after this trip ended hung over him like a rain cloud.

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