Page 23 of Her Surprise Vacation Date

“I believe that was six questions.” I grin, enjoying the way she raises one brow in disapproval.

“Shaney…”

“All of which I will answer with pleasure,” I promptly reply. “The first one—how am I so sure about you? I know feelings aren’t everything, but I’ve never felt so at peace before around a woman. I love that we can have fun together and talk about all sorts of things, from food to faith. You don’t take yourself too seriously, which I appreciate. We have a good foundation of friendship, and I believe our relationship will only get better if we put in the time and effort to develop it—that’s my answer to questions two and three. For questions four, five, and six—if a mid-life crisis or boredom is driving me to say these things—the short answer is no. The long answer is that in my line of work, I’ve seen how fragile and unpredictable life can be. I don’t want to live my life with any regrets. That includes you because you’re worth taking a chance on. This is definitely about you, Hope O’Connor. Does that answer your one-turned-six questions?”

A mixture of emotions flash across her face too quickly for me to decipher, but she punctuates them with a nod. “It does, thanks. I think I just need some time, Shaney. I didn’t come on this trip expecting this, any of this. From losing my luggage to having you pick me up at the airport to us rooming together—it’s all kind of felt like a strange dream.”

“I’m really glad you didn’t say nightmare.”

A playful smirk lights up her face. “Are you fishing for a compliment?”

“No, why?”

“Because you’re much too sweet and way too good-looking to ever be the stuff of nightmares.”

“Yeah? Thanks for saying that. How about now?” I cross my eyes and stick my tongue out of one side of my mouth. “Hmm?”

Hope cracks up laughing. “Especially now. How is it that you haven’t changed? I think the last time I saw you make that face was when you were ten.”

“Man, I really need to come up with some new moves.”

“So, you can impress the ladies?”

“So, I can impressthelady.” I give her a knowing smile. “There’s only one I care to impress.”

“Don’t worry, she’s already impressed.” Hope rises to her feet and motions for me to follow. “Come on, Ned, we have a case to crack.”

“Ned? Who’s Ned?”

“Ned Nickerson from the Nancy Drew books.”

It takes a moment for her words to register, but when they do, I’m on my feet in a flash. The Ned that Hope’s referring to is Nancy Drew’s boyfriend! That’s got to be a good sign.

- - - - -

Twenty minutes later, Hope and I are back at square one. After knocking on the door to the room that Hope saw her luggage disappear into and also a visit to the registration desk, we’ve come away empty-handed. There was no answer at the door and the inn’s manager refused to reveal any information about the guest. I can’t blame the guy. Unfortunately, Hope’s story about giving away her suitcase doesn’t instill much sympathy or confidence in any of its listeners. Except for me. Every time I hear it, I just want to take her into myarms and hold her. Who am I kidding? I want to do that regardless, but especially in this moment when she looks so disappointed.

“What should we do now, Nancy?” I ask, trying to lighten the situation. “We can wait around for the guest to come back, or we can go about our day and check on her later. It’s your call.”

Hope is stunning today wearing a long-sleeve top and skirt. As she glances around the inn’s courtyard, the green fabric swishes around her shapely legs. After a check of her watch, she meets my gaze with a determined look. “Let’s stick to our plan. It’ll be more fun than camping outside the guest’s room. The manager didn’t seem too happy when I suggested that. I think he was about ready to file a restraining order on the woman’s behalf.”

“He could definitely sense your passion.”

“I was kidding… mostly,” she adds with a halfhearted laugh. She gestures at herself and asks, “Are you sure you want to put up with this? I don’t exactly have it all together.”

The hesitation in her voice tugs at my heart. How does she not realize what an amazing woman she is? “If byput up, you mean care for, treasure, and love, sign me up. You don’t scare me, Hope, not by a long shot. You’re the stuff that sweet dreams are made of. I should know; I dreamt about you all night long.”

A pretty pink flush travels up her neck to the apples of her cheeks. In a hushed voice, she exclaims, “Shaney! Is it okay for you to be having dreams like that?”

“I don’t know where your mind is,” I tease her, “but these were all PG dreams.”

“I didn’t mean that!” Her cheeks are nearly as red as her hair now. “I mean is it normal to be dreaming about the same person so much?”

“I’m pretty sure it is. That was the best night of sleep that I’ve had in a long time.”

“Oh, stop. You’re just saying that.”

“Because it’s true.” Before I can say more to convince Hope, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, and my stomach sinks a little to see my sister’s name on the screen. “It’s Amelia.”

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