Page 37 of The Dangers of Daydreaming

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“And your mom? Did you come up with a text to send back?” I asked.

“Kinda. I just hearted the images.” She grimaced, her eyes wary as they met mine.

She’d get no judgment from me if that was what she was worried about. I understood complicated parental relationships better than most.

She stepped out of my shadow and lifted her hand to her eyes again. “Well, guess I should get back to work.”

“What are you working on?”

“I’ve been training an intern, and I’m walking her through the intricacies of a timeshare. And then I’m late to start planning my presentation.”

I stepped closer, putting her back into shadow. “Presentation?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Part of this trip involves compiling a presentation for the bigwigs for our company. We’ll highlight not just the tour but also the ins and outs of how we created it so they can see how we work. They’re also going over our work history while we’re gone.”

What if her company and my grandparents could partner or something? That would solve a lot of my current stress. It would take the overhead away from Gram and Pops by getting the clients, keeping the books, and planning the tours. And that would let them keep things the same around here, but without as large a load. And maybe it would help Lucy’s case to have a connection on the island. Plus, if she were working with Gram and Pops… maybe I’d get to see her more after this trip.

It tasteda bit too much like planning, but it might be worth bringing up to Lucy.

“Anyway,” she added, “it’s essentially a ‘may the best man win’ situation because whoever the board likes best will be named manager over the new literary tour branch.”

“You’re pretty perfect for that.”

“Right?” she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

“I feel bad for the people up against you.”

Her lips lifted, and I stared a little too long at her smile. “Thank you. But they’re well-qualified too. Which means I need to bring my A game, so…” She stepped into the sun again.

I didn’t know what was wrong with me lately. It felt like my chest was trying to claw its way out through my throat anytime she tried to leave. “Can you do that on the road? I wanted to show you a filming location. Not exactly part of the books, but still a good site to see.”

She hesitated, which meant there was wiggle room in her needing to work today. Which meant I had a foot in the door. “It’s the Seacow Head Lighthouse. It’s pretty iconic for the island and the movies.”

She glanced behind her at the B&B.

“It’s only a half hour from here, and I promise to let you adjust the AC and the music while you work in the car.”

“Are you going to distract me?” she asked.

No, I was hoping she would be doing that for me. I made a cross over my heart. She hesitated for one more second, but I saw the decision in her eyes before she even nodded. “Give me a few minutes to grab my things.”

Grinning, I made my way to the van, turned it on, and switched off the AC and the music. When she came out the front door again, I circled the vehicle and opened her door.

She shook her head slightly, but her eyes were amused when they caught mine, and she slid into her seat. I waited until she was buckled before I closed the door. This was starting to feel routine. How had we been reacquainted long enough to form a routine?

We made it about fifteen minutes in complete silence. I should have known she would be the kind of person to work without distractions. I was the opposite; I’d always had music playing in the background when I was doing my schoolwork or driving for tours. Even if it was just a low hum in the background, I preferred it to the silence. If Lucy’s imagination was the same as it had been in school, she probably never had silence in her head, so she didn’t need the added noise.

My hands constricted on the steering wheel as I tried to keep my tongue in check. Since I had promised not to distract her, I was flooded with things I wanted to say. Updates on my grandpa, tidbits about locations we were passing, just life between now and junior high.

“I hadn’t considered including filming locations in the tour, but I love the idea. Besides the lighthouse, what other options do you know of? I’m thinking of having a bonus tour—kind of an addendum to the main literary tour, for the true fanatics. It’s a great idea because it fits several other books as well. The Jane Austen novels all have several adaptations…Sherlock Holmes,Little Women…”

I glanced over at her. Her big, brown eyes caught mine, and excitement sparkled in their depths. I loved seeing her like that—thrilled with her work and her plans.

A drop of jealousy ran through me. A wish that I could feel that way about my work. I used to have big goals that got me excited… but now…

I ignored all that and focused on her question, even overlooking the fact that I wasn’t technically supposed to be talking right now. “There are several. It depends on how small you want to get. Dalvay By the Sea, North Rustico. They did a lot of filming in Toronto, so not on the island. But we’ve got a few.”

---