Morning arrives too quickly. One moment I’m snuggled in Travis’s arms in his bed, warm and cozy, and the next, I’m opening my truck door, saying goodbye.
“I’ll call you tonight,” I say.
“After ten, remember. It’s council night.”
I nod. Travis chivalrously swings my overnight bag across me into the passenger seat and lingers next to the open door for a parting hug. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold him for a long moment, pressing my face into his chest, never wanting to let go.
Travis’s arms engulf me. “Go now if you don’t want to miss your plane.”
I nod and sigh. “One more kiss?”
Travis obliges and gives me a goodbye kiss I want to remember for the rest of my life.
“Talk soon, Baker,” he says, kissing the tip of my nose and my forehead.
I rise on my tiptoes and give him one last peck on the lips. “I’m going to miss you, Mr. Mayor.” Biting my lip, I let him go and slide behind the wheel.
Travis closes the door for me, remaining a lone figure in my rearview mirror as I pull away.
At Sagebrush Ranch, a farewell committee is waiting for me. Lined on the porch are Willette and Hildi, while Fluffy is perched on top of Celia’s suitcase. My assistant, however, is nowhere in sight. From the production’s black truck parked next to Willette’s, it’s safe to assume she’s busy with her own farewells.
Saying goodbye to the animals is almost as heartbreaking as my parting from Travis.
And even Willette gets a little emotional. Travis’s mom hugs me. “You’re a sweet girl. Thank you for making my son so happy.”
“Thank you for being so welcoming. I’m going to miss you,” I say.
Willette hugs me again. “We’ll be seeing you again soon. I’m sure of it.”
Celia reappears, sparing me from having to respond to Willette’s implied question. My assistant rounds the house corner, walking hand in hand with Jerry.
They, too, kiss a long goodbye, and then Celia and I are driving to the airport.
On the plane, Celia is as quiet as I am. But her silence seems more restless than sad.
“Something on your mind?” I ask.
My assistant sighs and turns to me. “Samantha, you’ve been a stellar boss for me the past few years, and I couldn’t’ve learned more from anyone else.”
She’s using the same tone as every man who ever broke up with me.
“But?” I prompt.
Celia wrings her fingers. “But… I wanted to let you know that as soon as we get back to the office, I’m going to put in a transfer request for the LA office.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, and then I hasten to add, “I mean, I’m not asking as your boss. If you want to go to LA, I’ll approve the transfer and give you a glowing recommendation. But you don’t have any doubts? Why do you have to move to LA and not Jerry to New York?”
“Well, he’d get way more on-set carpenter jobs in LA than New York, while I can do the same work in both cities. And yeah, I’m sure. I love him and I have no doubts.”
I squeeze her hand and smile. “I’ll be sad to see you go, but if LA is what you want, we’ll make it happen.”
I let her hand go and stare out the window, mulling over her statement. The truth is that if I could have the same career in Emerald Creek, I’d move in a heartbeat as well.
* * *
I expected to feel a teensy bit of relief at catching sight of the familiar Manhattan skyline from the landing plane. Instead, I’m cranky and distracted. I almost forget one of my ‘dead-body trunks’ at the airport and then I give the taxi driver my old address where I haven’t lived in three years.
That same afternoon, I go to the office, hoping that getting back to my old routine will help me readjust. Instead, I completely space out of my first meeting, which is even weirder because usually production meetings, where new project proposals are discussed, are the best ones. And even that evening, as I go out for drinks with Holly and Taylor at our favorite cocktail bar, I find myself unexcited. I get lost staring out the window, or compulsively checking the time on my watch, making a silent countdown to 10 p.m. when I’ll be able to call him.
“Sammy?” Holly says, waving a hand in front of my face. “Where are you?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Taylor replies. “Can’t you see the little hearts with the cowboy hats in her eyes?”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not that bad.”
“Honey, you’re lovesick,” Taylor explains. “It’s okay, we understand.”
“I’m not lovesick,” I clarify, setting down my drink. “I just miss him.”
“Well, maybe you should go home and call him,” Holly says.
“Or have really hot Zoom sex,” Taylor suggests.
“No, he has a town council meeting until ten.”
“Well, at least your love is reciprocated,” Holly says.
That distracts me. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, yeah…” Taylor says. “You’re not up to speed on the latest Holly and Justin developments.”
I frown. “Justin, who? The guy at work you hate?”
Taylor winks. “She discovered the line between love and hate is a fine one.”
“No! You like Justin now?”
Holly waves me off. “It’s a crush at most. And it doesn’t matter because he hate-hates me. It’ll pass.”
“Ah!” I snort. “Last time I said I had a crush that would pass, I landed here.”
“Here where?”
“All sad in a Manhattan bar with my boyfriend 800 miles away. But tell me more about this new office fling.”
“It’s not a fling because it’s totally one-sided and nothing happened.”
“But how did you go from hate to crush?”
“She spilled coffee on him,” Taylor interjects.
“It was one of those weird ah-ha moments, you know,” Holly says. “I tripped, landed in his arms, and spilled my iced latte all over his perfect Boss shirt. When he tipped me up, our faces were an inch apart for about two seconds, and then I knew I wanted to kiss him…”
“And then he took off his shirt,” Taylor adds.
“We were in his office and he keeps a spare.” Holly nods. “The man is too refined for his own good.”
We chuckle. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing. I mean, what can I do? I’ve been feuding with him for years.”
Talking about someone else’s love life and problems distracts me until the silent alarm on my phone goes off at 9.30. I wish the girls goodnight and head home with enough spare time to ring Travis at ten on the dot. My phone rings at 9.54.
“We finished early,” Travis breathes down the line.
“How was the meeting?”
Travis sighs. “Not a good one, I’m not going to lie. I wasn’t able to convince the townsfolk to relent on the new zoning and the sale of the Petersons’ downtown property fell through. Tom was distraught. But my hands are tied…”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll fix it. But enough sad talk about zoning and regulations. How was your trip? Did you have that famous Thai for dinner?”
“Sushi, actually; I’m saving the Thai for you.”
“I’m glad because I changed my tickets. I’m flying out tomorrow night. I couldn’t wait a whole week to see you.”
My heart starts to race. “You’re flying in tomorrow? What time?”
“I land at JFK at nine. I take it you like the idea?”
“Well, if you really couldn’t resist, I mean, I don’t see why not. Anything I should prepare? I mean besides a variety of take-out menus?”
“Just you.”