Last Light(43)

“Matt?”

“Ah, the money.” I ruffled my hair. “We can do whatever we want then. You could buy a cabin out here, something like that. Hey, I can’t wait to see you, Hannah.”

Hannah was quiet.

“This weekend,” I prompted. “I’m missing you.”

“Yeah. I miss you, too. This weekend, I can’t come out this weekend.”

Only then did I realize how much hope I pinned on Hannah’s visits, because my heart dropped and my mood froze. Clouds seemed to gather over my week. Suddenly, I hated the cabin. I hated the cold and the snow. I especially hated my writing, which ruined my life—ruined any chance of happiness and normalcy for me.

“Why not?”

“Pam’s throwing a party at the agency.” Hannah paused. “For The Surrogate’s release. It’s in stores on Tuesday.”

“Tuesday. I’d forgotten.”

“Yeah. I have to go to the party. And I want to. I’m excited about the book.”

“Excited about the book.” I smirked. “That’s rich. I’m glad I’m not around for any of that shit. Did Mara totally savage the manuscript?” Mara was my editor.

“No. Almost no changes were made. Just some punctuation stuff…”

“Great. They f*cked with my punctuation?”

“Pam says you’re overly fond of semicolons.”

My smirk softened. Pamela Wing, my stone-cold agent. I couldn’t picture her shedding one tear over my loss, and the thought pleased me.

“God, I miss that bitch.” I chuckled. Hannah laughed, too, relief flooding her voice.

“Anyway, I’ll drive out next weekend,” she said. “It’s not so bad.”

“Mm … not so bad.”

We chatted for an hour and then Hannah had to leave for yoga. Yoga … I loved what yoga did for her body. She was all curvy and elastic and capable of assuming the most pretzelesque positions when I f— “Matt?”

“Huh? I love you.”

“You’re daydreamy tonight. I love you, too.”

I flipped my phone shut, and then I flipped it back open. I dialed Mel’s number.

She answered immediately.

“Hey!” she said. “I thought you’d cut me off.”

“I was thinking about it. You’ve become a problem for me, Mel.”

She laughed nervously.

“Well, you have,” I said, “but that’s not why I called. Are you still between jobs?”

“Yeah. Are you going to make fun of me again?”

“Nope. I’m going to offer you a job.”





Chapter 25


HANNAH


On Wednesday morning, I had to park two blocks from the agency. The joys of city living. I smiled as I hurried along the sidewalk. I thought about the cabin.

Yes, I would happily use Matt’s money to buy us a cabin of our own.

I loved Denver, I loved the buzz and easy access to everything, but city life necessitates escape. I recharged in the mountains with Matt. When we lay in bed listening to the owls calling to one another, I felt satisfied at the deepest level.

They sound beautiful, I once said. Matt said they sounded lonesome.

I sighed and laughed.

I just couldn’t understand that boy’s fascination with sorrow.

Too late, I saw a figure standing on the agency steps. My vision of cabin life dissipated. It was Seth Sky. I veered away from the steps, but he’d already spotted me.

“Hannah!”

Seth looked no different than he had in New Jersey—long hair, leather jacket, stormy eyes—except that he wore dark jeans and boots instead of dress slacks and oxfords. I didn’t let my gaze linger over how well Seth’s clothes fit.

“What are you doing here?” I snapped.

That stopped him cold.

“Seriously?” he said. “You’re still pissed?”

“I am not pissed.” I enunciated each word. “I haven’t thought about you since last month. But this is where I work.” I gestured to the agency. “Which I think you know. So I believe this qualifies as stalking.”

Seth cocked his head and smiled. He approached warily, hands in the air.

“I’m in town for a gig.”

“Great. I’m in town for my job.” I turned to go and Seth reached to stop me, but he paused midreach. Wise. I glared at his hand and he retracted it. “What do you want?”

“I thought we could get dinner. Sometime. Since I’m in the area.”

“No.”

“What the hell?” Seth raked a hand through his hair.

My heart softened slightly at his legitimate confusion. The Sky brothers weren’t lacking in the beauty department, and Nate and Matt had brains to spare, but Seth …

Seth was either dense or so egomaniacal that he couldn’t fathom being friend-zoned.

“I’m sorry, Seth. I just think it’s better if we don’t hang out.”

“Why?” He glowered at the sidewalk. “Nate said you’re going to the zoo with him in the spring. Why won’t you hang out with me?”

I balked, momentarily speechless. Weird … I couldn’t picture Nate sharing those plans.