With Braden not working, Creative Interiors needed accounting help. Summer’d had some training at the expedition company, as sometimes in the off-season she worked in the San Francisco office. She figured she could at least handle the payables and receivables.

Camille was a self-proclaimed computer illiterate, so all help was welcome. Oddly enough, for the past two days her mother had been extremely quiet, wearing an expression of misery that suspiciously matched Kenny’s. When Summer asked about it, she hit a brick wall, and finally, she gave up.

Every day at lunch she checked on Joe. He’d remained frustrated, grumpy, and mostly uncommunicative. She was willing to give him all three for the time being because she figured he’d earned them. She spent her afternoons on guided hikes or kayak rides. Word was spreading quickly, and she already had more calls than she could take. She loved it.

At night, she went back to Joe’s. She’d pet a sleepy Ashes, then slip into bed with Joe, breathing in his scent, his warmth, wondering how in the world she was going to ever get used to sleeping alone again.

“Maybe you could get a blow-up doll and paint my face on it,” Joe said.

She went still. “What?”

“You were wondering how to sleep without me.”

“I said it out loud?”

“Sure did. You said ‘how in the world am I going to ever get used to sleeping alone again?’ I’m just offering suggestions. You could tape my picture to your pillow.”

“You’re teasing me.”

“And you’re killing me.” He rolled them over—he was clearly feeling better—and pinning her to the mattress, kissed her hard. “The answer is simple, Red. Don’t go. Damn it, don’t go.”

Simple…Had he said simple?

She lay there surrounded by him, her heart and soul terrifyingly connected to his and she just knew if she kept this up, she’d lose herself, she’d…end up like Camille.

Joe’s fingers traced her hairline with a sweet tenderness. “Relax, Red. This isn’t supposed to hurt.”

Summer wasn’t sure what it was about him, but even when she was feeling sharp as a tack, he cut right through her crap, through her neurosis, through everything to see the real her. Unlike any other human being on earth, he could piss her off, turn her on, make her question everything she believed in, and in general provoke the most uncomfortable feelings.

He wanted answers. He wasn’t going to push her for them, but his need was there, the third person in the room. Eventually she was going to have to face it, but for now, she hugged him close and didn’t say anything at all.

Joe let out a quiet sigh and hugged her back, resting his cheek against the top of her head, brushing his lips to her temple as he fell asleep.