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“Oh,” Palmer replied, rubbing Elizabeth’s back again. “We’re not worrying about anything beyond tonight, remember?”

Elizabeth nodded.

“Can you sleep?” Palmer asked.

“Yes. But can I hold you? I held you that one night, and I don’t think I’ve ever slept better.”

“You want me to be the little spoon?” Palmer teased.

“Yes,” Elizabeth confirmed.

“Okay. I will happily be your little spoon.”

Palmer rolled over and felt Elizabeth slide up against her back. Elizabeth’s arm wrapped around Palmer’s waist, and Palmer slid it under her own shirt, pressing Elizabeth’s hand against her stomach. She let the tension leave her body when Elizabeth’s face went into the crook of her neck, and Elizabeth kissed her there.

“Good night, Palmer.”

“Night, beautiful.”

Palmer could swear she could feel Elizabeth’s smile against her skin.

CHAPTER 31

“Sorry, I have some work to do today.”

“It’s okay. You warned me,” Elizabeth replied, sipping on her tea.

“How is it?” Palmer asked, smirking at her.

“American,” Elizabeth said, smirking back. “But your mother was very kind to get this for me.”

“You have to tell her if you don’t like it. If you don’t, she’ll keep buying it and make it for you every time you come over.”

“Every time?” Elizabeth repeated in question form, making sure to meet Palmer’s eyes.

“Yes, every time.” Palmer winked at her.

“Okay… Are you ready for the real tour?” Palmer’s father asked as he entered the kitchen where Palmer had set up her desk for the afternoon to get some writing done, and Elizabeth had joined her because she didn’t want to be apart from her any more than she had to be.

“Yes, of course.”

“Grab your coat,” he said, zipping up his own.

“That won’t be necessary,” Elizabeth replied, standing up.

Palmer laughed and explained, “Dad, she thinks that because the winter she’s used to is so harsh, our winters are basically summer.”

“Oh, really?” he teased. “You’ve never been through a Pittsburgh winter. It’s true that this year we’re having a mild one, but it’s normally worse. I remember the snowstorm in seventy-eight: twenty-seven inches of snow in three days. About twenty people died that year.”

“What’s twenty-seven inches in centimeters?” Palmer asked Elizabeth.

“Sixty-eight point six,” she replied.

“Sixty-eight,” Palmer’s father said at the same time. “I rounded down,” he added.

Palmer lifted an eyebrow at Elizabeth, then looked at her father and said, “You two leave me alone and go do your nerd tour.”

Elizabeth stood up. As Palmer’s father moved to open the sliding glass door, she leaned down and gave Palmer a quick kiss on the cheek.