Page 32

“Distance.”

“Jesus, man, there’s an easy solution forthat.”

“I don’t want to pressureher.”

“I’ve married the world’s least commitment-friendly woman, and even she liked the surprise appearance. Even if it’s just for a night or two of hooking up…everyone likes orgasms.”

“It’s not just hooking up.” I frown. I’m ninety-nine percent sure we’re on the same page there. “And I don’t want to talk about orgasms withyou.”

“Oh, you’re serious serious.” He sits up straight, him and his chair both snapping to attention.

“I didn’t say that.” I let a half-grin escape at the corner of my mouth. “But yeah, maybe. I mean, I want to fly across the country to seeher.”

“Do it. Idid.”

“And you got married. That might be a little too fast for Poppy.”

He grins at me. “But notyou?”

No, I don’t want to marry Poppy.

Notyet.

But the idea is not completely horrible. It’s actually very, very tempting.

Yeah, I need to get on an airplane and round that last base with my favorite reporter before Toby’s inappropriate strategies take hold and I do something stupid like buy a ring for a woman I’ve only known for a week and only spent a few hours with atthat.

“I’ll fly out to see her soon, and that’ll solve that problem.”

“What are you waitingfor?”

“Some of us have actual jobs, youknow.”

“I have ajob.”

“That can follow you on a plane.”

“Surely you get time off. Wasn’t that the whole point of joining the park service?”

“Not exactly. And it’s complicated.”

“You make it more complicated than it needs to be.” Toby cuts straight to the point, as he always does. And normally I’d blow him off, because I live the way I do for a reason.

But maybe my priorities can shift abit.

“You have the means to go to her,” he asks. “Why aren’tyou?”

Yeah. That’s a good fucking question.