Shane tapped his hand on the table as he sat in the cafeteria waiting for Nicole to grab her food. He’d overreacted the other day. He’d seen an emotion pass over her eyes that he couldn’t quite define.
But he knew she’d been on edge. An edge that hadn’t evaporated in the last two days.
“I know that meat loaf is filling. I know Chef puts veggies in it. But when we get off this vessel it is going to take me months before I will even consider putting it in my mouth again.” Nicole slid next to him.
When we get off the ship.
The words were daggers. Shane lived in Texas. Or at least that was where his stuff was stored. Nicole had a house she was renting out in Rhode Island.
“You ever considered moving to Texas?” The words were out before he'd fully thought them through. That seemed to happen so often around Nicole. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
“You asking me to move to Texas?” She grinned as she put a mouthful of meat loaf in her mouth.
“I'm asking if you’d consider it.”
“Of course I’d consider it. Though we could also go to Rhode Island or anywhere else. We aren’t currently tied to a geographic location. Your stuff is in storage—”
“You have a house.” He hadn't meant to interrupt, but she was technically geographically bound. Sort of.
“Not for long.” Nicole grinned. “I was going to send an email to a Realtor this afternoon. The couple renting my home sent a note asking to buy it this morning.” She tapped her hand on the table, matching the rhythm his fingers were taking. “What is that look for?”
“You got an email this morning, and are going to reach out to a realtor this afternoon? You don’t want to think about it?” Shane contemplated everything. Selling a house deserved at least twenty-four hours of thought.
Didn’t it?
Nicole started to reach for his hand then pulled back. “You think I'm being reckless.”
“A little.” Shane took a deep breath. “It’s a house.”
“A house I have not lived in for a year. A house my ex and I bought. A house I do not plan to return to, no matter what happens between us.” Nicole bit her lip. “This isn’t a reckless decision, Shane. And even if it is, it’s my reckless choice to make.”
Hers to make. They’d talked in generalities about the future. But the time spent on the research vessel felt like a reprieve from what was coming. A future date that was rapidly barreling toward them.
“Yeah. I guess it is.” Shane looked at the meat loaf sitting on his plate.
“I am not going to overthink things, Shane.”
Except she wasn’t even thinking about it. And what would happen when she decided something about them? Would she do that on a whim, too?
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