I walked over to where she stood. “No ego stroking, Mila. You’re beautiful.”
“What can I do?” she asked, brushing dust from her hands.
“I thought I’d get the place opened up.”
I went in to open up the windows in the bedrooms while Mila opened the ones in the kitchen and great room.
“I’d love to take a walk by the creek if you’re up for it,” she said when I came back out.
We’d been walking for at least a half hour when we came to an old stone bridge.
“I need a photo of this,” she said, pulling out her phone. She swiped the screen and frowned.
“What?” I asked.
“Who.”
“Adler?”
Mila nodded. “He’s livid.”
I held my breath, waiting for what she’d do next. Would she ask me to take her back? Call him? Maybe send him a text, apologizing?
She did none of those things. I watched as she took two photos of the bridge and then turned the phone in my direction. “Would you mind?” she asked.
“Taking a photo of you? Never.”
She shook her head. “I was thinking of us. Is that too weird?” She shook her head again. “Me and the guy who found my dead sister,” she added, mumbling.
I took the phone from her hand and drew her into me. “I hope you can think of me as someone more than that.”
“I do. I’m sorry I said that. I just wonder…what you must think of me.”
“Hmm. If I recall correctly, it wasn’t that long ago that I told you you were beautiful. I also told you that I wanted to kiss you from the first moment I saw you.”
When she smiled but looked away, I put my fingers on her cheek. “Look at me,” I murmured. “I understand, Mila. Yes, what brought us together was tragic. But along with wanting to kiss you, I knew from the minute I heard your voice, looked into your eyes, that you were someone special. That you’d be someone special to me.” What I didn’t say was that the first time I looked into those eyes, hadn’t been two days ago. It was years ago, but even then, I’d known.
When I kissed her again, she relaxed into me. Her body felt like heaven up against mine. I held the phone up and took a photo, hoping that I’d gotten us in the frame since I didn’t break our kiss to do it.
“Take another one,” she said, resting her head against my chest and smiling.
I looked at the image, tapped the screen, and sent it to myself. “I’ve been meaning to tell you to put my number in your phone. Now you have it.”
I was just about to hand it back to her when I saw a message flash on the screen from Adler.
I’m frantic, it read. I’m sorry for the way I acted. Please tell me where you are and that you’re safe.
I didn’t know what the other messages from him said, but I had to empathize with the guy. If Mila had ghosted me, I’d be frantic too. I watched as she read the same message I had.
“Would you mind?” she asked like she had earlier about taking a photo.
“Not at all. I’ll be on the bridge—”
Before I could walk away, Mila put her hand on my arm. “Please stay.”
I nodded, hating that I was close enough to hear the man’s voice, but relieved that I’d know what they were saying to each other.
“Hi,” she said when Adler answered almost immediately.