Free Written on Her Heart by Paige Rion Page B

This job is really important to me.”
    “So you say.” All the playfulness from moments ago left Peter’s voice.
    “Don’t be like that.” Andi turned and walked to the bathroom, where she had an overnight bag packed. She pulled out a pair of blue pants and a short-sleeved sweater. She began to dress, pulling on the sweater that had been a steal on eBay.
    “So, you’re going sailing today, then?”
    “I guess. You were there.” She peeked her head out of the bathroom, giving him a hard look. “That’s what he said.”
    “Will it just be the two of you? Don’t you think that’s a bit intimate for a work outing?”
    Andi zipped her pants, grabbed hairspray from her bag and began spritzing her messy waves into submission. She left the bathroom and watched Peter as he got out of bed in nothing but boxers.
    “I don’t know. This isn’t exactly a conventional job.” She crossed her arms. “And I don’t think Ford’s the conventional type.”
    “Hmm.” Peter grabbed a t-shirt from the nightstand and pulled it on, then moved to the windows and threw open the thick drapes. Angry gray clouds cloaked the sky outside. He smiled.  “Looks like you’re not going anywhere near the water today.”
    Andi met the direction of his gaze, noting the ominous sky, then turned and put her hands on her hips. “Don’t sound so happy.”
    She frowned. A wave of disappointment hit her, but she would never admit to Peter that she had been looking forward to spending the day on the water. He wouldn’t understand. He would just jump to conclusions and think she had a thing for Ford. And while she admitted she wanted to know more about him—have more conversations like the one they had at the mill and in his office yesterday—any chance of feelings developing between them was preposterous. She was Andi Callaway and he was, well… him .
    “Sorry.” Peter turned to her. “Maybe I’m a little territorial, but I hate thinking you won’t be back at school in the fall. The plan was always for you to get a place in Columbus after graduation and write. Now, everything’s changed with this job, and you might be going clear to New York.”
    Andi placed her hands over Peter’s. “I know and I’m sorry, but this won’t be forever. I just need to learn the ropes, get as much information and help from him as I can. Once I have my own work out there, I can move wherever I want. Hopefully, it’ll only be a year. Maybe two. I don’t know but I know that I have to do this. I still want us. That will never change.”
    “Promise,” he whispered.
    Andi swallowed and the green of his eyes intensified. She reached a hand up to his face and stroked the golden stubble over his jaw. “Promise.”
    Swooping down, he kissed her, sealing the oath. Fifteen minutes later, he walked Andi to her car. He shut the door behind her as she got in her beater. Rain came down in sprinkles, dotting her windshield and finding a way inside when she cracked the window.
    He placed his palm on the glass next to her. “Have a good day. Love you.”
    Andi tried to smile, but her face stiffened as something twisted in her gut. “I will. Love you, too,” she said and turned the ignition.
    After the second try, the engine roared to life and she pulled out of the parking lot of the bed and breakfast, her stomach a tangle of nerves, wondering what about their encounter that morning had bothered her so much.
    She arrived to work early. Her stomach fluttered as she opened the front door and stepped into the huge vacation home. She not only wanted today to go well, she needed it to. After her disastrous first day, she had to prove herself. Nothing could go wrong. She needed to do whatever Ford wanted her to. Maybe over the course of working for him, Ford would open up, as he already had begun to, and get to know Andi, and, in time, would refer her to an agent or help her get published. At least she hoped. Her writing was worthy. She knew that much. All it