Epilogue

HANNAH

“Oh, I’ve missed this.”

“Me too.” I closed my eyes, enjoying the gentle bobbing of the water and the sun’s warmth on my skin.

It was the first warm day in early May, so we’d leaped at the chance to go kayaking.

Last summer, after I handed in my book to Michael for edits and George found two more employees to work at Novel Gossip, we’d finally had more time to spend together outside work. And one of our favorite things to do together was to rent a kayak, paddle until we were just out of sight of Sapphire Springs, and then lie back and lounge in the sunshine, just as we were doing now, relaxing and chatting—and covered in sunscreen, of course. All our friends thought we’d become kayaking enthusiasts, and Olivia had even suggested we do an overnight kayaking trip. Little did they know that minimal actual kayaking was involved in our excursions.

We lay there for a few minutes in silence as the sun soaked into my bones.

“Hey, Hannah?” George asked. There was something in her voice that would have made me sit up and look at her if I hadn’t been so damn comfortable.

“Yeah?”

“I was wondering…” George paused, and it reminded me of that awkward conversation we’d had on a kayak about our first kiss eleven months ago. I frowned. It was unlike George to sound slightly hesitant.

The kayak wobbled. I opened my eyes and found myself looking at George, who was now seated in the kayak, gazing down at me, her face upside down. I blinked. That was unexpected.

She put a hand on my shoulder. “Would you be interested in moving in together? I know your lease is up next month, and we spend pretty much every night together.”

Oh. Now I understood. I’d been thinking about this for a while. I wanted to live with George. A lot. I couldn”t imagine my life without her, and on the rare occasion we did spend a night apart, I missed her.

But as much as I liked George’s apartment—mainly because it was George’s apartment—I didn’t want to live there. I’d made a point of ensuring we spent at least a few days a week at my little cottage.

Twelve months ago, I would have shied away from this conversation. But now, after months of therapy and lots of communication practice with George I was equipped to address it head on.

I smiled up at her. “I would love to move in with you, but I’m worried that I’ll struggle. Not with living with you,” I said hurriedly, “but just with your apartment. Well, not the apartment, really, more the location. I like your apartment, but I really love living in nature, being able to walk out onto my deck and only see trees, grass, and flashes of the Hudson. And I like having some separation between work and home if I can—at least with one of my jobs. But you own your place, whereas I’m just renting, so I know it makes sense for me to move in with you. Not to mention how convenient it is, being so close to work.”

George stroked my head, beaming down at me. “I thought you’d feel that way. And I was actually thinking we could find our own place together. Something similar to your current house, just with a bit more space so we can have visitors and you can still have a proper study for your writing.”

I furrowed my brow. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to leave your apartment just for me.”

George continued to stroke my head gently. “I’m sure. And it’s not just for you. It’s for us. I think getting our own place, together, is important. Max would love some outdoor space to run around in, and I’d really like a bit more work/life separation as well.”

George’s words filled me with comfort.

“What would you do with your apartment? It seems like a waste for it to just sit there.”

“I spoke to Ben, and he’s interested in renting it. I did warn him about the work/life separation thing, but he’s still super excited. It’s twice the size of his current place, and I’m offering him a discount on the basis that he will effectively be adding an extra level of security to Novel Gossip. You know, just in case anyone decides to break in to sign hundreds of books in the middle of the night or something.”

I laughed. “Who in their right mind would do something so ridiculous?”

“Who indeed?” George grinned fondly at me and then leaned down and kissed me on the head, sending the kayak on another wobble that threatened to tip us into the water.

I squealed. “George! It might be a warm day for early May, but the water will still be freezing! Please don’t capsize us.”

George chuckled. “Okay, no more kisses until we are out of the kayak. But you still haven’t really answered my question. What do you think? Do you want to move in together?”

I smiled back up at George. “I’m oar-ficially on board to find a home that floats both our boats.”

George rolled her eyes, laughing at me. “That was oar-ful.”

“But in all seriousness, I would absolutely love to move in with you.”

I relaxed back into the kayak, gazing up at George.

It was hard to believe that it had been less than a year ago that I’d met her. We’d faced some novel problems along the way, but we’d gotten through them, supporting each other and—at least in my case—learning a lot in the process. My love for George pulsed through my veins as I studied her face.

“You know what, screw it! Come back down here and give me a kiss!” And with that, I reached up, cupped George’s face in my hand, and gently pulled my gorgeous girlfriend toward me, ignoring the ominous wobble the kayak made.

THE END