Page 93 of Seale the Deal

Good night.

And just like that, she’s gone, leaving me alone with too many thoughts and no clear way forward.

Chapter 18

Ruger

DAYS LEFT ON VISA: 57

I feel a mix of nerves and anticipation as I wait for Wrenley in the hotel lobby the next morning. I can’t stop thinking about my conversation with Remi. The most irritating part is that she’s right. If I make this more complicated than it already is, nobody wins. Wrenley came here for a future, and Remi sacrificed a lot to help make it happen. The last thing either of them needs is me getting in the way because I can’t get my head on straight. So today, I’m keeping it simple. We’re just hanging out, and I am not going to imagine a future beyond what we planned.

The elevator doors open, and every good intention immediately goes to hell.

Wrenley steps out in fitted jeans, a plain black T-shirt tucked at the waist, and a flannel jacket she found at the thrift store and bought instead of a wedding dress. Her curls spill over her shoulders in every direction at once. One strand springs free the moment she tucks it back, and I desperately wish I could do it myself.

Jesus.

So much for the conversation I had with Remi. It’s been twelve hours, and I’m already proving her point.

I force a tight smile. Morning.

Hi, she says, her eyes bright and so damn beautiful. What are we doing today?

This, I can handle. Because today, unlike my pesky feelings, I have planned. I want to show her Alaska. I want her to experience more than the small corner she’s seen. I want her to see the real, wild expanse of it.

You’ll see, I say, holding back a grin.

She eyes me warily but smiles anyway and follows me outside.

We get into my truck, and I ease us into traffic. Wrenley watches the city pass. She smiles contentedly as she watches coffee shops and murals, old buildings with fresh coats of paint, young couples holding hands, and bikes weaving between cars. I wonder if this reminds her of Vancouver. I watch the road but steal glances whenever I can, experiencing the city for the first time again through her eyes. What makes Anchorage beautiful isn’t just the snow-capped mountains that loom beyond the skyline, or the ocean that stretches past the port, or even the odd moose that wanders into town. It’s how civilization and wilderness come together. If you want to go on an adventure, you just have to step out your front door. But if all you crave is the convenience of a city, you have it.

The city gives way to wilderness, either side of the truck now surrounded by fall colours and the endless stretch of road.

Did you know part of the land around this highway was carved out by glaciers? I ask.

Hmm?

I quickly look over at her. Glacier. The landscape.

That’s nice.

My brows furrow. That’s nice?

Very nice.

I’m giving you premium Alaska facts here, Wrenley. You gotta give me something.

She makes a noncommittal noise.

Nervousness swirls in my stomach. Everything okay over there?

Wrenley shifts in her seat. I have a question.

Yeah?

Her voice is soft and tentative. Will we still be friends after this?

The question lands like a gut punch.