Page 79 of Day Break

“He’s worried too,” Lane said in the dark. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I said, burying my face in Byron’s fur. “I should have known seeing him again would cause memories to surface.”

“Want to talk about it?” Lane asked, his hands slowly moving over my hip.

“No, sleep. We can talk on the way home.” I hugged Byron to my chest after the dog settled next to me.

It wasn’t hard for me to slip back into sleep, spooned by the two men I’d fallen so fast for.

When I woke, the bed was empty, and sunlight was streaming in the windows.

I could hear Byron barking outside the window and Lane talking to him in response. I smiled, then showered quickly and dressed, pulling on a new pair of jeans and one of my new tops and ankle boots.

After applying some makeup and packing all my new things in my new suitcase and bags, I went downstairs to find Lane and Byron in the kitchen making breakfast.

“You look wonderful,” Lane said as I stepped closer and kissed him. “Like I said, I like your style.”

“Thank you. Can I help?”

“Nope. This morning, I’ve got everything handled. You sit, I’ll get you some coffee.” He motioned to the table.

I sat down, and Byron came up and dropped an apple in my lap. I smiled.

“Where did he get this?” I asked.

Lane glanced over and then laughed. “When I opened the fridge, he took it from the drawer. I was surprised it was still good. I haven’t been home for weeks.”

I stood up, washed the apple off, then grabbed a knife and cut it in half, giving one part to Byron. He carried it to the back door and laid in the sunlight to enjoy his treat.

“I’ve never known a dog to like apples so much,” Lane said with a chuckle.

“I’ve never known any dogs.” I shrugged and bit into the other half of the apple as I watched Lane make pancakes and bacon.

“We’re a little limited on the food, but since we’re heading out in about an hour, I figured this would do.”

“When are they going to release George?” I asked while I ate.

“Later today,” Lane answered. “I had planned on spending a few days here, but now I just want to get back and make sure he’s okay.”

I nodded. “I feel the same.” I took his hand in mine. “I’m already packed.”

Lane smiled. “Let’s clean this up, then I’ll go up and pack and we can head out.”

“I like that idea.”

The drive back to the island took half the time it had taken us to get into the city the morning before.

“How do people do it?” I asked, once we were on the ferry back to the island.

“What?” Lane asked, leaning his head back on the headrest and closing his eyes.

“Deal with the traffic?” I looked around and noticed there were only a handful of cars on the ferry this time. Yesterday, the ferry had been full.

“It’s a necessity. You drive to work to make the money to pay for a house that sits empty ninety percent of the time and the cars you sit in traffic in.” He shrugged and looked over at me.

“Do you like city life?” I asked, wondering which he preferred. It was obvious he liked being on the island. I just couldn’t see him being happy going back and forth to work every day, only to return to his place alone.

“It pays the bills.” He glanced over at me. “We all can’t afford to live where we want.”