Chapter 19
Luke
“Great work, Fieldstone,” the General says as I brief him about the arrests. Kaylee and I returned to the campground a few minutes ago. She’s in her tent updating her mom, so I took the opportunity to update Winston.
“I couldn’t have done it without Kaylee. She’s incredible.”
Chuckling, Winston says, “She sounds like quite a gal.”
“You should have seen her interrogate Reggie,” I add, grinning as I replay the scene in my mind. Violet and I almost lost it when my coordination-challenged partner knocked over the condiments and they flew everywhere. It was like watching a rerun of Barney Fife in Mayberry RFD .
“Sounds like a skill we could use on the Grayson team,” Winston mutters, echoing my thoughts exactly.
Could Kaylee join the team? Would she want to?
“Was the park ranger also an accomplice?” he asks, pulling me from my musing .
“He was. When O’Malley confronted him with the photos I took, he spilled the tea.”
“Well, at least it wasn’t spilled coffee,” Winston jokes. “O’Malley was very pleased,” he adds. “The FBI is offering a reward for solving this crime. You should split it with Kaylee.”
“How much is it?” I ask, this new information piquing my interest.
“Five thousand dollars.”
Wow! Kaylee can afford several of those pricy handbags.
“That’s great! I’ll let Kaylee know.”
My boss clears his throat. “Unfortunately, I need to cut your assignment there short.”
My heart plunges to my toes. I knew this was coming, but I’d hoped I had a little more time with Kaylee. “Oh? Why?”
“I need you to return to California ASAP. Grayson just acquired a new client, and I need your skills. It’s going to take all hands on deck to catch this criminal.”
Usually, I’d leap at a new assignment and a new challenge, but this time I’d rather stay right here. My sense of duty overrides my desire to be with Kaylee knowing that it’s inevitable that I’m going back to California, so I might as well rip the Band-Aid off and break it off with her now.
“Yes, sir. I’ll book a red-eye flight out of Denver tonight.”
~*~
I wait until Kaylee emerges from her tent before I head over. As my feet cross the grassy patch between our campgrounds, my steps start to lag knowing I’ve got to say good-bye to her.
Yap! Yap! Liz greets me joyously. I bend over and scratch behind her ears, and she licks my chin. I used to think I wanted a large dog—Rottweiler size—but Kaylee’s French bulldog has wormed her way into my heart. It’s going to be almost as difficult to leave Liz behind as it is to leave Kaylee.
“How did your call with your boss go?” Kaylee asks, handing me a soda.
We plop down on the picnic table bench to enjoy our drinks. “He was very pleased. The FBI was ecstatic as well. There’s even a reward, and we get to split it. ”
A broad smile lights her face. “No kidding! How much is it?”
“Five-thousand dollars.”
She squeals, holds up her fist, and we exchange fist bumps. “Now I can afford that Marc Jacobs bag! I’ll even get a new blingy collar for Liz.”
“Do whatever you want. You earned it.”
A few seconds later, she breaks eye contact and murmurs, “So when are you returning to California?”
“About that,” I say with a sigh. “The General needs me back as soon as possible. I booked a flight out this evening.”
She chokes on the sip of soda she just took. “That soon?” she gasps.
Removing the can from her hand, I set it beside my can and grasp both her hands in mine. “Kaylee, I really like you, and I’d suggest we try a long-distance relationship, but I’ve never seen one of those work. ”
The General is a prime example of a long-distance relationship that didn’t work. He and his wife were estranged for years until he moved back to California.
She nods and a tear tracks its way down her cheek.
This is going to be more difficult than I thought. “Hey, maybe I’ll get another assignment in Colorado,” I say, squeezing her hands as my eyes lock with hers for a heated split second.
Slowly untangling her hands from mine, she says, “It’s okay, Luke. I enjoyed being your partner, but I understand that you have to go back to California.” Her voice cracks and she blinks furiously.
I suddenly feel like the bad guy in this situation, but I’m just being realistic, right? Long-distance relationships don’t work. Period.
“Mom and the Coffee Loft need me to give them a brewing boost,” she says with a weak smile. Her attempt at humor falls a little flat. “Especially now that Reggie’s not going to be employed there any longer,” she adds in a firm voice, as if she’s trying to convince herself as much as she’s trying to convince me.
I desperately want to kiss her, but her body language indicates that wouldn’t be the right move. Gathering the tattered remnants of my heart, I force myself to stand and turn my feet towards my campsite. “I’ll make sure you get your portion of the reward,” I say.
She gives me a halfhearted wave and my throat clogs with emotions I don’t even try to identify as I walk away from her.
Is this how this relationship is supposed to end? Everything about this goodbye feels wrong, but I don’t know what to do about it.