Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
KRISTA
Sunday, Day Three of the Summer Swap
For the first time in her life, Krista woke up with a man in her bed and her first thought wasn’t how quickly she could get rid of him. They’d eventually left the Hideaway last night, and despite all the swap rules, Krista couldn’t bear the thought of parting after the intimacy they’d shared.
And of course, it continued back at her apartment with his mouth on hers in the hallway, hands everywhere, whipped cream grabbed from the kitchen with a bottle of wine…
Now, the room was still dim, the first rays of sunlight slipping through her blinds. Her comforter was a soft, tangled mess around her hips. Frankie was a warm, snoring ball pressed into the curve of her stomach. Joe lay behind her, his arm slung over her waist, his hand resting on her chest.
She stared at the wall for a second, waiting for the panic that usually came with this kind of situation—the old familiar whoops, what have I done , and the mental list of polite, efficient ways to get someone out of her apartment before Kit made breakfast .
It didn’t come.
Instead, she felt… content.
Krista wasn’t sure exactly what this was with Joe, but it couldn’t just be a one-time thing. She knew that as clearly as she knew her own name. She wasn’t na?ve; she knew he was leaving, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t come back, or that they couldn’t find a way to make this work.
Heat flickered low in her belly at the memory of last night, of his hands, his mouth, the way he’d held her like she was indescribably precious.
Behind her, his fingers flexed against her shirt, a slow, unconscious brush over her collarbone. “You awake?” he murmured, voice rough with sleep.
“Unfortunately,” she said softly, fluttering her eyes closed.
Frankie immediately stirred, pushing up on his stubby legs and stretching before proceeding to lick Joe’s hand, then hers for good measure.
“Hey now,” Joe said to the pup, half laughing. “I’m not ready to get up. We’re still cuddling here.”
Krista laughed and relaxed back into him. “Afraid he’s not going to listen.”
Frankie took that as encouragement, bouncing around the bed, barking in short, excited bursts, getting more wound up by the second.
“Alright, buddy, alright.” Joe rolled onto his back, Frankie scrambling happily onto his chest to accept ear scratches. “Want me to let him out for you?”
“That’s okay. You don’t have to,” Krista started, even as he was already shifting. She rolled onto her stomach, hugging her pillow, watching as he tugged his shorts back on and disappeared toward the sliding door, Frankie trotting at his heels.
Hot sex and he lets the dog out in the morning? Yeah, I’m definitely in trouble.
But by the time Joe and Frankie padded back into her room, she’d already started mentally juggling the next few days.
She was going to be swamped the next few weeks. They had three more days left with the swap and then she’d be running the Hideaway full time, keeping the campground afloat, and lining up Alice’s rehab and home care. And in the middle of all that, she really, really wanted to keep seeing Joe.
He climbed back into bed like he’d been doing it for years, settling beside her and tugging her into his side. She went willingly, draping her arm across his stomach, resting her cheek against his chest.
“What’s your plan for the day?” he asked, his words rumbling under her ear.
“I’d love to stay like this, truly.” She tipped her head back to look at him. “Last night was…I hope not a one-of-a-kind situation.”
“Oh yeah?” Joe’s mouth curved. “Here I thought it was just a job perk. Maybe I was employee of the month.”
She snorted. “Ha, ha. Aren’t you cute,” she said, giving him a playful swat.
And then—because her life refused to let anything be simple—she felt the question sitting in her chest, heavy and unavoidable.
“What happens when you leave?” she asked, before she could talk herself out of it.
Joe went still for half a beat before rolling over back to his side of the bed.
“I’m trying to land something,” he said, looking over at her. “My editor mentioned Malta. I’m hoping I can travel around a bit more of Europe too. He’s looking into it, but it’s not locked yet. And I don’t know how long it would be. Could be a few weeks. Could be longer.”
Krista nodded like she was processing it calmly, like her insides weren’t doing a slow, panicked tumble .
“And after that?” she asked, trying to keep it light.
A flicker of a smile hit his mouth, but his eyes stayed serious. “After that, it’s usually something else. I don’t…stay in one place for long.” He exhaled. “But I want to. I want to come back to you.”
“So what are we saying?” Krista asked.
“I’m saying that I don’t want to stop this. Whatever this is.”
Her throat tightened. She tried to blink it away like she always did.
“I don’t either,” she admitted.
Then Joe said, a little rougher, “We can try long-distance.”
“You’re sure?” she asked.
“No,” he said, honestly. “But I’m sure about you.”
The warmth of his words washed over her.
Krista nodded slowly. “Okay,” she whispered. “Then we try.”
Joe leaned down and kissed her. It was slow and lingering, like he was sealing it in place before fear could undo it.
When he pulled back, his forehead rested against hers. “We’ll be realistic,” he murmured. “Your life is…a lot.”
“So is yours,” she said, because she could already picture him in some far-off city, chasing light through narrow streets, pretending he wasn’t lonely.
“But we’ll make it work. We’ll call, text, figure out time zones. I’ll come back when I can. And when I can’t…” He swallowed. “I’ll still be yours.”
Krista’s heart gave a hard, aching thump.
“Okay,” she said again, because it was the only word she trusted not to break.
He rolled, bracing his arms on either side of her, caging her in. “For the record,” he said, his voice going softer, “I’d stay like this all day with you too, if I could. In fact, I’m hoping to spend some more time with you while I can.”
“Is that so?” Krista smiled up at him .
He wiggled his hips, making the mattress bounce. “Very much.”
Her phone buzzed loudly on the nightstand.
Krista groaned. “I better check that. It might be Gramps.”
Or my parents , she thought grimly.
She twisted, stretching an arm out to snag the phone. Joe reluctantly moved aside.
It wasn’t Walt. And it wasn’t her parents.
It was Elsie.
Hey, just checking in. Did you want to take a break from the swap? So sorry to hear about Alice!!
Krista showed Joe the message.
“That’s your call. I understand if you want to pull it,” Joe said.
“No, I don’t. I just might not get much work done on my side today, but I don’t want to quit.”
No, we’re still good. Joe will work the Hideaway today, and I’ll send you something tonight from the tent.
Okay, perfect. Let me know if you need anything! Today’s sponsor is the Maple Leaf Café. I’ll let Anita know it’s still on!
Krista relayed the message to Joe, even though he was included in the text thread, and then switched over to the group chat, where she had dozens of missed texts.
Madison: Give Alice our love.
Zoe: Do you guys need anything ?
Zach: Doing a morning remodel, but I can swing by the campground later and lend a hand.
Liam: Same. I’m free tonight.
Kit: What’s your gramps’s favorite food?
Krista smiled, reading through all the texts.
“Everything okay?” Joe asked, as Krista scrolled through the messages.
“What? Yeah. Just the gang, checking in on Gram.”
“That’s pretty nice. You got a solid group of friends here.”
“Yeah, I know.” Krista couldn’t help but think how much she wanted to include Joe in on that group thread, but she knew it was too soon.
Yeah, they’d talked about making something work long-distance, but right now that was just talk.
And as much as she wanted to fully integrate him into her life already, something held her back.
She tried not to think on it too much, and instead, fell back into Joe’s arms.
“So…Swap Day Three…” she finally said.
“I’ll cover the Hideaway…”
“And I’ll go see Gram,” she said. “Check in on her and the rehab plan. Be back in your tent tonight.”
Joe’s hand slid down to find hers, their fingers lacing together. “If you need me to do anything else, just let me know,” he said.
She squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”
For once, she let herself let go of some of the weight of her responsibility, lean on him. The way he stepped in without making her feel weak; it was like he saw her, and she didn’t have to hold it all alone.
If only their time together didn’t have an expiration date.