Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The next morning, Landry and Peter rode their bikes to the trail along the Monocacy River.
The early sun bathed the trees in golden light, and the gentle breeze carried the scent of earth and river water.
“These kinds of days make me glad for a flexible schedule,” Landry said, tilting her face toward the sun, letting it warm her skin.
Peter glanced at her, the soft morning light catching in her hair. The trail was still quiet, with only the occasional jogger or dog walker passing by, allowing them to ride side by side.
“What time do you go in?”
“Not until four, but I’m meeting my mother at Vital Yoga for the one p.m. Silver Stretch class.”
Peter’s lips twitched in amusement. “Silver Stretch? That sounds like a class for older people. Your mother isn’t that old. And you certainly aren’t.”
Landry laughed, adjusting her grip on the handlebars. “Think of it as a class for mature adults who don’t do yoga regularly.” She glanced at him, amusement dancing in her eyes. “And don’t be fooled—Tibby, the instructor, makes sure we get a real workout.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Peter said, a teasing glint in his eyes.
Seven days. That was all they had left before he flew to France. Every hour together felt both precious and fleeting, and neither of them was wasting a moment.
“I’m glad this time worked out,” she said softly.
Peter’s gaze met hers, something warm and unspoken passing between them. “Me, too.”
She barely noticed the miles slipping by because she and Peter never stopped talking. It was effortless, the way they could leap from one subject to the next, never running out of things to say.
“How did you figure out what poison to use?” Peter asked from behind her as he was forced to drop back as they met a pair of older walkers.
His voice carried through the crisp morning air, loud enough that the couple passing by jerked their heads around, eyes wide with alarm.
Landry bit back a laugh, her heart lifting at the moment of shared amusement. She waited until they were past to respond.
“The internet is my best friend,” she said, still grinning. “Plus, I have a contact, a woman I met at a mystery writers conference in Baltimore last year who’s an expert in poisons and has been an invaluable resource.”
Peter let out a low whistle. “That is both impressive and mildly terrifying.”
She shot him a look over her shoulder. “I also have a book that’s exclusively about different poisons and how they kill.”
He shook his head, laughing. “You get more intriguing by the day. I need to see this book.”
“Next time you’re at my apartment, I’ll show it to you.”
“When?” His question was casual, but something in his tone—something just beneath the surface—made her grip the handlebars a little tighter.
“When what?” she asked, glancing at him
“When do you want to get together again?”
It was such a simple question. And yet, beneath it, there was something deeper. A quiet urgency. A reminder of how little time they had left.
Her throat tightened. Every time they parted, the days until he left GraceTown seemed to shrink, slipping through her fingers like sand.
“I’m free tomorrow night,” she said, her voice softer now.
His gaze locked on to hers, something unspoken passing between them. A promise. A silent plea not to waste what time they had left.
“I want to be with you every chance I get,” he said, and the way he said it made her breath catch.
The warmth in his gaze sent a shiver down her spine. She wanted to bottle this moment, to press pause on time. Instead, she simply nodded. “Tomorrow, then.”
But deep down, she wished today would never end.
Landry met her mother outside Vital Yoga ten minutes before the class began.
“I was beginning to wonder if you’d make it.” Her mother reached out and touched her cheek, studying her closely. “Looks like you got some sun.”
“Peter and I went biking along the river trail this morning,” Landry said, brushing stray hair from her face.
Her mother’s expression sharpened slightly. “You and Peter seem to be spending a lot of time together.”
“You think so?” Landry asked innocently, though the truth was undeniable.
“Well, you seem to be with him every time I call.”
Landry chuckled and pushed open the door to the studio. “We enjoy being together.”
“He’ll be gone soon,” Donna commented.
Landry’s jaw tightened as she stepped inside, unrolling her mat with a little too much force.
“Don’t, Mom,” she said, trying to keep her voice light, but the ache in her chest was already spreading. She knew Peter was leaving—she just wasn’t ready to face what that really meant.
Her mother waved to a few women she knew but kept her attention fixed on Landry. “I ran into Chad yesterday while I was shopping. He was very polite and asked about you.”
“I hope he’s doing well.”
She meant it. Chad was a good man, and she sincerely wished him happiness. He just wasn’t her man.
Not like Peter.
The thought sent a sharp pang through her chest.
Her mother’s voice pulled her back. “He was with another girl. I warned you this would happen, that you would miss your chance. I think, deep down, he still cares about you. Maybe after this Peter has left you, you can call Chad again.”
A hopeful gleam filled her mother’s eyes.
A small ache settled in Landry’s stomach, but she didn’t hesitate.
“No,” she said firmly. “That’s not happening.”
She needed her mother to understand that that part of her life was over.
Before her mother could press the issue, Tibby stepped to the front and began the class.
As Landry settled into her first stretch, she wasn’t thinking about Chad.
She was thinking about Peter—about the way he made her laugh, the way his touch sent shivers down her spine, the way he saw her in a way no one else ever had.
And Landry wondered—not for the first time—if she was making a mistake by not going with him.
The yoga stretches worked their magic, unwinding the tension that had coiled inside her all morning. As the class ended, Landry stole a glance at her mother, half expecting another comment about Chad, another subtle push toward something she had no intention of reviving.
But Donna only smiled, reaching for her water bottle. Maybe she’d finally accepted the truth. Or maybe she’d decided it was no longer worth the fight.
Either way, Landry was grateful.
They stopped at GraceTown Juice, where she bought her mom a protein smoothie—chocolate peanut butter, her favorite—and they settled at one of the small round tables, the hum of the blender and quiet chatter creating a comfortable backdrop.
It was nice, this time together. Just mother and daughter. No expectations. No veiled criticisms. Just an easy conversation about books, a new farmers’ market stand, the latest antics of their neighbor’s cat.
By the time Landry headed into work that evening, she felt wrung out—not physically, but emotionally.
The kind of tired that came from giving so much of herself all day.
Between the morning ride with Peter, the hours with her mom and the steady buzz of the coffee shop, she should have been ready to crash the moment she walked through her apartment door.
But she wasn’t.
Her body was still, but her mind wasn’t. It circled, restless, always landing back in the same place. Back on the warmth of Peter’s touch, the way his eyes darkened when she teased him, the way she felt every time they said goodbye.
She pulled out her phone before she could talk herself out of it, fingers moving over the screen.
Can I come over?
Her heart knocked against her ribs as she waited for his response. She didn’t have to wait long.
I’ll be waiting.
A slow smile curved her lips as she set her phone down. The exhaustion she’d felt a moment ago disappeared completely, replaced by something else entirely.
Anticipation.