Page 106

Fen knew her schedule as well as she did, sometimes better. He also knew how much work she’d accomplished while staying at Edith’s cottage. Editorial interviews, Zoom meetings, writing her blog, taking photos and video clips for her social media team, and editing her latest book—she’d kept up with all of it without setting foot in California.

A few obligations required her to be there, but far fewer than she’d convinced herself.

“I have appearances and meetings.”

“Those are usually scheduled in batches, and that’s what planes are for.” He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees. “Honey, the producers love what you filmed there. I’m willing to bet the audience will too. They’d have to put together a local production team, but there’s no reason you couldn’t film more episodes within driving distance of Antelope Rock.”

She hadn’t thought about that.

Her time there had started as an interruption to her life and career. Even after Vividmark decided to take advantage of her location, she’d viewed it as temporary. Something they were making work until she returned to L.A.

Fen apparently saw possibilities she hadn’t.

“You can still travel for other locations,” he continued. “You’re rarely on set for more than a week at a time anyway. There’s nothing about your job that says you have to live in California twelve months a year.” He gestured toward the rest of the house beyond her office door. “You could make a nice profit off selling this place and get a condo for when you need to be in town for something.”

Selling her house.

Three weeks ago, the suggestion would have been unthinkable. Now, instead of immediately rejecting it, she caught herself considering what it would be like to come back to L.A. for a week or two at a time and have a smaller place waiting for her. Something that served a purpose rather than a big, beautiful house that had begun to feel painfully empty whenever she was alone in it.

But there was one part of her career neither of them could predict.

“What if one of the major networks picks up the show? They could want me based here or in New York.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, that's always your ultimate goal. If it happens, you deal with it then. But is getting picked up by a network going to make you any happier here if your heart is longing for a hot sheriff in Wyoming?”

She stared at him.

He made it sound so damn simple.

Maybe that was what bothered her most.

Since returning to California, she'd treated her life there and the one she'd left behind in Wyoming as two separate worlds. She'd spent three weeks trying to return to one while missing almost everything about the other.

Until now, she hadn't allowed herself to consider there could be something in between.

She studied the photograph again.

Going back for a visit was one thing. She’d already known she would eventually. Edith was there, and after everything that had happened over the past two months, Antelope Rock would always be part of her life.

But moving there?

Her stomach twisted at the thought.

“What if Grady doesn’t want me there permanently?”

Fen’s eyebrows rose. “Seriously?”

“Think about it. We never talked about me moving to Antelope Rock or about anything that far into the future.”

Maybe that had been a mistake, but neither of them wanted to ruin the time they had left by asking questions they weren’t ready to answer.

She also knew she was the first real relationship Grady had allowed himself to have since losing his wife. Even then, they’d gone into it knowing there was an expiration date. Neither of them had pretended otherwise.

Her gaze returned to the photograph. They’d been so damn happy that day. But they’d also known she was leaving.

What if that had been part of what made everything between them work?

As far as she knew, Grady was content with their relationship as it was. Showing up in Antelope Rock, ready to rearrange her entire life around him, felt presumptuous as hell.