Once all the samples were loaded into the SUV, we climbed in ourselves, the silence heavy between us. Caleb stared out her window as I navigated us onto the main road that would lead us out of downtown Asheville and back to the lodge.
I drove unusually slowly as I wracked my brain for a way to prolong this outing. To get even just a few more minutes with her. To make the feeling I had when she was around last as long as it could.
“Um. Hey, you wanna get something to eat?”
Without turning her head, she said, “No, thanks. I’m not hungry.”
The moment the words were out of her mouth, a loud grumble sounded from her direction and my lips stretched into a smile. Not hungry my left foot.
“Are you sure? Your stomach doesn’t seem to agree with you.”
She laid a hand on her abdomen as if she co
