Page 41 of Flights and Sights

He shrugged and shook his head once, eyes widening. “I don’t know. I’m worried, you know? I love Celestial Cask and I’m not sure I’m ready to let someone make changes.”

“What if the changes are great? You might love their plans.”

“That’s true,” he said, nodding slowly. “But it still won’t be just mine anymore. I’ll have to rely on someone else, check before I make decisions, get permission to run my own business.”

“Okay, fair. Those all make it sound like cons. Are there any pros?”

He turned to face me. “Yeah, definitely. I still want to hear them out. Buying the property and expanding the meadery has been a dream of mine. It was Paul’s dream, too. I want to make it happen, and if that means giving up a little control, so be it. It’ll be worth seeing a dream come true.”

“So you are going to accept the money?” I wasn’t sure he’d made up his mind, but I wanted to know where his mind was as we went into it, so I could support him either way.

“I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet. I’m just trying to go into it with an open mind.”

I nodded slowly. “Understood.”

We were quiet for a few moments before he fiddled with the radio, turning it on a pop station. Another couple of moments passed before Paxton took a breath. “Do you like being a travel writer?”

I chuckled, surprised by the question. My knee-jerk reaction was to say that of course I did, but instead, I thought about it carefully before speaking. Did I still like it? I used to love it. Now, I wasn’t sure. “I don’t know anymore.”

“What are the pros?” He smirked.

Another quiet chuckle escaped me. “Well, I get to travel. I get paid to visit some pretty cool places. I get to see the country. Maybe eventually, the world.” That reminded me of the new assignment proposal I was staring down. I didn’t say anything, not wanting to ruin the light, easy tone of the conversation.

“How about cons?”

“I have to be on the road nonstop. I fly a lot. I don’t get to see my family very often.”

“I know the flying part is hard for you.”

I scoffed and nodded. “Very.”

He hummed quietly. “How long have you been a travel writer?”

I was embarrassed to admit it. “Since the breakup. I didn’t take the job because of Jacob, but it wasn’t not because of him, either, if that makes sense.”

“We’ve all done things to get away from bad exes.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Have we? Have you?”

He tipped his head to the side briefly. “Well, maybe not all of us.”

“What, no terrible exes in your past?”

Paxton was quiet for a moment. “Not really. I’ve been too focused on work my whole life.”

“You’re not… I mean, have ever…” I trailed off, cheeks burning with heat, not sure how to ask what I was thinking without sounding inappropriate. It certainly wasn’t a casual question you asked a business associate. My heart pounded as I waited for his answer.

Paxton let out a bubble of laughter and shook his head. “If you’re asking if I’m a virgin, I’m not. I’ve had relationships, just nothing serious. Sometimes a hookup here or there, some casual dating, but… I’ve never been in love.”

At the idea of him being with other people, jealousy flared in my chest. I knew I had no right to feel that way—we’d hooked up once for God’s sake. A couple of dates, some kissing, and… the things we did on Family Field Day. I didn’t have any claim over him. I was leaving in a week, anyway. It was just a casual thing.

“Have you ever had your heart broken?” I asked carefully

He shrugged. “Not really. It’s usually a mutual decision to go our separate ways. Tommy on the other hand… he gets serious about people fast. I don’t know how he does it. It seems like he’s always working on the next heartbreak.”

I accepted the pivot in conversation gracefully. “Is he seeing anyone now?”

Paxton smirked again. “Why, you want me to see if he’s into you?”