Except… I want to say goodbye.
To the morning meditation sessions. To Nadia and the yoga group. To Bertha, of course—and Amanda. To the kitchen guys. To the hiking group. Even the small moments at breakfast—the jokes, the easy conversations.
I didn’t think it would matter. But it does.
And the men…
I know if I see them, I won’t leave. Reid will try to reason with me. Luke will try to charm me into staying. Talon… he won’t say anything. He’ll just turn away—and somehow that’ll feel worse.
It’ll be too much. I’ll break, and I’ll stay, and everything will get worse.
That’s not fair to any of them.
I write a few short letters instead. Just enough to say thank you. Enough to make it feel like I didn’t disappear without a word.
Then I grab my bag and slip into the hallway, hoping I can make it out without running into anyone.
No such luck.
“Leaving already?”
I spin around. Amanda’s coming back from the kitchen, a bowl of ice cream in her hand. When she sees me, her arm jerks slightly, like she almost hides it, then she steadies herself.
“Yeah,” I say, forcing a smile. “Something came up. I need to head home.”
“Oh.” She takes a bite, watching me. “Have you told Reid?”
“He knows.”
It’s not exactly a lie. Just not the full truth.
If he’d realized what I meant, he wouldn’t have left me alone.
But right now, he’s gone. Luke’s gone. Talon’s gone.
It’s the only window I’m going to get.
“Oh,” Amanda says again, quieter this time. There’s something like disappointment in her tone.
“I’m sorry. Here.” I pull out a business card and hand it to her. “This has my number. My address too—I left it in your letter.”
“You left me a letter?”
“Of course. I told you I wanted to keep in touch.”
“But we just met.”
I shrug. “Does it matter?”
She studies me for a second, then smiles—small and a little unsteady.
“Thank you,” she says softly.
“You’re welcome,” and I meant it. “If you need anything, call me. Even if it’s just…” I give a small, half-hearted laugh. “Help hiding a body.”
She doesn’t laugh.
I hug her quickly, then pull away before I lose my nerve.