Page 39 of Courageous Yearnings

Oh, the sordid things they’d shared while bickering!

Blythe had paused, holding her pen over the contract, her eyes wide and completely unsure what to say. This was not something they covered in the classes she had taken on how to ‘close the deal.’ Lying, cheating, and retaliation, were all things that she didn’t want to ever experience – and this couple had been drowning in it.

No, she preferred the honesty between her and Lance – even if it was tough to accept or hurt. Once trust was gone, you had nothing, and Lance had been open since the very beginning. He cared for her at the hospital, offered up his home, and was helping her put together her new one.

I think I’m going to ask him to move in, she thought silently. I have an extra room, and it’s been nice to have someone in my life.

Blythe always wanted marriage, a family, and the promise of forever – but maybe she needed to look at things differently. Maybe relationships lasted because they were friends first and had each other’s backs. Not stabbing them in the back like this couple.

“Maybe you should wait?” Blythe finally said, interrupting the couple snapping at each other – only to have them turn on her.

“Why? You think he’s not good enough to make that car payment? That’s not your job, lady…”

“I can make that payment, and it’s none of your business what we do, right?”

“How dare you assume that there’s a problem!”

“Our problems don’t affect our flow of money – and none of your business!”

Blinking, the man snatched the pen from her angrily and signed the documents, while still snapping at his wife.

“You keep the maintenance up, you hear me? I don’t want your side piece touching this car. It’s bad enough he’s fooling around with you – I don’t need him tinkering with something else.”

“You said that if you had someone on the side – that I could too!”

“Yeah? Well? I hate it, and I dumped Brenda…”

“Good! Cause I dumped Reggie three weeks ago…”

“You did?”

“Yes – I miss you…”

“I miss you too…”

I think I’m going to be sick, Blythe thought silently as the two bickering adults were suddenly all nauseatingly lovey-dovey. As she finished getting them to sign in several places, put together the paperwork into a folder, and handed it to the couple, she couldn’t help but watch them with an awareness that was enlightening.

Lance would have had his hand on her lower back or touching her arm.

Lance never raised his voice to her.

Lance never looked at her with anger or hatred. He cared, and it was there in his eyes, even if they weren’t in love, there was something between them – and she liked it. It wasn’t just passion or desire, but something so much deeper.

Respect.

He held her in a place of honor and treated her like she was special. Without a second thought, she picked up her cell phone and texted him again.

Just finished.

I’ll be out in five minutes.

We should probably talk.

I agree. I have something I want to discuss with you, too.

Clicking submit, Blythe put together the deal jacket and turned it in to Jack who was sitting there at the sales counter with the new car manager, laughing obnoxiously.

“Yeah, that woman must be one lousy lay…”

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