Page 23 of We're One

“So, not much has changed in twenty plus years.”

I hold my hands up in surrender. “I’m a one-lady man now.” I make sure to look her in the eyes, letting her know that all of my attention is on her and her alone at the moment.

She shifts in her seat, not at all wanting to take this path in our conversation. She starts gathering paperwork together. She makes two piles and puts one in her bag, then puts the other in a folder and hands it to me.

“I’m excited to get started on this,” she says and stands, leaving me with no choice other than to join her. I don’t want this lunch to end, but I also don’t want to push it when she’s finished. I have to take my wins when I can. It’s been a good day. I’m not going to ruin it now.

“What comes next?” I ask as she begins walking toward the door. I’m walking her to her vehicle. My mama would come back from the dead and kick my butt if I didn’t.

“You decide on which designs you like, then I get started on ordering,” she says.

“Don’t you need to come back to the house and measure and stuff?” I say, desperate to get her to the house again.

“Yes, I do. But still, I need you to look over the designs so I have an idea of what I’m going to do before I come in. That will save a lot of time.”

I don’t want to save time, but I don’t tell her this. “Okay, I’ll look over all of this tonight and let you know tomorrow,” I assure her.

“You don’t have to go that fast,” she says.

“I’m anxious to get started on this. Out with the old and in with the new.” I don’t add that my anxiousness is all about wanting to spend intimate one-on-one time with her.

“Me too. It will be beautiful,” she assures me. We step out the doors and she holds her hand out for a shake. I look at her with confusion.

“Where are you parked?” I ask, pretending not to see her hand. I’d rather give her a hug, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.

“I’m walking. I chose this place because it’s not far from my apartment.” I realize she’s right. It’s only two blocks down the road.

“I’ll walk you home,” I insist.

She shakes her head. “That’s not necessary. I can make it home just fine on my own.” I give her a hard stare. I’m not budging on this. She lets out a huff. “I’ve walked to this place countless times before and always get home safely.”

“You weren’t here with me.” She gives me a long look, realizes I’m not budging on this, and then turns and begins walking toward home at a fast pace. I easily keep up with her. I try to keep our conversation going, but she’s not interested.

We reach her place far too quickly, dang it. I walk her all the way to her door, and she gives me a very short goodbye, then shuts the door in my face. I chuckle as I walk away. She clearly doesn’t want me inside again... for now. But we made progress today. I feel good about it, good enough to whistle as I walk back to my car. I’m excited to see what happens next. Nothing is a surety when it comes to Sia, and I love it.

Chapter Eleven

Sia

Leaving the coffee shop, my mind’s a whirlwind of confusion. I had fun with Zach today. I came in with full armor in place, but he broke that away in a matter of minutes. He tried bringing up our tryst on the couch, but when I changed the subject, he let it drop. He was respectful, charming, and gave me all of his attention. Now, he’s insisting on walking me home. I don’t need him to, but if I’m being fully honest with myself, I like that he’s a gentleman, that he wants to make sure I get home safely.

He walks me all the way to my door, and I go inside with barely a goodbye before shutting the door in his face. It’s rude, but if I don’t get away from him quickly, I’ll end up jumping the man, and I absolutely don’t want to do that. Okay, I don’t want to want that.

Zach was so dang charming, and hearing the stories of his childhood where his voice was filled with genuine warmth, it’s impossible not to feel something for him. The poor man lost his parents at a vulnerable age. He had me eating out of his hand at that. Yet, he didn’t use it to his advantage, didn’t play on my sympathies. He was pretty close to perfect today, not what I want.

I have to remind myself he’s still Zach Callahan, playboy extraordinaire. He walked away from me without a glance nine years ago, and he’ll do it again if I open the door and let him in. I lean against the door with my eyes closed as I listen to him walking away. A part of me wants him to come right back, rip open the door, pull me into his arms, and kiss me senseless. A part of me wants him to take the choice away from me so I don’t have to struggle about choosing. I want to be with him, knowing it’s a bad, bad, terrible idea. My heart’s hurting and I don’t want to acknowledge why.

When I open my eyes, Nikki’s leaning against the kitchen counter, a donut in her hand. She knows I need to talk, but she’s waiting for me to start the conversation. We know each other well enough to know we don’t always understand what’s wrong. Sometimes we have to process what we’re feeling or thinking before we can talk about it. That’s the difference in relationships versus friendships. Our friends know us inside and out. They usually know what we need before we know what we need. I’d never give up my friendships.

“You ready to talk yet?” she asks before taking another bite of her jelly-filled donut. I move over to her and take one from the box. I don’t need it as I had my fill of treats at the coffee shop, but I need sugar when my mind’s spinning. Sugar always helps. It’s a proven fact... at least in my honest opinion.

“Almost,” I tell her as I take a bite.

“You look like a ghost so the meeting went really well... or really bad. My guess is it went really well which scares the holy hell out of you.” She finishes her donut, takes a drink of her coffee, then reaches in for another donut. I’m not going to admit to how many boxes of donuts we go through in this house. We always have the boxed ones on hand, but at least two days a week we pick up fresh ones. We might have a problem, but it’s an issue neither one of us want help for. We’re sugar addicts and proud of it. We might have to change in future years, but so far, so good.

After finishing an entire donut and deciding to switch to iced tea, I pour myself a glass, then move to the couch and sit down. This might take a while.

“The meeting went really well. He was charming, open, shared things from his past, made me laugh, made me nearly cry when he brought up his parents, and all around made me feel too many emotions I don’t want to be feeling. I’m even more confused than before. I really like this guy even if I know I shouldn’t. It’s not a good idea.”

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