Page 44 of Whatever Will Be

Trent doesn’t need me to tell him he’s gorgeous. I’m sure he has no trouble attracting attention. Maybe that’s not all he wants.

“I think about you a lot,” I tell him.

He chuckles and shakes his head. “You are one of a kind.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you’re honest and in the world as I know it, honesty is nearly extinct.”

“That’s sad. You should spend your time inside a different world.”

He removes his eyes from the road long enough to give me a pointed stare. “I’d like to spend my time inside yours, Gretch.”

There’s a flare of fire in my belly and a pleasant ache between my legs. I swallow hard. “In that case, I’m extending an open invitation.”

He chuckles. “Why did you used to be afraid of me?”

“I wasn’t afraid of you.”

“You’d run away and slam the door whenever you heard me coming.”

“Did that hurt your feelings?”

“No.”

“I wasn’t afraid of you. I just didn’t like you.”

“I’m glad you’ve changed your mind.”

“Oh, I’ve definitely changed my mind.”

We’re both quiet for a few minutes, simmering in the aftermath of this significant breakthrough.

We like each other. We want each other. Now what?

Trent eventually clears his throat and asks if I miss the city.

I shake my head. “I don’t miss it at all. I never thought I’d live in Lake Stuart again but that’s where Jules wanted the girls to be raised. That aside, I think no matter where else I go, my home will always be there. I just need to finish cutting my city ties and retrieve the rest of my stuff from my apartment. There’s not much. I’ll sell the few pieces of furniture and I can pack the rest into a small U-Haul.”

“I’ll take care of it.” He says this with finality.

“Trent, I really wasn’t trying to suggest that you needed to solve this problem for me.”

He shrugs. “It’s not a big deal. You won’t even need to pack. There are companies that will do that for you. Pack everything, label everything, and bring it wherever you want them to bring it.”

“That’s some real concierge level service. I’m sure it’s pricey.”

“Hardly.”

“You mean not by your standards.”

“That is what I mean, yes.”

I’ve always felt superior to women who yearn for some prosperous man to take care of all their needs. That’s never been my plan. It still isn’t. But I can’t deny the rush of comfort that comes with knowing Trent means what he says and he’s more than capable of coming through. Having one less thing to worry about would be nice.

“Okay. I’ll give you the address and my key.”

“I’ll arrange for it to be done next week.”

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