Page 58 of Trial Run

It was also the third week of dating Nell. Nell, who he was now one hundred percent, irretrievably in love with. He would tell her, as soon as this week was over, and hope she felt a fraction of the same feeling.

But even if she did feel the same way, she was complex, difficult to read, and she hid her emotions better than anyone he’d met. She cared for him, that much was clear, and their chemistry was explosive. But it might take a long time for her to fall in love.

He could wait for her. As long as she didn’t shut him out, he’d keep searching for the little things that opened her up, like a lock springing open when the tumblers clicked into the correct order. She might not trust her own feelings, but they existed.

Once he was past his anxiety problem of the last month, over it for good, he’d be able to take her out, do all the things he hadn’t been able to do so far. Then, he’d finally be well enough, good enough for this relationship to happen.

* * *

Nell greeted him at her doorway that night with a quick kiss, keeping the door angled so Marco couldn’t see their lips meet. It was torture now, pretending they were friends. No hugs or cuddles, no kisses, and definitely no smelling her hair.

Just friends, he reminded himself as he stepped inside, carrying a cardboard box wrapped in blue paper tucked under his arm.

“I hope you don’t mind, I brought him a gift,” he said.

Nell narrowed her eyes at him in mock annoyance. “Is that what I think it is?”

“It might be.”

Marco came skidding around the corner, his socks sliding on the linoleum entryway. “Ben. Guess what I found yesterday.”

“More geodes?” he guessed.

“Not even that. I think it might be a fossil. But Mom isn’t sure. You need to look at it.”

“I’d be glad to.”

Marco’s eyes caught on the box. “Is that a present? Is it for my mom?”

“It’s for you, actually. Would you like to take it to the living room to open it up?”

Marco grabbed the box and ran down the hallway to the living room.

Ben used the opportunity to snag Nell around the waist and kiss her, hard and full of need. She broke away a few seconds later, flushed.

“I missed you,” he said softly.

“Me too.”

“Tell me about your day. Did you have a lot of deliveries?”

“Not more than usual. Lots of spring bouquets going out. And we’re planning wedding flowers with a couple who came in the other day. They decided to get married on short notice—in just two weeks. Kind of romantic.”

“That sounds fun.”

“It is. I liked showing them all the color combinations, and the different floral arrangements they could choose from.”

“And the manager’s job? The one you told me about the other day. Have you filled out the application yet?”

She paused for a split second, her eyes shifting away from his. “No. I … Not yet. I’m still not sure.”

“You’ll know when you’re ready,” he said, keeping his tone light.

She was lying, and she was good at it, too. No one else might have noticed. But there’d been a hint of vulnerability on her face—there one second, gone the next. She was afraid of rejection. And that was understandable, given her past.

Marco interrupted them by running back into the kitchen, carrying the large plexiglass case with shelving inside. Ben had assembled it before wrapping it up. Marco had already put several of his geodes and other rocks inside, along with some dinosaur figurines. Marco bobbled the case, then righted it at the last second.

“Let’s set this down, so we can take a look at it.” Ben guided him to the dining room table, while Nell went to the kitchen to stir something on the stove.

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