Page 24 of Salute, To Bravery
“Like I said, I’m not trying to be weird, but to me, it makes sense.” Ian grimaced and gave me a little shrug. “What do you think?”
I sat there for a minute, unable to get my brain to process what he was suggesting. “How does that make sense? We barely know each other?” I chuckled.
“Can I explain?” He raised an eyebrow at me.
“Sure, go ahead.” I sat back in my chair, ready to hear the ridiculousness that was about to transpire.
“You still want to go on your trip, right?”
“Yes.”
“I have nowhere to go, but I have a ton of money put back from my contracts, okay?”
“Okay, I’m with you so far.”
“I can help fund your trip. It gets you out of here, which you want desperately for some reason. It gives me a place to put my head for at least a little while. Plus, you can’t say we don’t know each other. We’ve been working together for sixteen weeks now. I’ve been at your place a number of times.” He raised his glassto make his point, then realized it was still empty and sat it back down with a frown. “Seriously, what do you got to lose?”
“You could be some psycho murderer for all I know, Ian!” I laughed.
Ian scoffed. “First of all, I would have killed you by now. Second of all if I do murder you, at least you won’t have to face whatever you’re running from.” He crossed his arms in front of his broad chest and leaned back in his chair.
He had a point.
“What makes you think I’m running from something?”
“Because one day you got a call from your mom and your entire mood shifted. Not long after that, you insisted on having your vacation on certain dates, and you insisted on being out of the state during those dates.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. I really hated how observant he was sometimes. Thursday night would be our last shift together anyway; it’s not like I was breaking any rules by going with a coworker.
But the thought of being alone with him for that long made me nervous. I wasn’t really afraid anything would happen to me. I just sucked at navigating social situations and was afraid of it being awkward. That was actually one thing parents loved about me. A perfect wife stays silent. Then again, I couldn’t stay where my parents could find me. I needed my last bit of freedom before being tied down the rest of my life.
“Dottie?” The nickname he’d used for me broke my train of thought. He was the only one to ever call me that.
“Yeah?”
“You kind of spaced out on me there. You can always say no, it was just an idea.” He had leaned forward in his seat again; the smell of his cologne overpowered all the other scents in the room, and I found it hard to focus.
I took a deep breath to clear my head, but it only filled it with his scent. I then realized how close he’d gotten, a worried expression on his face. “Actually, Ian, I think it’s an amazing idea.”
His face lit up. “Really?”
“Yeah, why do you seem so shocked?”
“Because it’s absolutely insane, you barely know me.” A huge grin stretched across his face as he nudged my arm with his elbow.
I couldn’t help but grin back and return his nudge. “Okay, future roomie, walk me home. We have a trip to pack for.”
He smiled and hopped down from his chair and held out his arm so I could loop my arm in his. “Whatever my lady requires.”
I giggled. This might not be too bad after all.
???
Thursday night, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned in my small bed until finally giving up at three. My studio wasn’t the biggest I’d seen, but it fit me comfortably when I was alone. My bed folded out of my couch, and most of my clothes fit in the dresser that also held the TV. I kept my belongings to a minimum, liking the space it provided as well as the fact that it was so much easier to keep clean. I also knew that once I married Josh, I’d have to pack everything and move it to wherever we would be living.
I rubbed my face again and briefly remembered Anne getting onto me for doing it so much. It was a habit I was finding hard to break, especially when stressed.
I rolled out of bed and folded it up into the couch. I might as well get a start on the day. I talked Ian into coming over at aboutfive so we could pick up the RV before the traffic got too terrible. At least that’s the excuse I gave him. In reality, I wanted to be gone before my father showed. By the time my father got here, I would be long gone and they wouldn’t be able to find me until I wanted to be found.
