Page 7 of Midnight
"They asked for volunteers and since I’m the only single person on the squad, I volunteered.My lease was up on the place where I was staying, and they supplied this apartment as part of the assignment.So, having very few expenses, this allows me to save up to buy a house on the island."
"Are your parents and your sister and her husband still there?"
"Well, kind of.Actually, their place is more of a weekend and vacation establishment.My sister’s husband works about twenty minutes from here in Washington."
"Washington DC is only twenty minutes from here?"she asks, wrinkling her nose.
"No," I laughed."Washington, North Carolina.He works at the airport just outside of town.Though to be honest, I still couldn't tell you what he does."
"Do you...um...have...a girlfriend?"she asks hesitantly.
But it's still enough to stop me in my tracks.
"No sweetheart, I don't.I wouldn't have brought you here and said the things I've said to you if I did.No wife, either.Ever since my high school girlfriend and I broke up, I've been single.What about you?Have you ever had a serious relationship?"
"Nope.A bunch of guys asked me to prom but that's pretty much because they thought they would get laid and that I would want to lose my virginity at prom.How old are you?"
"I just turned twenty-four last month," I cringe slightly.
"A six-year age gap is nothing.My grandparents were the most amazing example of true love that I've ever been able to witness.My grandfather was eight years older than my grandmother," she says with a brilliant smile on her face that quickly turned sad."I know my grandmother held on for me as long as she could, but I’m positive she died of a broken heart because she missed my grandfather too much."
She shakes her head like she's trying to shake away her memory and then she lets out a huge yawn.
"Why don't you lie down and take a nap?Last night you didn't get much sleep," I tell her and her eyes go wide.
"I haven't had a nap in years.I haven't been allowed to."
"Well, here I'm telling you to take a nap because you're tired.You need to take care of yourself and that means getting plenty of rest.Rest which I doubt you got hardly any of over the past two weeks.There’s a TV in my room so you can lay in there watching and relaxing."
"Will you lay with me again?"she asks and as much as I want to, I know I can't.
"Right now, I have a bit of computer work to do.I want to get that wrapped up so that I don't have to worry about it over the next few days.
Chapter 6
Nate
"Ihadnoideaanap could be so relaxing," Harper says she comes into the living room where I've been sitting.
When I told her I had to work, what I didn’t say was I was trying to do as much research on her father as possible.But I don't need her to know that or to see anything that I found, so I close my computer and give her my full attention.
"I was thinking of making chicken parmesan for dinner.How does that sound?"I ask.
Her eyes go wide, and she says, "Oh, I can cook dinner.You don't have to cook for me."
"No, let me take care of you.Cooking dinner is just a small thing.If you weren’t here, I’d normally be cooking for myself anyway.I always cook way too much and then eat off of it for days."
She studies me for a moment and then hesitantly nods.
"While I cook, why don't you take a bath and relax?That bathtub hasn't been used and your bath products arrived while you were sleeping."I tell her and a smile lights up her face.
"I haven't had a bath in ages, but it sounds amazing."
"Come on.I'll bring you stuff into the bathroom."Following her in with the bag of stuff that came, I put it in the bathroom.
"Take your time.Dinner will take a bit," I tell her.Then I head to her room and grab her clothes and her bag and bring them into my room too.
While she was napping, I decided to move her into my room.When I checked on her, she looked so peaceful in my bed that I didn't want her in the other room.
