Page 25 of Remembering You
Marty released a breath at his confession. The raw honesty in his voice eased her anxiety. “Thank God,” she laughed. “I haven’t had a first date in years, Chris. I feel a little… lost.”
“Then don’t think of this as a first date. I mean, as far as first dates go, only a madman would ask a woman out on Valentine’s Day for a first date, right?”
Marty laughed, the sound vibrating through her body like a salve for her nerves. “That’s true. Whodoesthat?”
“Exactly.” He placed one finger on the tip of his nose and pointed the other at her. “Look, I like you. I’ve made that clear. I think we have chemistry that’s hard to ignore. But… hard as it might be… I can. Ignore it, I mean. If that’s what you need. So, let’s just see how tonight’s dinner goes and take things slowly?”
Marty breathed deeply, exhaling through her parted lips. “Slowly. Yes.”
* * *
I glancedover my shoulder to where Jim was sitting at his desk in his office. He had been gone for most of the day on a job site and only got back to the office about an hour ago. In theory, I knew we should take it slow… but every cell in my body wanted to move faster with him. I wanted to go on this date every night this week. I wanted him to tear my robe off my body Monday morning. My head might be telling me to take it slowly, but heart said otherwise.
The door to his office was closed, but I could just make out the edge of his neck and shoulder through the window that sliced down the center of the door. I licked my lips, as desire curled around my spine, heating my skin and sending tingles surging over my goose-pebbled flesh.
I’d been working at Jim’s contracting company for five days. Five full days of avoiding his sexy gaze and full, wet lips. He, too, had managed to be nothing short of professional since Monday. He picked me up every morning at eight am sharp and usually we stopped at Elsa’s café for breakfast. Well, I suppose it was actually Jack’s café, but it felt more like Elsa’s.
The phone at my desk rang, the sound blaringly loud. I smiled, with a knowing glance at the clock. Four pm. On the dot. In these five days since I arrived, Elsa had checked up on me literally every day here at work at four pm. I answered with my standard greeting “Tripp Contracting, this is Marty speaking.”
“Hello, my sweet immobile friend,” Elsa’s voice came through the receiver.
“Hi Elsa,” I said, adding a playful tone to my voice. I rolled my ankle in a circle beneath the desk. It still ached, but I was militant about doing my exercises and it wasn’t nearly as painful as it was on Sunday when I arrived in Maple Grove. “I’m not so immobile these days. I managed to walk to the restroom all by myself. No crutches.”
“Ooooh,” Elsa said, her voice raising an octave. “Impressive.”
“I thought so,” I said and stamped the letterhead to the top of one of Jim’s estimates, ready to go out by five pm. I had to admit… I loved nursing, but there was also something satisfying about managing an office.
“So,” Elsa said. “Has Jim mentioned anything about tonight?”
“What about tonight?” I asked innocently. But we both knew what she meant. In only five days, Elsa had become my closest friend here in Maple Grove.
“Oh, cut the crap. Jim said that he was taking you out to dinner on Valentine’s Day. Well, it’s Valentine’s Day… any word?”
I glanced at his shut office door. The rental space he used for his business wasn’t large. It was literally three rooms. Two office spaces and an outdoor reception area where I did my work. “Nope,” I whispered. “No word about tonight. Do you think he forgot? Or maybe changed his mind after getting to know me this week?”
“Well that’s not possible,” Elsa scoffed. “I’ve been getting to know you this week and I can’t see one reason why he would change his mind about taking you out.”
I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at her. “You have to say that because you’re my friend.”
“Like hell I do!” she laughed. “Friends don’t lie, even if the truth will hurt. And if there was a reason not to stick around, I wouldn’t remain friends with you.”
Well, I guess I couldn’t argue with that.
“Oops, gotta go,” Elsa said. “That early bird dinner rush is starting to come in.”
We disconnected the call and I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost five o’clock… time to call it quits for the day.
As if on cue, Jim’s door swung open and he came out from within, flipping through a stack of mail that had been delivered. He paused, his fingers stopping at an envelope that I immediately recognized. “You know,” he said, tugging the envelope free and tapping it against his palm. “I got the strangest letter in the mail today.”
I lifted my brows innocently. “Oh?”
“Mmm,” he hummed, nodding. “It was mailed right here in Maple Grove according to the post mark. And inside the envelope was no note, no letter… just… a single ten-dollar bill.” With a flick of his wrist, he held up the ten-dollar bill with the heart I had drawn onto it.
“Huh. Strange,” I said, keeping my eyes cast onto the proposals I was sealing for him.
“It is strange. Usually I’m paid with invoices and checks. No one… and I mean no one sends me cash in the mail.”
I shrugged, biting my bottom lip to keep from smiling. “Must be your lucky day.”
