Page 49 of Heart of Stone
There wasn’t an ounce of malice in Reid’s tone. I didn’t think he was saying anything to make me feel bad about my love for surrounding myself with good people and constantly wanting to be chatty. He was merely making an observation, and I loved that he knew me well enough to see that this was strange.
“I know this might be impossible to believe, but I do enjoy some peace and quiet from time to time.”
Nodding slowly, his eyes gazing out at the firepit, he said, “Interesting. I didn’t know that about you.”
I playfully shoved my shoulder into his. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Reid.”
He returned his attention to my face, his features soft and warm. “So, tell me something.”
“Like what?”
“Like, how do you plan to spend the rest of your week this week? What are your Thanksgiving Day plans?”
Smiling, I said, “Well, I’m going to take part in the pottery painting here at the retreat that morning. Then I’ll have lunch with the guests and other staff who are here that day.”
“Pottery?”
“Yes. There’s a wide assortment of ceramic pieces to choose from, like mugs, bowls, plates, or vases. I plan to pick one out and paint it.”
His eyes roamed over my features. “There really isn’t anything that you won’t try here, is there?”
“I work hard, Reid, but I also like to play hard, too.”
Something darkened in his gaze. I ignored the intensity in that look and focused my attention on the trail ahead.
“But this was probably too much playing today as it is. We should head back to the office.”
The silence stretched between us, and I could feel Reid’s gaze on my profile, but I didn’t dare look over at him. Suddenly, I became all too aware of how close we were in the golf cart. I couldn’t ignore the way his muscled thigh was pressed against my leg. And my heart pounded wildly.
Following a few additional tense beats, he sprang into action and drove us back to the office.
My belly trembled the entire way there.
SIXTEEN
Natalia
I wasn’t the kind of woman who liked spending long periods of time lost in thought. Generally, I found that it did very little good for me.
But when I woke this morning with no need to hop out of bed the minute I opened my eyes, considering it was the holiday and I didn’t need to work, I gave myself the opportunity to have a slower morning.
I took the time in my bed to consider what life had been like for me lately—a whirlwind, to say the least.
Although I preferred not to think about it, I couldn’t exactly control the moments when my mind drifted to what had happened a week ago. Ever since my ex found me at the lake and assaulted me, I’d had days I closed my eyes and saw his sinister expression or heard his menacing voice. In rare instances, l recalled how it felt when his fists connected with my body. And after so many years of healing and getting to a place where it rarely ever crossed my mind, I hated that it was back, messing with my head.
Sadly, with the recent attack, I found it was unavoidable. Even this morning.
Fortunately, it didn’t take as long today as it usually did for the thoughts to filter out of my brain and be replaced by something much more pleasant, something that put a smile on my face and made me feel warm inside.
Reid Erickson.
Thoughts of what the last week, particularly the last few days—since Sunday—had been like. Reid wasn’t just being nice and friendly with me each day. Truthfully, that would have been more than enough for me.
But I got that and so much more.
Reid had been curious, interested, and attentive. He was asking more questions—both about the retreat and me—than he ever had. He sought me out instead of waiting for me to show up in his office on some work-related issue. And his reason for stopping by wasn’t always about work. He’d come to my office just to ask how I’d slept the night before, if I still felt as though I was healing okay. It was possible that his reason for doing so was the guilt he felt over the situation weighing heavily on him. While I believed that could be a big part of it, I didn’t think it was the only thing motivating him.
And if I was honest with myself, experiencing this new side to him was enough to make me yearn for something I hadn’t yearned for in a very long time. Something I didn’t think I’d want ever again.
