Page 72 of Tacos & Toboggans
“We’ve slept in the same bed many times, and you’re always the perfect gentleman. I appreciated the respect, but I just thought…” She shrugged as though she didn’t have to finish the sentence.
“You just thought I wasn’t attracted to you as anything more than a friend I wanted to snuggle with?”
“Or you knew the only way I’d get good sleep was to be by your side.”
“Which is true, but woman, do you know the willpower it’s taken to keep my hands off your sweet body while you’ve lain in my arms for hours? Army Ranger level willpower.” She rubbed against my groin, dragging a moan from my lips. “I’ve never taken so many cold showers as I have in the last three weeks. Let me assure you of one other thing. I’m attracted to you in a way I’ve never been attracted to another woman. I’m attracted to you as a friendanda lover. Whenever you’re ready to move to the latter part of that attraction, know that I’m here for it. I’m here for you, always, so don’t guard your words or your heart. Something tells me we’ll get much further along by being honest, right?”
She nodded before she spoke. “Army Ranger level willpower?” she repeated, a brow crooked in the air until I planted a kiss on it. “That’s like top-of-the-line willpower, right?” she asked, holding her hand above her head.
Without looking up, I grabbed that hand of hers and brought it down to rest against my zipper. “Itwastop-of-the-line willpower. Fair warning, it’s dropped to recruit willpower now, so while I’ll wait for you to make the first move, I’m not above encouraging you to move quickly.”
“Sir, yes, sir,” she whispered before she put her lips back on mine for a bit of encouragement of her own.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The store was much quieter by the time we returned from cutting down the tree, which we managed after removing our hands from each other long enough to find one. Was it a given that the other person was right for you when you acted nineteen rather than thirty-nine? Something told me the answer was yes, and I was here for it, even if Jaelyn was still a bit hesitant. Had I played my cards too early or revealed too much to her about what I wanted? Probably, but playing it the way we had been had accomplished nothing, and we were losing precious time pretending we both didn’t want the same thing. And boy, did we both want the same thing.
Cameron had helped tie the tree to the roof of my SUV and then invited me in to warm up, which I appreciated since Jaelyn had disappeared. I walked around the store, taken aback by the beautiful items on display. Becca had curated a holiday collection that touched every generation. There were children’s toys, as well as blankets and clothing for all ages. My gaze was drawn to a collection of jewelry inside a small glass curio cabinet, which sparkled in the overhead lights. I leaned in to get a closer look at one of them, trying to decide what the stone was.
“Red jasper,” a voice said, and I jumped, nearly falling to the side, but glad I caught myself in time. Iglanced over to see Cameron standing there with a smirk on his face. “The stone in that ring. It’s red jasper.”
“I was wondering if it was agate. It’s gorgeous,” I said, standing tall again.
“It is gorgeous. We have some extremely talented artisans in Bells Pass.”
“As evidenced by this store,” I said, motioning around me. “Have you seen Jaelyn? She disappeared on me.”
“She was pulled into the office by Stephan with a question about the snack shack. They’re almost done. Do you want to sit?” He walked to a chair grouping and sat, which made it feel like a trap, but I had little choice but to join him.
“Thanks for your help with the tree. It can be tough to lift heavy or awkward objects above my head, especially with this loaner knee. It doesn’t have all the nuanced presets that I use on a day-to-day basis, so I’m trying to be smart about it.”
“I never considered that,” he said. “Would you rather I deliver the tree? I can do that if it’s easier.”
“Not at all, but thank you for offering. Down is easier than up, and Jaelyn can help me do that. I do have a question, and I wanted to ask you before I bring it up to her.”
“I’m not her father. You don’t need my permission to date her.” I snorted, not amused by the smirk he still wore, but he leaned forward on his thighs and did the dad pose anyway. “Becca told me you asked her about the age gap. I can’t judge, considering where I stand, but uh, I do have a lot of acres where people can get,” he motioned his hands around. “Lost.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that,” I said, only because I was a little unsure if he was serious or not. “To put your mind at ease, though, I thought we covered this before Thanksgiving. Just in case, I’ll reiterate it here today. I have no intention of hurting her.”
“You can never say that enough times,” he said with a shrug. “It’s a solid reminder for yourself as much as me, and maybe you'll think about all my lovely acreage before you do something stupid.”
“Point taken,” I said, leaning back. “However, that wasn’t remotely close to what I was going to ask you.” He motionedfor me to go ahead. “I was wondering if you ever considered moving the school-to-work kids into institutional service jobs.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” he said, leaning forward again.
“Hospitals and nursing homes,” I clarified. “We’re always in need of housekeepers and food service workers at the hospital, and nursing homes and long-term care facilities are in the same boat.”
“Huh,” he said, as though I had rendered him speechless. “That was never on my radar. I wouldn’t be against it if the mentorship was there and they were willing to learn about the program and what we do.”
“I can’t see them turning down quality labor when it’s for positions that are hard to fill. It was just a thought.”
“It was a good one. Run it past Jaelyn when you have a minute. If she thinks it’s something we can undertake with a reasonable level of commitment, we can talk about it at our next planning meeting.”
“Great, will do. Thanks for hearing me out.”
“Thanks for not breaking her heart.”
Sweat rolled down my back just as the door to the store opened, and in walked Hazel, carrying a baby carrier with Irving wheeling behind her next to Star. Saved by the new parents. Cameron and I stood as she spotted us.
