“I don’t think you’ve had much time to do that.”
“No, not really.”
“So, what are you thinking about?”
“About my next steps in life.”
“Like?”
He sighed, trying to figure out how much to tell her. Part of him wanted to lay it all out there, bare his soul, and take a chance she wouldn’t push him out the door, but...
He sat on the barstool facing her, the counter between them. “I’ve made some not-so-great choices since we last saw each other, and it’s ... embarrassing.” To say the least. “And while I always want to do the right thing, sometimes it’s hard to know what that is.”
“We all make mistakes in life, Gideon, it’s how we learn. Although, we can only hope and pray those mistakes don’t have tragic or deadly consequences. But we still learn.”
“Oh, I learned, all right.”
“Then that’s all that matters, right?”
No,not really.
“What were some of your mistakes?” she asked. “Sometimes sharing them makes the burden lighter, remember?”
“I don’t think that’s going to work in this case.”
“Won’t know until you try.”
They were so close to being able to leave the resort he could almost taste it. But until they could, she still needed protection. Just because the guy hadn’t struck in a while didn’t mean he wouldn’t. In fact, Gideon had a bad feeling the person was gearing up for something big. And that made his nerves twitch. “All right, but before I go into that, have you come up with anyone who might be after you? Someone you made mad once you got here?”
“No. I’m drawing a complete blank. I really don’t think Ben could be behind all of this, and he’s the only one who expressed any interest in getting to know me as more than a friend.”
“But it could be him.”
“I mean, it could be anyone. I just don’t think it is.”
Just because she didn’t think so, didn’t make it so.
“Could someone have followed you here?”
She sighed. “Sure. I guess so. But I never noticed anyone. Then again, I wasn’t looking either.” She rubbed a hand over her eyes. “I’ll keep thinking about it. Tell me some of your mistakes.”
Ugh. He’d hoped she’d let that go. He should have known better. “After Jacob’s death and my mom’s descent into depression, I just wanted out. Nothing was going to keep me from doing what I wanted to do, and that was go into the army and serve my country. Make my own way in life and not play second fiddle to the brother who was now elevated to a status I’d never be able to compete with.”
“Oh, man, Gideon. I’m so sorry you felt that way.”
He shrugged. “I know now my parents never intentionally set out to put that burden on me, but at the time ... yeah. That’s what it felt like. Anyway, I left, did my stint in the military, and realized I wanted more. I love the military, but I also love construction—anything and everything about it—and decided I wanted to have my own company.”
“Right. I remember Mom and Dad talking about it and how successful it was.”
“Wasbeing the operative word.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means, I didn’t cross all my t’s and dot all my i’s before I went into business with some people, and as a result, I ...”
“You what?”
He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. “I lost everything.” There. He said it.
