After we eat, we move into the living room and settle onto the couch together. I twist my hands in my lap. “I was able to get a few days off at the hospital. I found someone to cover me last minute.” I hesitate, then blurt, “Do I need to leave my job?”
He turns slightly toward me. “I don’t think so. Not yet, at least.”
“Okay,” I murmur.
“Are you worried about having to leave?” he asks gently.
“Yes.”
He looks at me, and I turn my head away. He reaches out anyway, his voice steady. “You don’t have to be scared about it. We’ll figure out a way to make it work. I might not always be the one with you, but we’ll make it work.”
NINETEEN
MATEO
The last few days are torturous in the sense that all we do is look and barely touch. I spend way too much time staring at Vanessa. She probably thinks I’m insane by now, or that I am obsessed with her. We talk more and more, and I’m realizing she gets even more interesting the longer I’m around her.
She is obsessed with true crime, spending most of her time reading or watching crime shows. She can rattle off different cases and has a special fascination with crimes that happen in small towns.
We keep sharing these charged little glances, and I try more than a few times to sneak kisses onto her forehead, but she isn’t having it.
I walk out of my office after working for hours and find her in the living room, curled up with a book. It’s almost seven, and she needs to be at the hospital in a few hours. I already talked with Gino, and we both agree that eventually she’ll need someone else watching her during her night shifts. She hasn’tfully forgiven me yet, so maybe having someone else there is a good idea, at least for a few days.
Just as I turn to go talk to her, the front door opens and Alonso walks in.
“Hey, man,” he says as he steps inside.
“Hey.”
He looks over at her. “You must be Vanessa. I’m Alonso,” he says, offering his hand.
“Want to talk in my office?” I ask him.
“Yeah.”
I glance back at her. “Vanessa, if you want, you can order something to eat.”
“Thanks, but I’m good,” she says. “I’m just going to get everything together for my shift.” She stands and slips out of the living room, heading for her room.
“Yeesh, bro,” Alonso mutters once she’s gone. “Sorry I missed the wedding. They wouldn’t let me leave.” He grimaces. “Is she still mad at you?”
“I don’t know if it’s more anger or a lack of trust right now,” I admit.
“I like her,” he says. “I mean, the fact that she isn’t just falling for you right away says a lot.”
“Asshole,” I shoot back dryly. “Are you trying to tell me you’ve fallen for me?”
He snorts. “No. I’m saying being in the same room with someone changes your feelings fast.”
We head into my office, and he drops into one of the chairs across from my desk. Alonso is staying with us tonight to get a feel for things and start taking over her shifts.
“Sorry I couldn’t be at your wedding, man,” he adds. “They didn’t release me from the hospital until Sunday morning. I thought I was never getting out of there.”
“I didn’t realize it was that bad.”
“It wasn’t.” He shakes his head. “Just the blood loss and your dramatics when I got there got them concerned.”
“Ah.” I watch him. “Have you talked to Drew since Sunday?”
