Lifting her in his arms, he hugged her before setting her back with a kiss on the tip of her nose. She knew not to ask for more. Where temptation was concerned, they were both decidedly weak.
“Good luck, Matt. I hope everything goes well.”
He waved as he left the room. Climbing from the bed, she crossed to the window and watched him slide into his car, start the engine and drive off. In an attempt to parry the unease that settled over her, she took a shower and dressed, then forced herself to make breakfast for one and eat every last bit.
Only when she’d finished did she permit herself to sit back and think. She missed Matt. Already. After only two full days together, she’d gotten used to his presence. More than used to it. Addicted to it. Breakfast wasn’t the same without him. Neither would lunch be. For that matter, she’d miss being able to look up at odd times and find him on the bench outside the shop.
She wished he could stay forever, but that was an unrealistically romantic thought if ever there was one. Today he was off to Leominster. Next week, or soon after, he’d be back in California. What then? Would they talk on the phone? Visit each other from time to time?
She knew it wouldn’t be enough for her. She wanted him in Lincoln with her. Whatever initial reservations she’d had about his background, his occupation or his character were nonexistent now. His background was blue-collar and strong, his occupation solid, his character sterling. She’d never once glimpsed anything coarse in him. Rather, he’d proved to be unfailingly gentle and giving. Even his reticence about discussing Brad had ceased to matter. He was simply protective, skirting around what he knew to be a sensitive subject.
And he’d brought out a new side of her. Since she’d met him, she’d matured as a woman. He made her believe in both her looks and her sexuality. Whereas her confidence had come from looking in the mirror when she’d first returned from the Bahamas, now it came from the reflection of admiration in Matt’s eyes. She didn’t care what anyone else thought of her. Only Matt mattered.
So where was she to go from here? Sighing, she rose from the table. She’d clean up the kitchen, go to work and come home. Soon after that, Matt would return. She wasn’t even going to think about tomorrow.
One day at a time. All she could do was take one day at a time.
Cleaning up the kitchen was no problem at all. Going to work was another matter. When she tried to start her car, the engine refused to turn over. Not one to beat a dead horse, she returned to the house, called AAA, then sat waiting for half an hour until the tow truck arrived.
“Battery’s dead” was the mechanic’s laconic diagnosis.
“But that’s impossible. This battery’s barely four months old!”
“It’s dead.”
“How can a four-month-old battery die?”
Taking jumper cables from his truck, the man set to work recharging the battery. “Maybe you left the headlights on.”
“I never do that.”
“Anyone else drive this car? A kid? Maybe he forgot and left ’em on.”
“There’s no kid, and I’m the only one who drives the car. It’s been sitting in the garage since Tuesday morning—” that was when Matt, in fact, had put it away, but he wouldn’t have left the lights on “—but it’s sat for longer than that without any trouble.”
“No sweat, lady. The battery looks okay otherwise. I’ll have it working in no time.”
He did, and Lauren was only fifteen minutes late for work, but she was bothered by the incident. It occurred to her that the same person who’d sabotaged her garage door might have entered the garage during those days when the car was idle, switched the lights on for a good, long time, then switched them off without her being any the wiser. She decided to discuss it with Matt that night, but the sense of solace in that resolution wasn’t enough to prevent a certain nervousness when she returned to the car after work. She found herself glancing around the large parking garage and into the back seat of the car before she dared climb into the front.
She held her breath. The car started. She drove to Lincoln without any trouble.
Matt wasn’t due back until nine at the earliest, so she took the time to stop for groceries before arriving at the farmhouse. It was still light out, and she was grateful. She imagined herself being watched and knew that, had it been dark, she would have been terrified.
Relief came in small measure after she was locked safely inside the house. Focusing determinedly on Matt’s return, she stowed the groceries, prepared all the fixings for dinner, then poured herself a glass of wine and took refuge in the living room. While lights were burning in the rest of the house, she chose to sit in the dark. Hiding. Brooding. Wondering. Worrying. She knew that her imagination was getting the best of her, but that didn’t stop it from happening.
Minutes seemed to stretch into an eternity, though it was barely after nine when finally she heard a car whip up the drive. Hurrying to the window, she peered cautiously out. Her relief was immediate and considerable when Matt climbed from the car. Even before he’d stepped over the threshold, her arms were around his neck.
“Matt, it’s wonderful to have you back!”
He had one hand at the back of her head, the other arm around her waist. “Mmm. You’re good for my ego. Such a welcome, and I haven’t even been gone fourteen hours.”
“Close. Thirteen and a half.” She lifted her face for a kiss that was instantly comforting and thoroughly satisfying. “How did it go?”
“Very well. I think we’ve finally worked out the last of the bugs with the locals, so we can get the permit we need, which is great, since we’ve got everyone else lined up and ready to go.”
“Good deal!”
“And I spoke with Thomas.” Thomas Gehling was the general contractor whom Lauren had called on Tuesday. “He’s looking forward to meeting with us Sunday morning.”
