“I’m done for the evening. Wondered if you might want to head out and grab a burger?” I tried to sound nonchalant, like it wouldn’t matter to me one way or another if she didn’t want to go.
“Where?”
That was a good sign; she hadn’t shot me down immediately. “Up to you. There’s the Burger Bonanza. Or if you’d rather, we can go to Ortega’s.”
“I don’t know.” She pulled her feet up onto the bed and leaned against the ornate wooden headboard. “I just got back from running Zeb home. I’m kind of tired and was thinking I might just stay in tonight.”
I gestured to the spot next to her. “Care if I sit down?”
“Be my guest.” She pulled her feet up underneath her to make more room.
The mattress creaked as I sat down. “I think we should talk.”
“Should?” Her eyebrows lifted, causing a series of lines to crisscross her forehead.
I dug deeper. This woman tested me in ways I didn’t ever consider. “Let me try that again. I’d like to talk.”
“About what?” She drew a throw pillow against her stomach.
“About us.”
Her eyebrows rose even higher and she let out a soft laugh. “There’s an ‘us’ now?”
“Come on, I’m trying here.” I reached out to cover her hand with mine.
“Trying what? To make yourself feel better?”
“No. I’m trying to have a conversation. I’d like to apologize . . .” Hell, this was harder than I thought it would be.
“For?” she prompted.
“For being an ass about the penguin thing.” I knew now I’d overreacted. There hadn’t been any fallout, and I’d gone a little overboard.
“Okay. Go for it.”
“I just did.”
“Did what?”
“Apologized.”
She rolled her eyes. “No you didn’t. You said you’d like to apologize.”
“Right.”
“But you never actually said it.”
“Said what?”
“Forget it.” She tossed the pillow aside and hopped off the bed.
“What just happened?” I glanced from the pillow she’d discarded to where she stood looking out the window. “I feel like I missed something.”
The floor-to-ceiling curtain swayed as she moved past it. “You did miss something.”
I got off the bed and took cautious steps toward her. “Care to fill me in?”
She turned. “An apology usually involves something beyond saying you want to apologize.”
