“Oh, I plan to, Larry. Don’t worry.” Nate glanced down at Gracie. She could have sworn he was being serious when he said, “I can’t imagine my life without her.”
“So, tell me. How did you two meet?” Connie asked sounding genuinely interested.
Still blushing, Gracie decided to take the lead. “We met outside the building where we both work.” When Nate gave her an approving smile, she asked, “Would you like to tell the story?”
“Go ahead. It’s always better when you tell it.”
Biting her bottom lip, Gracie thought a moment, and then remembered what he’d told her before.
Stick as close to the truth as possible without giving yourself away.
“I’d gone to this little coffee shop across the street from our building.”
“What do you do?” Larry directed the question to Nate.
“I work for a security company.”
“Like, home security systems, that sort of thing?”
“Stuff like that, yeah,” Nate answered without batting an eye.
Okay, so that was partially true.
“And what about you?” Larry looked across at her.
“I’m just a secretary for one of the offices in the building.
“Oh, honey. Don’t ever call yourselfjusta secretary. I was a teacher for thirty years and trust me. We all knew our secretaries were the ones holding that place together.”
Gracie smiled. “Thanks, Connie.”
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt. Please”—Larry held out a hand—“Continue with your story.”
As requested, Gracie went on with the fictional tale filled with half-truths.
“So, I was in the crosswalk headed back to work when this strikingly handsome man exited my building. Suddenly, it was as if everything else around me disappeared until we were the only two people left in the world. He was standing there, looking so strong and formidable. Like he was ready to take on the world. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.” She turned to Nate, surprised to find him staring down at her.
“Go on,” Connie prompted.
“Yeah, honey.” Nate’s voice had turned low. Sexy. “Go on.”
Even though Gracie knew it was all part of their twisted game, she couldn’t help but love the way he sounded just then.
“Well, I should have been looking where I was going, because the next thing I knew, this car was headed straight for me. It was clear it wasn’t going to stop for the red light.”
“Oh, my gosh. So, what happened next?”
“Let her tell the story, Con, and you’ll find out.”
Gracie laughed softly and then looked at Nate again. With their eyes locked, she said, “The handsome man from across the street saved me.” She smiled. “He pulled me into his arms and back onto the sidewalk just in time for the car to miss me. Then, he held me there for what seemed like forever, making sure I was okay.”
“And I knew right then,” Nate chimed in. “I needed this woman in my life.”
“Oh, how romantic!” Connie exclaimed wistfully.
“Romantic? This poor young lady was almost killed. Was the dumbass driving the car texting? I bet he was. Everyone’s always texting and driving these days. I swear nearly every driver I pass is looking at his or her phone instead of the road.”
“But what a story they have to tell.”
