“Okay, then answer the question.” I lean forward until I’m only a few inches away from him and his gorgeous green eyes.
“None.” He stares back at me, and, for a moment, I think maybe he’s going to kiss me. The moment fades quickly when he looks away.
Shit. I’m screwing this up. The last thing I need is for him to think that I’m coming onto him. I clear my throat a few times and sit back, putting as much room between us on the couch as I can. “You’ll have clients who don’t meet their goals for a variety of reasons. As long as you’re listening to them and doing your best, the rest will take care of itself. They’re the ones who have to put in the work and run the race.”
“Fine, that’s a good point.” He doesn’t sound nearly as happy as I thought he might be, but he’s not arguing. That has to be a good sign.
“Does that mean you’re in?”
“I want to sleep on it to be sure, but yeah, I think I’ll do it.”
“Oh, thank God.” I let my head fall back onto the arm of the sofa. It’s hours past my bedtime, and I’m dying to be asleep. I’ve almost adjusted to sleeping next to Chase at night. Last night, I even left a whole inch between me and the edge of the bed.
“Sorry, I’ve kept you up.”
“Don’t worry about it. Tomorrow’s a late start. The shop doesn’t open until noon, so I can sleep in a bit.” There’s still plenty to do. I usually catch up on inventory or ordering on these days, but I’m planning to be lazy tomorrow morning. That means I can set my alarm for seven, which feels practically luxurious these days.
We get ready for bed in what’s become our usual routine of taking turns in the bathroom. Like the gentleman he is, Chase always wears his pajama pants up until the last minute, only stripping down to his briefs once the lights are off and he’s about to crawl between the sheets.
And I don’t look. Because that would be rude. And because then I’d know for a fact that he owns briefs in a wide variety of colors, not just the black that I saw him in that first morning.
“Nix?”
“Yeah?” Once we’re in bed, we don’t usually talk beyond mumbled good nights.
“Thanks. This was really helpful.”
“I’m glad. You deserve to be doing something that makes you happy.” I mean that. Sleighbell Springs won’t be his permanent home. In a month or two, I’ll probably only hear from him on occasion. If he’s living his best life, then at least I can be satisfied knowing it’s partly because of me.
“There’s still a long way to go, but I think I might be on the right track. Possibly for the first time in my life.”
There’s nothing to say about that, so I don’t respond. Instead, I do something stupid. I reach over and grope around until I find his hand. I give it a reassuring squeeze.
He returns the gesture, giving my hand a few quick pumps.
It feelslike hours have gone by. Or maybe it’s seconds? At this point, I’m so disoriented, I can’t tell. What I’m sure of right now is that I’m holding Chase’s hand.
The night comes flooding back to me. The moment I gave him a quick squeeze. I should have taken my hand back right after, but exhaustion hit, and apparently, I passed out before I got there.
And so did Chase.
Very slowly, I open my hand, not wanting to wake him. If I can manage it, then we don’t have to deal with any weirdness between us.
It takes dozens of tiny movements, but eventually, I free myself from him and pull my hand back in. Chase wiggles a bit and mumbles something under his breath but doesn’t wake.
Phew. That was close. It gets harder and harder to maintain the boundaries I have in place. Like Russ wanted, I think Chase and I are officially friends. I’ve never had a friend that I had a crush on. At least not like this. When I do, they go away pretty quickly once it’s apparent nothing’s going to happen between us.
This one seems to be hanging on with a vengeance. I guess it’s lasted ten years. It’ll take more than a few days for it to die down.
Give it time. That’s the advice I’d give someone else. I just hope it’s good advice.
11
CHASE
After last night, it’s no surprise I wake up exhausted. It’s more mental—and maybe emotional—than physical, but the result is that even though I’m awake, I can’t bring myself to open my eyes.
There’s something different. Something’s making the bed more comfortable than usual.
