Well, that was better than an outright no. Now to keep the conversation casual.“Is that why you moved in on a Friday? Was this your weekend to work?”
“Yes. That’s when my family was available too. My dad’s retired, but my kid brother works Saturdays. On Fridays he gets out of school at noon. Since I couldn’t carry all the heavy stuff by myself, I had to take whatever free labor I could get when I could get it.”
“So, you’re off again tomorrow since it’s Monday?”
“Yup. I should probably feel guilty about playing hooky tonight, but when I called, I was still pretty shaken up.”
“I didn’t realize that. You seem fine.” He thought about her reaction at the bedroom and realized she’d probably feel skittish after a near rape. Now her abrupt change of mood as he’d walked up behind her made sense.
He reached over and grasped her hand. It trembled. “Merry, I’m so sorry you were attacked. I know I said it before, but my uncle is taking steps to correct the lighting in the alley. I promise.”
She smiled. “I know. Thank you.”
“He’ll have it finished before you have to go back to work.”He squeezed her hand before he let go. She nodded and looked at her lap.
Wow, she really was upset. I wonder why she didn’t let on?
They had finished their meal, cleared the table, and settled on the sofa to talk. Merry set her wine glass on the Lucite table, afraid of spilling it on the white fabric of the sofa.
She had already finished two glasses and really didn’t need any more. The wine made her relaxed and her lips tingled, faintly. Or maybe she was anticipating another one of Jason’s toe-curling kisses.
Jason sat so low to the ground that his legs stretched way out in front of him. Merry had been able to tuck hers demurely under and to one side.
“See what I mean about this ridiculous furniture?” he said.
“It looks cool, but I’m afraid to spill anything on it,” Merry said. “Especially red wine.”
“I wouldn’t mind if you did. It would give me an excuse to toss these and get new ones.”
“Why don’t you donate them somewhere?”
He looked left and right to the matching side chairs and said, “You know what? You’re right. I settled for them just because they were so damned expensive, and I was raised not to waste money. I’m sure there’s some office in a family shelter or something I can furnish and then get what I want.”
“Of course. Maybe you could bring them back to the store if you know where they came from—or save your money from the bachelor auction if you need to.”
“Oh, no. It’s not the money.” He turned to face her and rested his hand on hers.
A slight electric zing traveled up her arm and raisedgoosebumps. Her breath hitched, but Jason didn’t appear to notice.
“I’ve heard nightmare stories from some of the guys on my team about those stupid auctions.”
“Like what? Blue-haired old ladies with no teeth who want to grope you all night?”
He laughed. “I haven’t been through anything like that yet, but it’s certainly a risk. No, I’m talking about society women trying to marry for money. They think our off-season is their hunting season. I don’t want to get duped into anything less than love.”
“So, you consider falling in love the better way to be duped?”
His jaw dropped. “No!” He shook his head, furiously. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know. I was kidding.”
A moment later, he trailed his finger up her arm, making her quiver.
“Do you believe in love?”
She smiled. “Of course. Don’t you?”
“Yeah, I’ve known some very happy couples. Professional sports can take a toll on relationships, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying.”
