The wine seemed to relax her. She stopped at one glass, and he was glad to see she had changed her mind about drowning her sorrows. Mallory wasn’t nearly the train wreck she thought she was. At least he didn’t think so. Seeing dead people was certainly inconvenient. Maybe he was foolishly giving his high school crush the benefit of every doubt.
She had asked him how he could help her. He really didn’t think she was suffering from schizophrenia. He’d read up on it, and she didn’t seem to fit the description. It was largely an inherited illness, and she denied any knowledge of mental illness in her family. That would be a hard diagnosis to hide without a relative in the attic.
“Take me to your studio. I’d like to see that artwork of yours.”
* * *
Dante reached over and covered her hand with his. “Mallory, can I make a weird suggestion? You can tell me to mind my own business if I’m way off base.”
Weird? What could he be talking about?Mallory didn’t know how much more weird her life could get. “Uh, sure. I’ll be honest and tell you if it’s too weird for me.”
“Okay. Hear me out. A hypnotherapist came to our firehouse to do a relaxation exercise with the guys. He said it was something we could continue to do on our own, and it would help us sleep, stay calm in stressful situations, and get back on an even keel faster after a rough shift. I have his card. Would you be willing to talk to him?”
“Hypnosis?”
“Yeah. Decreasing stress might help. I was even thinking that maybe he can do some kind of posthypnotic suggestion to help you block out the stuff that’s not really there.”
She felt like she was grasping at straws anyway, so why not entertain the idea? “I guess I could try it. The only thing is, therapy is expensive, isn’t it?”
“He didn’t make it sound like a ton of sessions were needed. We only had one, and it helped a lot. If it’s just the money, I’ll pay for a session.”
Dante was so sweet, but she didn’t want to take advantage of him. They weren’t even dating. Not that she’d mind dating the handsome, brave firefighter, but her history with men was pretty abysmal. He was probably just feeling sorry for her. “I can probably afford a session or two. Maybe a quick chat with a therapist might help.”
“Okay. I’ll find his number when I get home and give you a call.”
“Dante, you probably have better places to be. I’m grateful for your help, but I’ll understand if you don’t call me after giving me the therapist’s number.”
He frowned. “Why on earth would you say that?”
“I—it’s just that…well, I come with a lot of baggage. I don’t expect you to carry my burdens.”
“Hey, I’m a big, strong firefighter. I carry full-grown men over my shoulder. What’s a little baggage?” He smiled, but she didn’t return it. “Look, Mallory. We all have baggage. Yours is a little unusual, but you act like you’re the worst person who ever walked the earth.”
“Sorry. I tend to beat myself up sometimes.”
“Ya think? Come here.” He rose and took her hand.
As he led her to the couch, her nerves kicked in. What was he going to do? Kiss her? Lecture her?
“Have a seat. I want to tell you a story.”
“Okay.” That was a scenario she hadn’t seen coming.
She got comfy, and he put his arm around her shoulder.
“Once upon a time, there was this young man—no. A boy. He was still just a boy. He had a great family and lots of good pals. But he didn’t have a girlfriend. He was shorter than a lot of girls in his class and on the shy side. Especially around the pretty ones.” He gave her a smile, and if she wasn’t mistaken, it was meant just for her.
“Well, there was this one girl in particular he had a crush on. But she didn’t even know he was alive. She was smart, beautiful, had a great personality and lots of friends. She seemed to have it all. The boy was so sure she was out of his league that he never even spoke to her.
“Then they graduated from school, and everyone went off to pursue their dreams. He never knew what her plans were. Didn’t know if she was off to college or some big adventure. He felt as if he had lost her, even though he’d never really known her. And he had no one to blame but himself.”
“Does this story have a happy ending? I hope.”
His striking chocolate eyes held her gaze. “I hope so too.”
Even though her world was falling apart and a lot of guys would take advantage of the situation, she didn’t think he would. If she wanted him to kiss her, she was going to have to initiate it.
She leaned in, and he tentatively leaned toward her but stopped.
