‘So? Times change.’
‘You’re preaching to the choir, believe me.’
‘I wish I had a magic solution for you,’ she said. ‘But I’m afraid the only advice I have it just to talk to them. Maybe if you tell them your idea, you guys can come up with a solution that works for everyone.’
I reached out and gently wiped away a fleck of snow that had landed on her nose. We were standing so close that I could see each individual eyelash. ‘Maybe. I feel better having told you though. Lighter, somehow. Like a weight’s been lifted.’
She smiled, and she was so cute I felt bubbles in my chest.
‘Thanks for trusting me today,’ I said softly. ‘It means so much to me.’
‘You’re an easy man to trust,’ she replied. ‘I don’t know why; there’s just something about you.’
We stared at each other, the world around us shrinking until there was only her and I, and the small space between us. Only the way our eyes connected, the way our breath met in the cold air. I swallowed hard, overcome by the sudden urge to kiss her. My eyes traced her lips, hesitating. What if she didn’t want me to? But then she whispered my name.
‘Jonah.’
And I realized she was thinking about the same thing. Her pupils huge and dark, her breathing shallow. I lifted one hand and lightly touched her cheek, and she made a small noise, involuntarily, and it was nearly the end of me.
‘Are you sure?’ I asked her, my voice raspier than it had been only thirty seconds ago. She nodded, a tiny gesture, her hand reaching for my sleeve, her fingers clutching the fabric.
Our lips touched gently at first, inquisitive, curious. She was soft, oh so soft, and up close smelled amazing, like summer, vanilla and coconut. Her shampoo probably, I figured. The kiss deepened, and we both took a small step closer, somehow already in sync. If I hadn’t needed to take a breath I could have kissed her for the rest of my life. There was no awkwardness, just simplicity. As pure as our surroundings.
When we finally, gently, separated for breath, it wasn’t far, our foreheads resting against each other.
‘Wow,’ she said.
‘Yeah,’ I agreed. I didn’t need to say anything else. The look that flashed between us said everything that needed to be said.
19
MAE
‘Your blood pressure is a little on the high side,’ I told Gray, frowning as I removed the cuff from his arm and folded it back up. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘I’m fine,’ he said, shrugging. ‘Never been better.’
‘He’s stressed and not resting,’ Eleanor snapped from her position hovering in the doorway behind me. ‘I caught himworkinglast night.’
She said it in the tone one would expect someone to use when announcing a spouse’s infidelity.
I smiled at Gray, knowing she couldn’t see. ‘Busted.’
He winked. ‘And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.’
‘I give up,’ Eleanor said bitterly. ‘If you want to work yourself into an early grave then go right ahead. I don’t care any more. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me, Mae. Otherwise, you can see yourself out.’
Gray sighed after she’d left.
‘You might have to do a bit of groveling there,’ I said.
‘You might be right. She means well, but she doesn’t understand.’
‘Walk to talk about it?’
‘Why? Are you a licensed therapist as well as a nurse?’
I smiled. ‘No. But I am a good listener.’
