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“Just as long as the weather doesn’t ruin the festival.”
They’d talked about the ads. He’d told her it was too early to determine how they were performing since the algorithm behind Facebook and Google required a couple of days to optimize such content. “You never know. Maybe we’re getting it out of the way now.”
“I hope so.”
They walked side by side in companionable silence until they reached her car. Then she used her fob to unlock the doors and put her computer in the back seat. Before she could open the driver’s side and climb in, however, he took hold of her waist, pressed her up against the vehicle and kissed her. He certainly wasn’t keeping his distance, as he’d instructed himself to do, but the entire night seemed to be leading up to this moment. If she’d left and he hadn’t kissed her, he would’ve felt cheated.
She slid her arms around his neck and parted her lips, making the kiss last longer, which allowed him to take his time and enjoy the experience that much more. Her lips were soft and pliant, her mouth warm and wet, and she smelled so good—fresh and clean and slightly powdery. Everything about her was intoxicating.
“I’m sorry,” he said when he finally pulled back. “I don’t want to…”
“Get into something you can’t get out of?” she finished when he let his words trail off.
“Do something that could possibly mislead or hurt you,” he corrected.
“It’s fine. I know you’re not looking for anything serious, especially from someone who already has a daughter.”
He was startled by that. “Your daughter has nothing to do with it,” he told her. “I’m just not committed to this place, don’t know how long I’ll be staying.”
“And you don’t want to feel obligated to me or anyone else.”
That was true. He’d always been afraid of getting into something he couldn’t get out of, didn’t want to feel caught or cornered. His relationship with Sophia, his only steady girlfriend, which lasted several months a couple of years ago, had been fulfilling at first. He’d thought he could be like other men and settle down and have a family, after all. But then she’d become so demanding and jealous. It got to where he’d felt he couldn’t breathe and was relieved when it was all over. “Maybe. I get claustrophobic very easily,” he admitted.
“I’m not expecting anything,” she assured him. “It’s just fun to have someone to practice on. I haven’t kissed a man since… Well, since before my divorce.”
He pulled her more tightly against him, partially to keep her warm and partially because that was where he most wanted her to be, and gazed into her eyes, trying to read whether he could trust what she’d just said. “You’re sure?”
“I’m positive,” she said and rose up on tiptoe to give him a quick peck.
With that, she turned to get into her SUV, but he caught her hand. “In that case, maybe we should go back to the motel…”
She started to laugh. “Thanks, but I shouldn’t.”
He couldn’t help feeling disappointed. “Because…”
“After the way I’ve been raised, I’d feel too guilty. I don’t want to repeat the mistakes I made in the past, you know? To do exactly what my father’s afraid I might do—again. Anyway, to me, sex means love, and I’m going to hold out for that—a man who will love me enough to want to marry me first.”
There was no censure in that. No expectation, either. She was just stating her position, and he’d stated his. He was sorry those positions weren’t closer together, but he had to respect her for knowing what was best for her and doing that.
“I understand.” He let her go, but when she lowered her window to say goodbye, he leaned in for one last kiss. “Just so you know, you can practice kissing me whenever you want.”
She laughed and touched his cheek in a fond gesture that affected him more than he would’ve expected. She really liked him as a person, even if it never went anywhere, and he could tell. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
As he watched her drive away, he knew she’d made the right choice. A kiss here and there they could handle; sex would make everything too serious and complicated and potentially hurtful, especially with someone who’d had the influence of a father like hers.
But that didn’t mean making love to her wasn’t all he could think about for the rest of the night.
* * *
Her father was already gone when Patience got up. She made breakfast for Ari and took her to school, assuming Carl had gone to work, but he wasn’t at the church, either.
Relieved, she settled in to get a few things done, but it was hard to concentrate. So much had changed in only a week. After the slog of dealing with Glenda for the last five years, her former best friend was, for all intents and purposes, suddenly a nonissue—at least when it came to Ari and Jack. Kanon had come back to town and become someone she was beginning to care about—as a friend, she told herself even though she thought it could be much more if only he felt the same. Problem was he didn’t feel the same and probably never would, so she wasn’t about to get her hopes up only to be crushed by her very first foray into dating since her divorce.
Then there was the job offer, which would mean working for her ex-husband. She could only imagine how mad that would make Glenda and was tempted to accept if only to show her how it felt to be so easily replaced. And on top of all those things, she was contemplating relocating to a place that would undoubtedly take her future in an entirely different direction, which felt both scary and promising.
At least the move was a long way off. She could think about that later. She needed to decide on the job. Jack couldn’t go very long without someone in the front office, not without hurting his business. But if she decided to return to Mather Trucking, how would she tell her father?
The door opened behind her, and her father walked into the office almost as if her thoughts had conjured him. He was wearing a heavy coat, scarf and hat, all of which he peeled off at the coat hanger near the door.
