wouldn’t be in the bathroom much longer. If it weren’t for the timing, she would gladly keep Thomas on the phone and push the issue more deeply. Clearly she had won—this round anyway.
“When do you move into your new place?”
“Friday. There was a leak with the roof and he wanted to get it fixed before I move in, so I get to move in on Friday.” She heard the low rumble in Thomas’ voice. “Would you prefer I move into a leaky place?”
“There wasn’t a problem with the roof when I secured the place.”
She shrugged, knowing he couldn’t see her. “Well, we did have some rain to come through here, not enough to put out the fires, but I don’t know…maybe there was just enough rain to expose a small leak or something. Look, I’m just glad he’s getting it fixed now and not later.” It wasn’t as if the date for move-in was pushed back significantly. She was only going to be three days late moving in to the new place, and the landlord had already gave her a three day credit on the month’s rent so she didn’t have to worry about getting Thomas’ money back for the unused days on the lease. She smiled just thinking about Thomas. Her big brother—the protector. He had come prepared, ready to plunk down cash to assure she had a safe home to live in. She hadn’t expected him to be ready to secure housing for her, although she should have known he would have. Thomas was always protecting her. Sometimes she wished she could return the favor.
“All right. Call me once you get settled in and let me know if the place is suitable. If it’s not I’ll get you out of the lease.”
She laughed. “Yes big brother.” She said her goodbyes and disconnected the call before slipping her phone back into her handbag.
“Everything okay?”
“Perfect,” she smiled as he sat down in front of her. “I think we’re still in a holding pattern for our food.” They had long since ordered, and everybody around them seemed to be getting their meals, but the waitress had yet to bring their dinners.
“I hope you’re not in a hurry to get somewhere.”
She laughed. “No. I can’t think of any place I need to be right now.”
“So I have your undivided attention then?”
“For now; once the food comes all bets are off.”
“You’re going to ditch me for food?”
“Adam, I might be skinny, but I like to eat.” And at fifteen dollars for a plate of Alaskan Salmon and a bed a of baby spinach leaves, she planned to eat every ounce of food—even if she had to take it back to the hotel and eat it for breakfast.
“I think there’s something about me that I should tell you, Adam.” She turned serious. There was no time like the present, and while she didn’t want to ruin a good date, she knew if she waited any longer she was going to chicken out of having the conversation they needed to have.
“You’re an ax murderer,” he said jokingly. He started to laugh, but stopped the moment he saw she hadn’t started laughing with him. “Jesus! You’re not are you?”
“Of course not,” she frowned. She had been so lost in trying to find the right words that she hadn’t immediately reacted to his joke. Apparently he took that as a sign that she was an ax murderer.
“Okay, you had me worried for a minute there.”
“Seriously, do you think I’m that crazy?”
“No, but you know I see a lot in my line of work.”
“Ax murderers?”
“Well, no; not those.”
“I should hope not.”
“Okay, what do you need to talk to me about?”
“Well…how do I say this?”
“Just say it.” He leaned forward and took her hand in his. She exhaled slowly before taking another deep breath and exhaling it again, just as slowly as the first. She needed to calm her nerves. This was crazy. She wasn’t ashamed of her choice. She wasn’t afraid of it either. But she was afraid of his reaction to it. She was starting to wonder, based on things she had heard from Mitch and other people, if men were all the
“When do you move into your new place?”
“Friday. There was a leak with the roof and he wanted to get it fixed before I move in, so I get to move in on Friday.” She heard the low rumble in Thomas’ voice. “Would you prefer I move into a leaky place?”
“There wasn’t a problem with the roof when I secured the place.”
She shrugged, knowing he couldn’t see her. “Well, we did have some rain to come through here, not enough to put out the fires, but I don’t know…maybe there was just enough rain to expose a small leak or something. Look, I’m just glad he’s getting it fixed now and not later.” It wasn’t as if the date for move-in was pushed back significantly. She was only going to be three days late moving in to the new place, and the landlord had already gave her a three day credit on the month’s rent so she didn’t have to worry about getting Thomas’ money back for the unused days on the lease. She smiled just thinking about Thomas. Her big brother—the protector. He had come prepared, ready to plunk down cash to assure she had a safe home to live in. She hadn’t expected him to be ready to secure housing for her, although she should have known he would have. Thomas was always protecting her. Sometimes she wished she could return the favor.
“All right. Call me once you get settled in and let me know if the place is suitable. If it’s not I’ll get you out of the lease.”
She laughed. “Yes big brother.” She said her goodbyes and disconnected the call before slipping her phone back into her handbag.
“Everything okay?”
“Perfect,” she smiled as he sat down in front of her. “I think we’re still in a holding pattern for our food.” They had long since ordered, and everybody around them seemed to be getting their meals, but the waitress had yet to bring their dinners.
“I hope you’re not in a hurry to get somewhere.”
She laughed. “No. I can’t think of any place I need to be right now.”
“So I have your undivided attention then?”
“For now; once the food comes all bets are off.”
“You’re going to ditch me for food?”
“Adam, I might be skinny, but I like to eat.” And at fifteen dollars for a plate of Alaskan Salmon and a bed a of baby spinach leaves, she planned to eat every ounce of food—even if she had to take it back to the hotel and eat it for breakfast.
“I think there’s something about me that I should tell you, Adam.” She turned serious. There was no time like the present, and while she didn’t want to ruin a good date, she knew if she waited any longer she was going to chicken out of having the conversation they needed to have.
“You’re an ax murderer,” he said jokingly. He started to laugh, but stopped the moment he saw she hadn’t started laughing with him. “Jesus! You’re not are you?”
“Of course not,” she frowned. She had been so lost in trying to find the right words that she hadn’t immediately reacted to his joke. Apparently he took that as a sign that she was an ax murderer.
“Okay, you had me worried for a minute there.”
“Seriously, do you think I’m that crazy?”
“No, but you know I see a lot in my line of work.”
“Ax murderers?”
“Well, no; not those.”
“I should hope not.”
“Okay, what do you need to talk to me about?”
“Well…how do I say this?”
“Just say it.” He leaned forward and took her hand in his. She exhaled slowly before taking another deep breath and exhaling it again, just as slowly as the first. She needed to calm her nerves. This was crazy. She wasn’t ashamed of her choice. She wasn’t afraid of it either. But she was afraid of his reaction to it. She was starting to wonder, based on things she had heard from Mitch and other people, if men were all the
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