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“I care about you.”
“This hasn’t changed your opinion of me?” I asked.
“Why would it? Other than to make me admire you even more than I did before.”
He admired me?
“Seriously, what makes you think knowing about your mom would change my mind about you?” He met my eyes over the rim of the tub.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Depression runs in families.”
His forehead wrinkled, as if I’d said something truly befuddling. “What are you saying? Have you dealt with depression?”
I shook my head. “No. But I might. What if my real dad had mental illness too? I would be bound to suffer from something myself.”
“But you haven’t so far?” Caspian asked.
“No. I mean, other than feeling extremely anxious about my future. And missing Aunt Biddie, which makes me sad.”
“When did you lose your aunt?”
The familiar ache punched my heart. “She died right before I moved here. I took time off to care for her, which quickly ate up the small savings she had. The rest came from my paycheck, which in Seattle made my life pretty lean. But Aunt Biddie was safe there and well taken care of, so it was worth every penny.”
“Is that why you came out here?”
“It factored into my decision.”
“Plus, the stalker?” Caspian asked.
“Yeah, I just wanted to start somewhere no one knew me. Reinvent myself.”
“Have you?”
“No, it turns out I’m just the same person I was before, only now I live at the North Pole.”
He laughed. “The winters can be rough. But the beauty of the other seasons makes up for it. Speaking for myself, of course.”
“No, I agree. It’s been an adjustment, but I love it here. Especially my job. I’d love to move out of the motel, though. If I could afford a house of my own, I’d do it in a second. But I wasbroke when I got here. The amount I’ve put away isn’t even close to a down payment.”
“Can I be frank?”
“Go for it,” I said.
“That motel’s awful. We need to get you out of there. Even renting a room in someone’s house would be better.”
“Like Sammie’s situation?”
“Exactly. I wish we had another room,” he said.
“I don’t. That would be way too much time together.”
He made a face as if I’d hurt him. “You mean you don’t want to be with me twenty-four hours a day?”
Only I did.
Oh, God. I did. I might have fallen in love with my boss. What was I supposed to do now?
Oblivious to my thoughts, he promised to ask around the community to see if anyone knew of a house or room to rent.
