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“But not you?”
“I can’t imagine anything happening to you, to be honest. I’m terrified of you, and I assume everyone else is, too.”
“You should be. Okay, but don’t try and hold my hand or anything. This isn’t a date.”
“Perish the thought. I’ll stay on my side of the sidewalk. Let’s go.”
“They argue like brother and sister,” Zack observed when they’d gone, leaving him alone with Lucy. “Or an old married couple.”
“They have a vibe going on,” Lucy chuckled. “Jane is dismissive of Cooper because of his womanizing. Her past relationship wasn’t a healthy one. She’s got a whole lot of shields up, and she barely even dates. She says that most men aren’t worth the time.”
They got ready for bed, brushing their teeth and slipping between the sheets. After turning off the lights, Zack pulled Lucy close, her head resting on his chest as his body was beginning to relax after the long eventful day he’d had. He was starting to fall asleep when she spoke.
“I must apologize, Zack. I saw the contract on the table in Tate’s. I can read upside down. I know that the guy was here about a job for you. When do you have to go?”
So much had happened since talking to Gary, Zack had almost forgotten all about it. The contract was currently sitting in the back seat of his car in a file folder.
“You don’t owe me any apologies. It’s not something that’s a secret or that I’m trying to hide. As for when I’m leaving, I haven’t accepted the job. Gary came here to try and talk me into it, but I haven’t made up my mind.”
“Is it a good offer?” she asked after a long silence.
“It is,” he admitted. “I doubt I could get a better one.”
“Then you’d be crazy not to take it.”
He couldn’t argue that sentiment although he kind of wanted to.
“I haven’t decided. I need to think about it. It’s a huge decision.”
Did she want him to stay? Would she say that out loud? Maybe they were too early in their relationship for that discussion. When he’d gotten involved with her, he hadn’t really been thinking about the future.
But here they were, and he needed to. He had strong feelings for Lucy. Very strong. He wasn’t the type to throw around the L-word, but he could easily fall in love with her given the opportunity. Lucy was his lover and his friend, a combination that he’d thought was near impossible to find.
Now he was lying in bed, wide awake, trying to think about what he wanted to do. In his entire life he’d never been this indecisive. He was losing patience quickly with himself.
He couldn’t sleep, so he gently extricated himself from a sleeping Lucy, and he went out to the living room. He could check his email or read a book. Cooper had a million of them lying around. Anything to pass the time and detour his brain.
Cooper was sitting on the couch, his laptop on the coffee table, tapping away at the keys.
“Couldn’t sleep? There’s beer in the fridge. It might help.”
“I don’t want to get in the habit of using alcohol to help me sleep,” Zack replied, sitting down on the chair next to the sofa. “But thanks for the offer. What are you doing?”
“Email,” Cooper said. “I have lots of friends around the globe, and I want to keep in touch. What’s keeping you up? Are you going for a walk again tonight?”
“No, I just want to…sit and think.”
“Think about what?”
“Do you really want to hear about it?”
“Your life fascinates me,” Cooper said with a chuckle. “Go ahead. What are you thinking about?”
“A guy came into town to try and convince me to take a job offer.”
“Tate mentioned that. What did you decide to do?”
“I don’t know what to do. It’s a great offer. I won’t get one better. It’s a dream offer.”
