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Great.
Well, I could ask Adam about the girl when we were at the farm. Maybe I was overreacting and reading too much into the situation, but it was probably better to be safe than sorry.
That night, I closed up the center once everyone had gone home and stepped outside, a chill rushing up my spine as I assessed the darkness. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to leave the center only after everyone else had gone.
As the door clanked shut behind me, however, I looked to the street and realized I wasn’t alone.
Adam was leaning against his car, staring down at the ground. The nearby streetlamp cast a soft glow over him. He was in jeans and a brown, faded leather jacket that was open to a white tee.
He looked up at me, the shadows from the light playing off his face. “Hi.” He pushed off the car and strode toward me as I remained standing in front of the door.
“Hi,” I returned in a soft voice, not sure what to make of his presence. “What are you doing here? Were you waiting for me?” I had checked my phone before locking up and there weren’t any missed calls. “Is something wrong?”
He stopped in front of me, and I couldn’t help but stare at the bruise around his eye. I wished he’d tell me the truth about what had happened. “I’ve been busy, but I wanted to come here. I needed something to remind me—” He stopped himself and took a step back as if he could hardly stand to be so close to me. “As I drove here, I realized I probably shouldn’t see the kids. Not with my eye. I don’t want them to get the wrong idea. My eye should be better by Saturday, though. No worries.”
“So why are you here then?”
He shrugged. “I was driving around . . . and around . . . and found myself here, wanting to see you.”
“Which is confusing,” I blurted.
“Damn. I know.” He turned from me, his hand blazing down the back of his head. “Let me drive you home.” He spun back around, almost bumping into me. “Or we could even walk.” He cleared his throat as he looked down at me, his eyes glossy from the dim lighting. “It’s a beautiful night.”
“I should say no.”
I’d meant to think those words, not speak them.
“Don’t.”
“Okay,” I whispered without thinking.
What was wrong with me?
“Maybe a walk would be nice,” I rationalized, trying to make the moment something other than what it was. “I’d love to see the city at night. I’ve been too afraid to venture out on my own.”
“Good to hear. I don’t like the idea of you roaming about by yourself.”
We walked past his Porsche as he pushed his hands into his pockets. “What about your car?”
“I’ll get it later. Let’s take the scenic way back to the hotel.” A smile lit his cheek.
I paused as we neared the end of the street, just before we would join the crowd of pedestrians walking on the busy sidewalk.
“Adam?” He stopped and looked over his shoulder at me. “Thank you.”
“For what?” He turned his whole self to face me now.
I fidgeted with the strap of my purse and chewed at my lip. “For helping me. For letting me work with these kids. And I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, and please don’t think less of me for what I’m going to say . . .” I wasn’t sure what possessed me to admit this—it might kill the small chance I had to get a permanent position at McGregor Enterprises. “I kind of enjoy the work I’m doing here more than the work I do at your office.”
Adam pressed a hand to his chest. “Can I tell you a secret?” His lips spread into a grin. “I do, too.” Then his back was to me again, and he joined the crowd on the sidewalk. I wondered if I should tell him about the girl tonight, but I decided I’d try and talk to the kids about it once more. Trust was a fragile thing, especially if I had yet to earn it with the kids.
A moment later, I collected myself well enough to walk after him.
When I finally caught up, we walked together, brushing alongside Dubliners as the night came to life around us. The restaurants and pubs overflowed with people sitting shoulder to shoulder in the outdoor seating areas. The air was crisp and refreshing—entirely too nice to remain inside. Of course, if I hadn’t been wearing my tall boots and jacket, I’d probably be freezing my ass off. It was still a lot colder in Dublin than in Kentucky in September.
Ten minutes later, he pointed to a narrow, charming white bridge, which crossed a strip of water that we’d neared. “This is the Ha’Penny Bridge.” He reached for my hand. “Come on.” The second his fingers laced with mine, I lost all sense of reason. The warmth, his touch . . . it felt so damn right that I knew no good would come of it.
But I didn’t let that stop me. I kept my fingers locked with his as we walked beneath the first curved white arch and stepped up onto the bridge. I looked out over the pedestrian bridge, where a beautiful array of colors reflected from the city buildings, dancing on the still water.
