AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Whatever you need to tell yourself,” she sang. “We’ll talk tomorrow since you’ll be missing Sunday dinner, I assume?”
“That’s right.”
“See you tomorrow then. I’ll make pot roast just for us.”
“Bye, Mom. Love you.”
“Love you, too honey. Enjoy yourself.”
That’s exactly what I intended to do, enjoy the time I spent with Joss for exactly what it was, time spent in the company of a beautiful, lively woman who drove me crazy.
“Your mama?”
“Yeah, she’s worried about my happiness.”
Joss laughed. “You weren’t kidding about her zeal in getting you matched.” Her words were hesitant, not quite fishing, but wondering.
“Yeah, she’s just a little too eager for my liking.” And the last thing I wanted was for Mom or Joss to get the wrong idea about where this was going. I like Joss, a lot, but I hadn’t changed my mind about dating people who worked for me.
Had I?
Joss
“Mara, are you busy?” The soccer team didn’t have a game this week so I gave them two days off to rest and recover before the final leg of the playoffs, and leaving work before six in the evening had me feeling restless.
“I’m always busy. What’s up?” Her droll tone never failed to bring a smile to my face.
“There’s a new tapas place that opened up between here and Tulip, feel like eating tiny portions of Spanish food?”
“Always. Are you driving?”
“Don’t I always?” Mara drove like a maniac, and for some reason she didn’t like to drive, and I preferred to drive everywhere. Some might call it a control issue, I preferred to think of it as maintaining my independence.
“You do, and I find that an excellent quality in a friend. I need to wash the stench of butter off, can you give me fifteen minutes?”
“I just finished my workout, so I’ll give you twenty, maybe twenty-five.” Ben’s impromptu visits for the past three nights had made it hard to stick to any type of schedule, but when a girl was getting regular orgasms, she tended not to mind all that much. But a proper hour at Stone Cold Fitness was exactly what I needed to clear my mind and remove thoughts that didn’t belong.
At least that’s what I told myself when my mind began to wander in the shower to places it shouldn’t. Like Ben and his visits that were starting to feel a lot less like fun sexy trips, and more like something else. More like hiding.
I shook those thoughts off because Ben was a good man, a nice man. He hadn’t been clear about what he wanted, not explicitly, but he wouldn’t be intentionally cruel. I was sure of that.
At least I was pretty sure of that.
I dressed quickly in a pair of dark blue jeans and a brand new red sweater I’d found on sale on one of my rare trips to the mall, pairing the outfit with the black ankle boots Eva had me buy before I gave up on matchmaking. With a few minutes to spare, I grabbed my keys and rushed out the front door, running right into Ben in the process.
“Ben. What are you doing here?”
He laughed. “You plan to ask me that question every time I darken your doorstep?”
“Yes.” He was here again, this time without food, but there was no doubt why he was here. “Well?”
Ben flashed that ‘aw shucks’ smile and rubbed a hand over his hair. “I was hoping you felt like having some company?”
I took a step back and took in the sight of him, no longer in his khaki pants and checkered button up that he favored for work, he’d changed into well-worn jeans and a muscle hugging t-shirt.
“Oh yeah? What kind of company, exactly?”
He took a step forward and grinned. “The kind that starts with you and me, and then we see what happens. What do you say, Joss?”
I wanted to say yes, and to slip back inside where we could close the door behind us and enjoy each other until late into the night. But I couldn’t. Not only was Mara expecting me, but this felt important even though I couldn’t say why.
“I’d love some company, Ben. There’s a tapas place that just opened up, hungry?”
His shoulders fell, but it was just a fraction, enough that I could have missed it if it didn’t feel so crucial that I play close attention. “I’m not really in the mood to go out.”
My brows dipped in confusion. “This is out, Ben. What you mean is that you don’t want to go out to dinner with me. Right?” He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. The look on his face said it all. “You do what you want, Ben. I’m going out for tapas, so I guess I’ll see you around.” I gave him a beat, a moment to change his mind.
