Neither of them changed their clothes either. He was tempted but thought she’d think more of it if he had.
He was treading water here, waves could come up and knock his ass down if he made one wrong stroke.
“I thought we could explore the city. Have you walked the Freedom Trail yet?”
“I have walked it but haven’t really checked anything out on it. It’s more about walking the area to find out where things are. That’s bad of me, isn’t it?”
“Nope,” he said. “We can do it together. Want to go up and get some water first? Though a lot of places have it for you when you stop in.”
“They do?”
“It’s a walkable town. People are all over it and businesses, or most of them, have jugs of water and cups as you enter. Even dog bowls at places.”
“That’s what I get for not going into places.”
“Let me show you my place,” he said, turning. Then stopped to look at her. “Unless you’d rather not. Up to you.”
“I’m okay with it if you are. You know, your employee seeing it.”
“Not today,” he said. “What did we say?”
“Sorry. I feel as if I have to remind myself of those things for the boundaries.”
Which told him she was wrestling with this as much as him.
And that also meant that there was hope. Dangerous, complicated hope, but still hope.
He’d never been one to raise the white flag and wasn’t going to just yet.
“Remember what I said. Monday through Friday is one situation. Today is Saturday. Try to think of it that way.”
She smiled, her light brown hair blowing in the soft breeze, her hazel eyes clear and searching his for the truth of what he said.
It wasn’t as if he could do much more than talk and he was trying.
Time would lay it out better, but he wasn’t sure how much patience he had for that.
“I’ll try. I’d like to see your place.”
He held the door for her, walked to the elevator, held his phone up to read the bar, then hit the button and waited.
“I’m on the fifteenth floor. I don’t normally take the stairs but have.”
“I’m on the fifth,” she said. “I’ve done it a few times coming down more than going up.”
The elevator doors opened, he got on, put his phone up again, then hit his button.
The ride up was quiet. The tension was more than he’d anticipated.
Nora’s eyes were locked on the steel door in front of them. At least they were alone.
The ding of their arrival almost had her jumping out of her skin and he wondered how much of a mistake this was.
“I didn’t realize how loud that was. I must be used to it.”
“Sorry. This building is gorgeous. That’s what is going through my mind. Just walking into the lobby. I could see so much in the distance. You’ve got a pool here.”
It was hard not to see it from the entrance as it was in the back at the end of the hall.
