Page 29 of The Image of You

“Am I scaring you?”

“No,” she replied, her lips quivering, eyes watery. “That’s the part that does scare me. I feel–I feel the same way.”

“Good.”

I slid back over to my side of the table. I knew if I stayed beside her, I would just keep kissing her, and I wanted her to eat her lunch. All of it.

I ordered coffee and sipped at it while she resumed eating. Although she was still slow, she did at least pick up the pizza with her fingers. It was progress.

“So, you go back to work Monday night?”

“Yes.”

“Your schedule is set?”

“For now. This is the first time I’ve had entire weekends off. Next change, I’ll have Sunday to Tuesday off.”

“Do you have plans?”

She frowned. “No, I was hoping to see Emma, but she canceled her trip. That happens a lot these days.”

“Emma?”

“She’s my best friend. She got married a few months ago, and they moved to Ottawa. She designs clothing and owns a boutique here and one there, so she goes back and forth. I see her when she’s in town, and I visit when I can.”

“You miss her.”

“She was the first friend I made when I went to school. She lived in the same building, and I met her when I was doing laundry. We started talking and have been friends ever since.” She smiled wistfully. “I adore her husband, Alan, and they’re great together, but yes, I miss her. She’s so busy now. And Elena is away, so I can’t see her either.”

“You see her a lot?”

“I try to. I can just be me when I’m with her. We have sleepovers, which are always fun.”

“Should I ask what those entail? I assume there’re no pillow fights happening.”

Ally snorted and covered her mouth. I chuckled at the very unladylike sound.

“That’s just a male fantasy, Adam. We don’t really do that sort of thing.”

I shook my head. “Don’t destroy the illusions. We men, as a whole, cling to them.”

“Elena and I make martinis and finger food. We play cards or Scrabble, and she fills me in on all the gossip. I love spending time with her.”

“Why don’t you live with her?”

“The place she lives in is age-restricted. It’s very elegant, very expensive. She has a circle of friends and her life. I can stay the night on occasion, but I can’t live there.”

I nodded. I knew the type of place she was talking about.

“What about other friends?”

“I’m friendly with a few of the nurses at the hospital.” She shrugged. “Working nights, it’s hard to maintain a lot of friendships. I’m asleep while they’re awake, and vice versa. But we do sporadic get-togethers.”

She wiped her fingers. “What about you?” she asked.

I sighed. “My lifestyle is even less conducive to friends. I never know when I’m going to be in town, and often when I am, I’m busy working on the last shoot or planning a job I got hired for. Like you, I’m friendly with a few people I work with. My boss, Sean, is probably my closest friend. And to be honest, we’re both so busy, we rarely see each other outside the office.”

“Ah.”