Page 60 of His Wounded Heart

This is not my plan. I’m hiding out, not looking for some kind of relationship and Trenda has all the traits of a relationship kind of woman.

“So, wanna talk about college football?” she asks as she walks around the table to sit three feet away from me on the couch. I take it as a win that she didn’t sit in one of the chairs.

“Nope. Try again.”

“Professional football? The Superbowl is next weekend.”

I take a sip of coffee. It’s good. It’s important that someone knows how to make a good cup of coffee. “Nope, not the Superbowl. Try again.”

“Golf?”

“I’m disappointed. You missed on all three guesses. I expected better,” I sigh. “Let’s start with why you’re trying to avoid me, then we can move onto why you’ve been crying.”

“I haven’t been crying,” she protests.

“Your red nose says you’ve either been crying or you have an awful cold. Then there’s the fact that you were almost in tears when we were talking on the phone. So, do you want to talk about it? I’m a good listener.” I sit there looking at her, hoping she’ll share.

She leans forward and rests her hand on mine and looks deep into my eyes.

“You’re nuts.”

I wasn’t expecting that.

“Would you care to explain how you came to that conclusion?”

“You’re a man, right?”

“Last I checked,” I agree.

“You’ve been a SEAL most of your life, right?”

I nod.

“I cried all over you five days ago, right?”

“Yes, but it was totally understandable.”

“I didn’t ask for a dissertation. That was a simple yes or no question. Did I or did I not cry all over you five days ago?”

“Yes.” Where is she going with this?

“Okay, based on everything that we just established, you are morally obligated to run as far and as fast away from me as possible.”

I know she expects me to laugh, but I can’t. Not after what happened with Lizzie.

“Are you listening to me, Simon?”

I sigh. “I hear you. I’m just not buying into what you’re selling. Are you?”

She picks up her mug and takes a sip, puts it down, then leans back into her sofa. “No, I didn’t think you would run, but it was worth a try.”

“Why? Can’t you use a friend?”

She blows out a deep breath. “I caught you looking down my blouse. Are you sure that being friends is all you have in mind?”

“Being friends is a great basis for anything else, Trenda.” I say as honestly as I can.

“Simon. I’m not a good bet.”