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She nods slowly.
“But you didn’t give up right?”
I squeeze her knee.
“I could’ve given up. Honestly, I probably should have given up because that was the logical thing to do. But I didn’t, because skiing is something I love more than anything in the world, and I knew I could make a career of it if I stuck with it.”
“And you did,” Faith says with a tremor to her voice.
“Exactly. Which is why if you think waitressing is going to be worth it, then you should keep at it, no matter what anyone says. Even if the money isn’t much now, it doesn’t mean that it won’t be in the future. Besides, money is only one aspect. We need to breathe and thrive as humans, which means you need something that feeds your soul and nourishes it too.”
Her eyes look watery again.
“Thanks for that, but does that mean you plan on skiing until you retire?”
“Sort of, in a way.”
Faith looks at me with confusion. “What do you mean?”
I grin.
“Well, the average age of retirement in the United States is sixty-five or older, and there’s no way I’ll still be skiing for that long. I meant it earlier when I said I’m getting up there in age.”
“Oh right, that makes sense. But do you mean you’ll compete in Masters events? Or what did you have in mind?”
I shrug.
“Honestly, I don’t really know. I have some things in the works, but none of them have really popped yet. I guess we’ll see when the time comes.”
She looks at me curiously.
“So you do have other plans?” Faith asks.
I nod.
“Yes, but they’re really just the beginnings of projects. Certainly nothing that’s going to earn me the big bucks. But I just try to go with it and not focus too much on ‘the next big thing’ or having a ‘successful second act.’ I haven’t even finished my first one yet, so I don’t want to get carried away with what might or might not be.”
She looks at me with warm eyes.
“I know you’ll be successful no matter what you do, Hunter.”
At that, I can’t resist. I lean across the seat and kiss her softly.
“Thank you, sweetheart. I’m glad you believe in me, and I’m glad we’re doing this,” I say simply. “I needed to talk to someone, even though I didn’t realize it myself. It’s been a long time since I let this all out.”
She smiles gently.
“Me, too. The friend I told you about, Bella, she and I used to have these kinds of long conversations. But Bella recently had a baby, which means she doesn’t have as much time anymore, although I don’t fault her for it or anything. I’m just saying it’s nice to have someone to talk with again.”
I shoot her a lopsided grin.
“I can always be that person. You can call me whenever you need to talk, and I’ll be there for you, even if it’s just to say hello.”
Faith smiles, her face glowing with happiness. “Thank you, Hunter. The same goes for you. I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener in the past, so just call if you’d like to run a few things over.”
With that, the rest of the drive continues and my heart thrums with contentment. I like being with this woman. She’s beautiful, and it’s easy to walk with her, to talk with her, and to generally be myself in her presence. The conversation flows, even when we touch on serious topics, and this woman understands me in a way that no one ever has before. As I glance at Faith’s delicate profile, my heart warms and blooms and suddenly, I know with certainty that I’m falling in love.
6
Hunter
* * *
Three months later.
“Do you want a soda?” Faith sings sweetly from the small kitchen in her apartment.
“Sure, that’d be great,” I respond. I lean back on the couch with satisfaction. It’s amazing being with this woman, and we’ve been dating steadily for months now. We split our time between my house and her apartment, although lately, we’ve been hanging out in my king-size bed a lot. She says she should get a king-size too, so that I’m tempted to stay at her place, but I just growl and tackle that curvy form because I don’t really care where we are. I just want to be with her.
Faith brings me the soda and takes a seat next to me on the couch, throwing her legs over my lap. I gently rub circles on her bare calf.
“What do you want to watch?” she asks. “I’m thinking we should start a new series. I’ve heard that the karate one that just came out is pretty good.”
“Sure, throw it on, hon.”
Just like our location, I don’t really care what we watch so long as we’re together. We could be watching the latest James Bond, or the newest rom-com. I really wouldn’t care, so long as I’m with this woman. But then Faith sits up suddenly, eyes wide.
