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“I’d love to. It’s lonely sleeping on my own in that large bed,” I say. “I’ll just brush my teeth and change.”
I’m grinning as I get ready. All this week, Thomas and I have been sleeping separately. Of course, we’ve had sex every night, and each time, Thomas has gone back to his room after.
I’ve held back from asking him to spend the night for the same reason he left. Clad in my nightshirt, I turn off the light and pad across the hallway to his room. He’s already in bed, and he grins when he sees me.
He throws the covers back, and I slip in. I lie down on his chest and run my hands over his muscles.
“This is perfect,” he says and then plants a kiss at the back of my head. “You are perfect.”
I still can’t understand how Tessa found another man more attractive than her husband. Of course, I get that it’s more than just the physical aspect, but I’ve never met a man who exhibits as much masculinity as Thomas does. How would someone be satisfied by less than that? Plus, he’s very loving and expressive. I can only imagine how he must have been with his wife. He holds himself back with me, seeing that our relationship is different. And, of course, there was the fact that he loved her.
Thomas is super protective of me as the woman carrying his child. How protective was he with Tessa?
Pangs of longing come over me. A longing to be loved by him. I swallow hard and try to empty my mind of such thoughts. No point in longing for something that will never happen.
He rubs my back in that soothing way that he does, and soon, my eyelids grow heavy. I fall asleep in his arms with a smile on my face.
Chapter 32
Cora
I show up ten minutes early for training, and as soon as I walk into The Caroline, the change astounds me, and I pause at the door to admire the decor. It’s rustic-themed, and you get the feeling that you’ve just stepped back in time. There is a lot of wood complemented by warm, earthy colors like orange and cream and yellows. It makes you want to grab a seat and relax.
“Hi there,” a tall man says from behind the bar. “I’m Tom, the bartender.”
I walk up to the bar with a smile. I offer my hand across the counter, and he takes it. “And I’m Cora. I’m here for the service training.”
“It’s happening in a few minutes. You can pop into the office and let Ian or Caroline know that you’ve arrived. They are the owners. You’ll like them.” He gives me the directions to the office.
I walk into a hallway and then past the kitchen, where tantalizing smells are coming from the industrial-sized stove. I wave at a uniformed chef, and he shoots me a smile. Voices meet me as I enter a smaller hallway with three doors. The last one is open, and I knock on it.
My mom calls for me to enter. It’s a medium-sized office, and she and Ian are seated behind the desk staring at the computer. My mom’s face lights up.
“I’m glad you came, honey,” she says. She hasn’t called me that in years.
“Hi.” I’m nervous, which is weird because it won’t be the first time I’ve worked as a server, but it’s been years.
“Welcome aboard,” Ian says and smiles warmly.
“Thank you.”
“There are clean aprons in the changing room. Then you can join the other guys in the training room. It’s next door.”
“Sure.” I withdraw and retrace my steps to the changing room. I grab a clean apron from the shelf and leave my purse in an empty locker with a password.
A minute later, I’m knocking on the door marked training room, and a female voice calls out that I should enter. There are at least ten people in the room, and the trainer stands out as she’s standing in front of the room. My nervousness dissipates as I join them, and the training starts. Serving is not rocket science as long as you’re a reasonable, polite human being. The most important thing is to keep your cool as you get all sorts of customers.
Halfway through, we are served bacon sandwiches, coffee, or tea. Perfect timing for me as my munchkin and I are starving even though we had breakfast at home.
Training takes most of the morning, and as agreed, I text Thomas to let him know that I’m ready to go home. I have my own car, but he insisted on picking me up.
Before Thomas comes, I pop in to tell Mom and Ian goodbye and pick up my shift schedule.
“How was it?” Mom asks me.
“It was fine. The trainer is awesome, and everyone is pumped for the opening on Friday.” I am too, and I’m grateful that she and Ian offered me a temporary job.
