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Behind her, Stuart let out a long, loud breath. An echo of her own exhaustion. She hadn’t expected to share so much. Telling Stuart details she’d never told anyone...the ordeal left her raw and exposed. “You said you wanted the long version.”
“Yes, I did.”
There was another sigh. Patience imagined him washing a hand over his features as he tried to digest everything. What would he think if he knew the one detail she’d kept back? But how could she tell him when she could barely admit the secret to herself?
“I know you think I had some big agenda, but I didn’t. I ran into Ana and she confused me with a job applicant. I let her believe that’s who I was and interviewed for the job.” She turned so he could see she was being as honest as possible. “Ana was the first person besides Piper who ever treated me like I mattered. I swear I would never hurt her. I just needed to get out.”
“You do matter,” Stuart whispered.
She hated the way his words warmed her from the inside out. More so, how she couldn’t help following them up with a pitiful “I do?”
“Yeah, you do.” His thumb brushed her cheek, chasing away tears she didn’t know had fallen. “And you deserved better.”
She was too tired to argue otherwise. He’d asked for her story and she’d told him. “If you want me to leave, I will,” she told him. She’d lied, and deception came with a price. Thankfully she’d squirreled away enough money so she wouldn’t have to worry about living on the streets this time around. If she kept her expenses low, she’d be all right. She was a survivor.
“You don’t have to leave,” Stuart told her. “We all have things in our past we regret.”
Tears turned her vision watery, but they were happy tears this time. “Thank you...I know I should have told the truth from the start, but I was afraid if Ana knew what I was, she would want nothing to do with me. And then, of course, you arrived, talking about how you didn’t trust me and...”
“I was pretty inexorable, wasn’t I?”
“If that’s your way of saying you were acting like a jerk?” She was finally beginning to relax. “Then yeah.”
“I’m sorry about that. You can blame Gloria.”
Right. The step-grandmother. “I think I’m beginning to dislike her as much as you do.”
“Trust me, that’s not possible.”
It was, once again, a comfortable silence wrapping around them. Patience felt lighter than she had in months—since the day she accepted the job, really. It was as if a thousand pounds had been lifted from her shoulders. Maybe, if she was lucky, the rest of her story would die a silent death, and she could enjoy that relief, as well.
“It’s late,” Stuart said. “You look exhausted.”
She was drained. And sad, in spite of her relief. This wasn’t how she’d expected the night to end. There had been magic in the air on that dance floor. For a little while she’d felt like Cinderella at the ball. But it was time to come back to reality. Having told her story, there was no way Stuart would ever look at her the same way again.
How could he? She was no longer a housekeeper; she was a housekeeper who used to take her clothes off for money.
“If it’s all right with you, I think I’m going to go to bed.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”
“Good night.” She had moved to leave when the need to say one last thing stopped her. “Thank you again for understanding.” He’d probably never know how much it meant to her. On so many levels.
She expected a simple you’re welcome in return, mainly because there didn’t seem to be anything more to say. But Stuart didn’t utter a word. Instead, his hand reached out to cradle her cheek. Patience’s breath caught. How could a man’s touch be so gentle and yet so strong? Her body yearned to lean into his hand. To close her eyes and let his strength hold her up. He swept his thumb across her cheekbone, stopping at the top of her scar. After what felt like forever, his hand dropped away. “Good night.”
Patience’s heart was racing so fast she was convinced it would reach her bedroom first. Twice in two nights, she’d come dangerously close to breaking the rules when it came to keeping her distance. The third time, she might not be able to walk away.
* * *
He’d wanted to know her secret. He finally did and, man, was it a doozy. Never in a million years would he have imagined Patience was...had been...he couldn’t even think the word. That she’d been forced to make those kinds of choices... It made him sick to his stomach to think that in this day and age she’d felt there was no other way.
