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“You know I will.”
“And you had nothing to do with this?”
“I promise you I didn’t know. You found out when I did. I am guilty of talking about the woman I love too much, but that’s never going to change. I’m so proud to call you mine.”
Her eyes soften. “I want to do it, Deacon. I want to take the job. I want a normal life with working hours like yours. I know there might be big cases and late nights for you, but not bar closing hours and every weekend. I want to be able to have Sunday dinners at my aunt and uncle’s. I want to have dinner with you every night. I just… I want more than what I have. I’ve done well these past two years, but I’m not standing on my own anymore. I have someone to stand beside me, behind me, and in front of me. I have you, and I want this for us. I want it for me too, but I want it even more for us. I’d get to use my degree.”
“Let’s go tell him, and I’ll take you to lunch to celebrate.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” I tap her thigh, and she stands. I lead her to my office door and pull it open. “His office is the last on the left. Do you want me to go with you?”
“No.” She stands a little taller. “I can do this.” She kisses my cheek and takes off down the hall.
“I’ll get this put in for you,” our waitress says as she walks away.
We settled on Dorothy’s Diner for lunch. It’s just around the corner from my office. “How are you feeling about your decision?” I ask Ramsey. Her beaming smile already tells me how she’s feeling, but I still encourage her to tell me with her words.
“I feel excited and nervous and like it’s my first adult job, even though I know that’s not true. I love my jobs, all three of them, but none of them have ever excited me like this. I hope Hank isn’t upset with me.”
“I’m sure he’s going to miss you. You’ve been working your ass off for him. But he’s a good guy, and I don’t know any employer who will ever give someone a hard time for bettering themselves or their lives as long as it’s done with notice and respect.”
“Definitely,” she agrees. “I’m going to go see him after we eat. I want to tell him as soon as possible, and my shift doesn’t start until five today.”
“That’s a good idea.”
She does a little dance in her seat, and her smile is like a bolt of electricity to my system. I love seeing her happy and smiling. She slides her hand across the table and places hers on mine. “Meeting you has changed my life in so many ways. I can’t wait to see what happens for us next.”
I love how she says us, and I’m just about to tell her that when the sounds of sirens begin blaring outside. We’re sitting in a booth next to the window, so we both turn, giving the loud noise our attention. Willow River is a small town, so when you see the town cop and the life squad and fire department rush by, you can’t help but wonder if it’s someone you know and love that they’re rushing to assist.
“Here you go.” Our waitress sets our plates in front of us. “I’ll grab you some refills,” she tells us and scurries off again.
“I wonder what’s going on?” Ramsey says, picking at her fries.
“I don’t know.” I reach for the bottle of ketchup, and we start to eat. I tell her a little bit more about the firm and how we operate, and the kinds of tasks she will be assigned.
“I’m going to have to buy a new wardrobe.”
“I’d like to do that for you,” I tell her. “As a ‘congratulations on your new job’ gift.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
“I want to. I like doing nice things for you.”
“I can afford it. I’ve lived very frugally for the past two years, and I’m losing my rent and utilities soon. Which, by the way, we need to discuss me paying my way.”
“I thought we talked about this months ago? When you’re with me, you don’t pay.”
“Deacon.” She laughs. “That was dinner. This is living expenses.”
“You moving in costs me nothing more.”
“More food, more water, more electricity.”
“Hardly.” I shake my head at her.
“I want to help.”
“Fine. You can buy all the groceries.”
“That’s not enough.”
“How about this? Whatever you think is enough, you put it away into a separate account and save it for our wedding.”
She sputters and coughs. I slide her sweet tea toward her, and she takes a small sip. “Did you say our wedding?”
“Forever love, Rams. We’ve talked about this.” My tone is teasing.
