AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Adam was driving her home, and from the passenger seat, she snuck a glance at him. He seemed like the whole package—smart, funny, handsome. Throw in rich and good to his mother, and it appeared his only flaw was the commitment thing. Unfortunately, that was a deal-breaker for her. At thirty, and wanting a family like she did, she couldn’t waste much more time and energy on something going nowhere. Maybe it was best that she make the break now and get it over with. If Adam wasn’t the One, then she needed to get busy finding out who was.
Her hesitation stemmed from the nagging, rose-colored thoughts ofwhat if. What if it grew into more than a fling? What if he had feelings for her too, but didn’t want to say anything? What if she broke it off, and they would have actually stayed together?
Being emotionally in tune to people was part of her business, and she thought she was pretty good at it. Her people-reader meter was telling her that maybe, just maybe, Adam might be falling for her too.
But could she risk her heart on that? How long was she supposed to wait for him to change his mind? And what if he never did? She’d thought she could handle a fling, but she’d been wrong. Well, at least not a fling with Adam.
When they got to her place, Adam walked her in. They were kissing on the couch when she finally found the nerve to say something.
“Where is this going, Adam?” she said into the dark. The only light was from the moon, and not being able to see him made the conversation easier.
“You really want to do this now?” he asked, nibbling on her ear. “Right now?”
When she remained silent, he sat back a little, but kept his arms around her.
“I don’t know what to say, Kate. I love hanging out with you, but I’m not one for long-term relationships.”
“You don’t believe in forever love?” Kate asked, already knowing what he’d probably say.
“Not after all I’ve seen with my mom. I just don’t see how it’s possible.”
“Surely, you must know someone who’s been in love and had a successful relationship?”
He thought for a minute. “My friend Spencer. He and his wife seem happy, but they’ve only been married for five years. Who knows how long that will last?”
“My parents have been married for over thirty years. They’re still happy. And my Nana and Papa were married for over fifty before Papa died.”
“I’m sure people do it. It’s not unheard of, just rare.”
“That’s a defeatist attitude,” she said. “I mean, if you go into a relationship thinking it will fall apart eventually, how does it not? You leave it no choice.”
“It’s not going to affect us, is it?”
“We’ve agreed this is temporary, so I guess not.” She shrugged. “I think all the wine gave me a headache. I don’t feel so good.”
“Let me get you some Tylenol,” he said, standing. “Where is it?”
“There’s a bottle in the kitchen cabinet above the dishwasher,” she said, watching him head that way. She wasn’t lying—her head did hurt. But slowing things down was more to protect her heart. If that broke, Tylenol wouldn’t be enough to fix it.
He brought her two pills and a water bottle. She took the medicine and drank most of the water. Then he wrapped her in his arms and stroked her hair gently until she fell asleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Adam sat at The Drip drinking coffee and killing time with the Three Amigos. He was listening to stories of arthritis and joint pain, but his mind was on the conversation he’d had with Kate last night. Well, he wasn’t even sure it qualified as a conversation, but either way, it hadn’t gone so smoothly.
After his comment of not being one for long-term relationships, he’d sensed her displeasure but couldn’t do anything about it. At least he’d been honest with her. Her Pollyanna attitude toward love was cute, but would probably leave her heartbroken more often than not.
It was interesting that she’d said more or less the same thing Spencer had about his attitude. And, to be fair, they had a point. If he went into every relationship knowing it wouldn’t work, there was really no way it could. Maybe with more time, he could get there. But would Kate give him that time? And was it fair of him to ask her for it if he wasn’t serious about her?
Truth be told, she was the first woman who had ever made him stop and evaluate his feelings. The first one to make him think that maybe, just maybe, a relationship might be worth trying. He’d known getting involved with her would be risky, mainly to her feelings. What he hadn’t counted on was becoming so invested himself.
The thought of a relationship unsettled him, but thoughts of ending it and moving on didn’t sit well either. He was reasonably certain he didn’t have the luxury of sitting on the fence much longer. From what he’d said last night, and her response to it, he figured she would probably end things soon. She wouldn’t waste much more time on him, and could he blame her?
He wanted to smooth things over, so he planned to head over to her office in a bit and ask if he could take her to lunch.
Gene interrupted his rumination. “What’d you say?” Adam asked.
“I said, any chance you and Kate have knocked boots yet? We sort of have a side bet going,” Gene said without an ounce of diplomacy.
