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“Fair enough,” I murmur.
And so, for thirty minutes, we just sit in silence. Sometimes I run a hand through his hair or squeeze his hand. He asked how my trip to France was and I told him about it being canceled. But otherwise, we just sit quietly.
Finally, he sits up and says, “You’re in love.”
I blink and shake my head, laughing. “What do you mean, Joe?”
“I can see something in your eyes. You’ve met someone. Tell me about him.”
I sigh. “We’re not supposed to talk about other men on our dates, Joe.”
He shrugs. “Why not? I enjoy hearing about you and the things that make you happy, since you make me so happy.”
My heart constricts, and I offer him a sad smile.
“I don’t know that I would call it love yet, Joe. But yeah, I met an interesting person. His name is Luke.”
Rarely would I give someone another client’s name, but I know Joe won’t do anything with that information if he even remembers it. Little details get lost in his brain a lot.
“I invited him to dinner,” I say, “But I think he’s busy.”
Joe smiles. “I hope he’s not.”
I don’t know why that puts a grin on my face, but it does. Feeling lighter, I reach into my bag and pull out some presents, including two new books I thought he might like and a deck of Uno cards. It’s a simple enough game that he can handle it and we play for hours sometimes when we’re together.
His eyes light up as he reads the backs of the books. “Thank you. I’ll read them as soon as I get home.”
I deal out the first round of Uno, and we play. We’re just ending our fourth hand when there’s a knock at the door. I frown and Joe tenses. He’s not a big fan of surprises.
“Hang on, sweetie. I’ll see who it is.”
When I open the door, Luke is standing there looking uncomfortable.
“I’m kinda busy here. What is it?”
Joe’s arm slips around my waist. I jump because I didn’t hear him follow me. He looks at me and smiles. “This must be your Luke.”
To Luke he says, “I was hoping to meet you. Want to play Uno with us?”
It’s such an innocent question and statement, but Luke looks genuinely confused. I’m hoping he doesn’t snap at the poor man. But he shoves his hands in his pocket and looks at his shoes.
“I uh. I just need to borrow Zara for a second.”
“Clearly, I’m the one borrowing her from you.”
Of course, Joe chooses now to get chatty. I want to smack him but can’t. So, I just smile and kiss his cheek. “One second. Get ready to get your ass kicked in round five.”
I step into the hall, and Luke drags a hand through his hair.
“Checking up on me, or did you really need to see me?”
He chuckles. “I really did need to see you. But I could have sent a text,” he says honestly. At least he gave me that much. It earns him at least a few points.
“You seem cozy with each other.”
I roll my eyes. “I already told you we’re not having sex. Two people can touch him, and I am one of them. How would you react with the one person who isn’t related to you that you can actually stand to be touched by?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Really? He didn’t look too injured.”
