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“High school.”
“Thought so.”
I pursed my lips, but didn’t say anything else, which made his mouth twitch with clear amusement. I huffed.
He held the front door open for me as I stuck the cell back in my purse and slung it over my shoulder. I was hungry and people could wait.
“You sure you don’t have something else to do?” I asked as he locked the door. Running into me at the grocery store shouldn’t turn into the rest of his day. “I mean, you said you’re here on vacation.”
“Take worrying about me off your list. I’m good. I’m right where I want to be. Bridget told me you’re an accountant,” he said, switching topics as we went down the sidewalk, taking a turn toward Main. It was a gorgeous day, and the downtown area was busy. A couple riding bikes rolled past.
“That’s right. I work for a local firm. I’ve been there for twelve years.”
God, that made me sound really boring. And old. Dex had been in high school twelve years ago.
“There must be a big demand for tax work around here.”
We made it quickly to the historic downtown area and walked side by side past the shops. Turning to look up at him, I asked, “Oh?”
“You work lots of hours. You took your laptop to Denver last week and had to work. You said you had more tonight. You even put it at the top of your list.”
I licked my lips. Dex was the last person I wanted to tell that I wasn’t doing accounting all that time, but instead writing. It was my secret. My… thing that made me happy. That gave me hope that I could finally become a successful author. The career I put on hold to raise Bridget.
I didn’t want him to laugh at me if he learned the truth. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel if he thought it a joke, that my dream job was writing sex. That because of that I was pervy. That I was weird.
I couldn’t handle any of that.
“Yup, lots of work. After we eat, I need to respond to those texts. Bridget will need to know about the house. Then I have a few hours of work to do,” I added, hoping I could somehow get a chapter written. I coordinated with an editor to read and proof my book for typos and grammar issues in two weeks. I could feel the pressure of getting it finished.
A woman with a double-wide stroller came our way and Dex took my hand and pulled me toward the buildings to let her by.
“Dex,” I said, surprised by his quick move, pulling me off balance.
He turned me into the picture window of a restaurant that was only open for breakfast and lunch. His hands rested on the glass on either side of my head.
I blinked up at him. “What are you–”
“Shh,” he said, resting a finger over my lips. His eyes focused on the action.
“I’m not going to tell you to slow down or calm down, but woman, the list can wait. Your boss will understand.” His voice was deep and rumbly, and I felt controlled, but oddly protected.
He pulled his finger away.
“That may be so, but it’s all in my head,” I told him. “I can’t stop thinking about–”
He put his finger over my lip again.
“I know what the problem is,” he said.
I frowned and grabbed his wrist to take his hand away. He was warm and I felt his strength even in his forearm. “That my house has a few extra holes in it?”
He shook his head.
“That I have too much to do?”
He continued to shake his head.
“What then?”
