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“I think that’s admirable.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.” He linked his fingers with hers. “Just think, Cate. If Jason hadn’t called off the wedding, your store in Blossom Branch would never have happened.”
“That’s true. I hope I’ve made the right choice.”
“I know you have.”
His vote of confidence gave her a boost. “At the risk of feeding your ego, I think you’re a pretty smart man.”
He pressed his thumb to the back of her wrist where her pulse beat steadily. If Harry was paying attention, he might feel the increase in her heart rate now that he was touching her.
“So what next?” he asked.
“You mean right now or with my grand life plan?”
“Either.”
“Well, I have thoughts about both.”
“Fair enough. Start with the here and now.”
“Are you one of those men who likes to grill?” she asked.
He smiled. “I’ve been known to char meat on occasion.”
“You want to have a cookout for dinner? My grandparents are old-school. Their grill is charcoal, not gas.”
“I can handle that. But first, I want to hear more about your grand life plan.”
Cate had been dreading this moment, but it had to be done. “I appreciate you giving me a roof over my head when I needed it so badly. But this week I’m going to start looking for my own place. It’s time.”
Harry released her and sat back, folding his arms over his chest. “Have I made you feel unwelcome?”
“Oh, stop. It’s not that, and you know it.”
“Then why move out?”
“Are we really going to have this conversation?”
He scowled. “Apparently we are.”
She sucked in a breath and said a quick prayer for courage, although asking the Almighty for advice about how to handle a volatile sexual relationship might be a tad sacrilegious.
“You and I have started something,” she said. “Something fun and exciting. But we both know it’s not permanent. You’ve made no bones about the fact that you aren’t going to get married or have children.”
“So?” His expression was mutinous. In some ways like a disgruntled boy who knows he’s not getting his own way.
“So, I need to keep this casual. I can’t let myself develop feelings for you. Living together is too cozy. When our sexual relationship reaches an end, it would be far less awkward if I had my own place.”
“You’ve already told me you like me,” he pointed out.
“That’s not what I meant. I’m talking about romantic feelings.”
“You don’t have much faith in our longevity,” he said. He searched her face as if looking for deeper clues in her explanation.
The truth was, shealreadyfelttoo much for him. It was dangerous. Even having sex with him was dangerous, but she couldn’t walk away from that. She didn’t want to.
