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The server reappeared and set their food on the table. Tori had to hide a smile as she watched Xander tuck into his plate of steak and eggs.
~ ~ ~
After they’d eaten, and Brock had left them to go meet with Corbyn, Xander took Tori’s hand as they left the café.
“Where to from here?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I was thinking that we should probably stop at the grocery store and stock up.”
That made him smile. “Does that mean you want to stay a while?”
She shrugged again. “I do. I like the idea of staying here, of getting to hang out like this, just the two of us. And you know that I’m in no hurry to go back to Napa.”
“But what?” She was saying all the right things, but she wasn’t as enthusiastic about it as he’d hoped.
“I don’t know, I feel like I should be doing something. I like the idea of staying here and hanging out, but I’m not used to being here and not working. And once I get into that, my mind goes to all the questions about what I’m going to do for work now.”
“Yeah.”
She looked up at him. “And if we stay and I go back to work, then I imagine you’ll want to figure out what you’re going to do for work.”
“I will.” He made a face at her. “I think I know how you feel. I like the idea of being here, but when it comes to making it a reality, there aren’t any appealing options.”
“That’s it. If you ask me if I want to be here, to have you living with me at my house, then my answer is a big fat yes. But when you take it beyond that – if you ask me what that would look like, I’m not so sure. I don’t really want to sing for anyone but Callie. But then if I’m not going to sing, I’m not sure what the point of living in Nashville is. And if we do stay here, you talked about working as a bouncer. I don’t like that idea.”
“Why not?” He winked at her. “You don’t need to worry – I promise I can take care of myself.”
She pushed at his arm as they walked. “I know you can. It’s not that. It’s just that it’s not exactly a great career move for you, is it?”
He blew out a sigh. “No. But then, I’m not thinking of it as a career. It’s just a job, and like you said, if we are staying here and you’re working then I’m going to want to do something.”
“Exactly. It brings us back full circle. Yes, I like the idea of being here with you. But the only reason to be here – here, as in Nashville, as opposed to anywhere else – is because of my work. And since the only person I want to work with is currently living in Montana…”
“Okay, so I guess we need to make some decisions. First of all, you need to decide if you want to work with anyone else. Then, if you don’t, we can decide if there’s any point in us staying here. Then, if there isn’t …” He grinned. “If there’s no reason for us to stay here in Nashville then all options are open – we can go wherever the hell we want, right?”
She nodded happily. “I guess we can.” Her smile faded. “Only, I have no idea where the hell that might be.”
He chuckled. “Me neither, but we’ll figure something out. We can –” The sound of her cell phone ringing cut him off.
“Sorry, it’s Autumn. I should probably take it.”
“Of course. Go ahead.”
As she took the call, he guided her into the park, and found a bench where they could sit. From Tori’s end of the conversation, it sounded as though she might need to make up her mind about what she wanted to do for work sooner rather than later.
“Okay, thanks Autumn, I’ll let you know.” She ended the call and turned to him with a little frown on her face.
“Problem?” he asked.
“No. Not a problem. It’s just…” She stared up at the clouds, and he waited.
It struck him that he remembered her doing that as a little girl – looking up at the sky as if she might find the answers she needed written there. He thought it was cute as hell back then – he still did. He didn’t push her. He understood her well enough to know that she needed to take her time to think things through.
After a couple of minutes, she shot him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I didn’t zone out on you, it’s just that I was thinking.”
He rested his hand on her thigh. “It’s okay, sprite. I get it. You don’t need to explain. You take your time. I’ll be here.”
She covered his hand with her own. “Thank you. I love that you get it.”
