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He wasn’t sure what was going on with his heart back there, but it was doing odd things, while feelings that he’d never felt before swirled in his chest.
He’d almost kissed his best friend. That’s what almost happened.
She didn’t act like she realized what he was about to do. Or, if she did, he’d stunned her so badly she hadn’t had any reaction at all.
He wasn’t sure what was up with him.
He meant all the things that he’d said. He admired her, wished that he could be more like her in some ways. The way she treated her mom, the way she didn’t allow the millions of dollars that were supposed to be hers influence her into giving up the beliefs that she held and said she believed. She actually lived them. He didn’t know too many people like that. Several million dollars would make a lot of people lose their minds, let alone their religion. But not Pam.
He didn’t think he could be as kind or patient as what she was. She had determined that her mother wanted the best for her and that eventually her mom would get around to giving her her inheritance.
What her mom had done wasn’t the slightest bit legal, and it would take a lawyer five seconds to force her mother into doing what the will stipulated.
But Pam didn’t want to lose the relationship with her mom. That was more important to her, even though her mom hadn’t been the greatest mom, than all the money in the world.
How could he not...love someone like that. Of course he loved her. She was his friend. A good friend. His best friend.
Still, he couldn’t use the fact that she was his best friend to excuse the fact that he’d almost kissed her. Had wanted to. He would have, if her mom hadn’t pulled in and brought him back to reality.
The thing was, she didn’t seem to be protesting. She hadn’t pulled back or made some kind of joke, and hadn’t acted like he was stepping way out of line. Which he kind of was.
They were supposed to be friends. She would be fine if he labeled her his best friend. He figured she probably considered him her best friend. And they’d been through a lot together. Now... They were going through marriage together. And pain.
His legs ached, and he could only imagine that Pam was just as sore, if not more sore than he was. He at least was used to working outside doing physical labor. She was not.
But she had been game all day, even if she did complain about being old. He didn’t like to think about it, but she was right. But getting married, knowing that she would be beside him for the rest of his life, had made getting old seem...not so bad.
And he was excited about her inn-turned-school as well. That would be a fun project for them as they moved into their older years.
It would keep them feeling young. Keep them on their toes, keep them thinking about things and working and having something to occupy their time.
Maybe that was part of the reason he didn’t want to give up his business or at least give up being outside. He didn’t want to be depressed that he couldn’t do what he used to do anymore.
“Well, if it isn’t the newlyweds,” Lynn said as she stepped around her car, her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed as she looked at them from head to toe and back again.
Her mom didn’t miss much, and Mark felt another sliver of anxiety weave through his nerve endings.
“Yeah. It’s us,” Pam said, and she sounded nervous and apprehensive and uncertain.
He let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her to him. It wasn’t a hardship, and she fit just fine. Honestly, he wasn’t quite sure what happened to him, but he didn’t want to stop touching her.
Having her closer was exactly what he wanted.
In fact, he didn’t think this was quite close enough, but he didn’t want to overdo anything either.
“Why didn’t I know about this?” Lynn said, pointing a finger between the two of them. “This thing that you two apparently had, and that you were getting married? I didn’t have a clue.”
“I guess we really didn’t know either,” Pam said, and Mark had to work to close his mouth over a snort. Neither one of them had a clue. That was the absolute truth.
He liked that Pam was concerned about lying and didn’t want to be dishonest. He felt that way too, and he appreciated the fact that he didn’t have the pressure to lie no matter what. If her mom figured it out, Pam would admit what they’d done, rather than live a lie. He was sure of it. Even though they hadn’t talked about it.
That much alone was enough to ease his mind. She was going to roll with it, whether they got the millions of dollars or not.
Although, for him, he maybe felt a little more pressure, because he knew how much Pam had riding on this. She’d given up her job, and the inn was all she had.
Now that she had a glimpse of possibly opening her own school, the money would really help.
In fact, the money was an imperative.
