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“It’s definitely been a while,” she agreed.
“Well, maybe−and I say this with your mental health in mind−we should do this again,” Chris replied with a sly smile.
Birgit bit her bottom lip as she felt a blush spread over her cheeks.
“You mean like a date?” she asked boldly.
Chris gave her a look that made her insides melt, and she squirmed in her seat.
“Would it be so bad if we did go on a couple of dates?” he asked gently, his eyes slowly moving up to hers.
“It doesn’t have to be serious,” he went on, “I know you’ve been through a lot and I don’t want to push you in any way. But maybe, whenever you’re having a hard day and need a break, you’ll give me a call, and we can do something like this to cheer you back up.”
With a serene look on her face, Birgit slowly looked Chris up and down. He had always been just a good friend to her, but that didn’t mean she didn’t recognize how handsome and kind he was. Unlike the other men in town who’d tried to take her out a few times, Chris was never pushy and never offended by her choices. He had just accepted her, always.
But there were downsides to such a proposal, too. Despite him proving that he was not at all like Jimmy, Birgit still found herself a little leery around men in general. What if they didn’t work out? Or what if she needed to move much slower than Chris was comfortable with? She adored having him as a friend, but she didn’t want to risk losing him if things didn’t go well.
“I think—” Birgit’s words were cut off as her purse begin to buzz.
“Go ahead, take it,” Chris encouraged patiently.
“I’m so sorry,” she apologized, fishing out her phone. “It’s probably just one of my sisters. Or a small hiccup with the hotel.”
Her fingers finally wrapped around her phone at the bottom of her purse, and she saw Heidi’s name flashing on the screen.
“Hey, Heidi,” she answered pleasantly, “can I call you back? I’m actually−wait.WHAT?”
Birgit stood up so fast her chair toppled over, panic rising in her chest as she heard her sister’s frightened voice.
“You need to come,” she heard Heidi say as she started heading for the doors. Without question, Chris was up and walking with her, both of them ignoring the stares from the rest of the diners.
“I’m on my way,” Birgit promised before hanging up.
“What’s going on?” Chris asked, opening the door for her so she could go straight to the car.
“We’ve got to get Heidi,” Birgit replied urgently, grabbing his hand. “There’s a fire!”
