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What if she wanted their amazing kiss to happen again? What if she wanted more than just friendship?
Forget it. What she wanted didn't matter. Austin was a friend. And she knew him well enough to know he wasn't the type of guy who did long term relationships.
“It's all right I—don't worry about it.” What could she say? Admit that she wanted that toe curling kiss more than he had? And then what. No as tempting as it sounded, she knew better. In the years she had known him through Sam, she'd never met a steady girlfriend of his. And that was all the proof she needed to know he would not be interested in a long-term relationship with her.
“You won't leave?” His tone was anxious.
“No,” she said slowly. “I won't leave.” Even though she knew she should.
He was quiet for a moment, before murmuring, “Good. Thank you. Good night, Lindsey. Sweet dreams.”
“Good night.” Unable to move, she stayed where she was until Austin moved silently back down the hall to his bedroom. Alone again, she let out a heavy sigh and sank into the nearest kitchen chair, willing her heart to return to its normal rhythm.
If she were smart, she would leave. Pack her and Josh’s things and move into the nearest hotel. But she couldn't. Truthfully, she couldn't afford a hotel. And Josh needed Austin, more than she’d realized.
No, the only option was for her to find the strength to keep a safe friendly distance between them.
Lindsey managed to stay out of Austin’s way over the next few days. Of course, it helped that he seemed to be staying away from her, too.
And while it hurt to realize he was avoiding her, she told herself to get over it. It was better this way.
They mainly spoke during dinner. They'd gotten into the habit of sharing their evening meal each night Austin wasn’t working, in a very family-like way. Except Austin insisted on taking turns with the cooking, depending on which one of them happened to get home first. On certain days, like tonight, he drove Josh and his friend Tony to their Tai Kwon Do lessons, so she'd gotten home before he did. She didn't mind cooking for them.
Yet tonight, when he and Josh walked in, she decided it was past time they had a serious discussion about the progress on her home repairs. She'd left the details for Austin to deal with for far too long.
“Something smells delicious,” Austin greeted her with a cheerful grin.
She rolled her eyes. He always said that no matter if she made tuna casserole or lasagna. Tonight, she'd thrown together baked chicken. Nothing fancy.
“Thanks. Have a seat, it's ready.” When they were all seated around the table she looked at him expectantly, knowing he always said grace.
He flashed a smile, then bowed his head. “Dear Lord Jesus we thank you for this food we are about to eat, and we ask that You keep us on Your chosen path. Amen.”
“Amen,” she murmured, wondering if God had brought her to Austin on purpose. It seemed that way.
“Amen,” Josh added. He’d gotten used to praying, too.
When they were all served, she got to the point. “Austin, you never told me exactly what the repairs would be at my house. I need to know how much this is going to cost me.”
He arched a brow. “Don't worry about it, I'll take care of everything.”
She ground her teeth at his slightly condescending tone. How many times had she heard that from Sam? Only to discover after his death that he hadn’t taken care of anything. “It's my house. I'd like to know exactly what is being done and how much it will cost.”
He hesitated as if finally realizing she was dead serious. He slowly nodded. “Okay, sure. I'll get you the paperwork after we finish eating.”
She almost pushed for more information now but decided it was better to wait since Josh was sitting there, listening. Slightly mollified, she took a bite of her chicken. Not bad, if she did say so herself.
“Mom, we learned how to do a jumping snap kick today,” Josh said in an excited tone. “You should see how high I can kick! I can't wait until we get to break boards with our feet.”
She eyed Austin warily. “Break boards with his feet?”
“Yep, but don't worry it's very safe,” Austin assured her. “They practice a lot before doing the real thing.”
She hoped so. “I'm glad you're enjoying your lessons.”
“Will you come watch me when I test out to become a yellow belt?” Josh persisted.
She didn't realize there was a test as part of the process. When Austin gave a slight nod, she hastened to agree. “Sure. I'd love to.”
