AllFreeNovel
Share Us
All of this was great news.
Because even if Forrest didn’t think he’d ever want to live here, it wasn’t because he thought this was a bad place to be. He just associated it with rest and relaxation, so it might have been hard to ever call this place home. I didn’t think he’d ever discourage someone—me included—from living here.
“Can I ask you another question?”
“Of course. But why don’t we head over to the couch, so you can sit down and get that foot elevated?” he suggested. “I’ll grab you some ice.”
If it weren’t for the crutches holding me up, I was convinced I might have melted into a puddle on the floor. Though he’d been like this from the start, I still wasn’t accustomed to having someone show such concern and care for me like Forrest did.
While Forrest took off toward the kitchen to grab some ice, I made my way to the couch. By the time I got myself settled, he returned, snatched up a couple of throw pillows, and gently curled his fingers around my ankle to place my foot on the stack of pillows.
It was impossible to ignore the shiver that ran down my spine in response to his tender touch.
Once he got the ice on my foot, he sat down on the opposite end of the couch from me and asked, “Okay, so what’s your question?”
“First, thank you for getting the ice and taking care of me like you have been. It’s really sweet of you,” I said.
“It’s been my pleasure.”
I smiled at him, hesitating a beat. “If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you go?”
His brows shot up. “Anywhere?”
“Anywhere.”
Considering my question was a bit out of left field, I didn’t suspect Forrest would immediately have a response. Unless, of course, it was something he’d already considered before now.
Much to my surprise, it took him barely any time to part his lips to speak. “Steel Ridge.”
Confused by his response, my brows knit together. “That’s where you live now.”
Grinning, he returned, “Yep. And I wouldn’t leave where I am right now.”
I was starting to think that perhaps a trip to Steel Ridge was in order. If Forrest could have moved anywhere in the world and still chose to stay right where he was, there had to be something spectacular about the town.
“Of all the places in the whole world, you’d live in Steel Ridge?” I asked, wanting to be sure he understood the question.
“Absolutely.”
“Why?”
“Why?” he retorted.
I nodded. “I’m not trying to be insensitive, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m genuinely curious. Is there something in Steel Ridge that adds to the allure? Like, if I came there to visit, and you were going to give me a tour, where would you take me?”
Smiling, Forrest quickly revealed, “Well, those are two different questions with very different answers. If you made a visit to my hometown, I’d have several places I’d want to take you. Believe it or not, I’d want to show you where I work, because the people I work with are some of my closest friends and the coolest people I know. It’d be a shame for you to not meet them.”
That was sweet.
I liked knowing that he’d want to introduce me to some of his friends simply because he believed they were people worth knowing.
“Sounds like we’re off to a great start,” I noted.
He let out a laugh. “Technically, the great start would probably happen first thing in the morning, if I’m honest. Because before I’d take you to Harper Security Ops to meet everyone, I’d drive you to The Early Bird for breakfast. It’s a coffee and doughnut shop that my boss’s wife, Tarryn, owns, and she’s got the best breakfast treats in town. For lunch, we’d head over to Grant’s Deli, a place that has been in Steel Ridge ever since I was a kid. It’s a family business that has been passed down to a new generation, and the current owner, Mallory, is married to another one of my coworkers. By the time dinner rolled around, I’d take you out to The Ridge, because I’d want to see you all dolled up, and there’s no better place in town for that to happen. And if you were still looking to have some fun afterward, we could head to The Steel Pub, where a lot of the gang hangs from time to time. Sawyer works as a bartender there, and she’s with another one of my coworkers.”
“So, it seems to me like I’d be well fed, if nothing else,” I teased.
“Without a doubt. As for what we do in between meals, I guess it would depend on what time of year you decide to visit,” Forrest pointed out.
