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“I don’t know. I don’t want to work with Jonathan, and he is there, but I still kind of want to be there.” He looked out the window at the snow still falling in the streetlights.
“It’s more fun in the city.”
“My biggest issue might be convincing my personal assistant to go with me.” He leaned his head onto the couch and looked at her.
“She is stuck in her rut here in Landstad,” she replied with a smile.
“Then I am going to have to try to get her unstuck.”
“I won’t leave Landstad, Anderson,” she sighed and stated the truth. She had accepted it years before. This was her home.
His smile faltered for a moment before he said, “You sound pretty convinced that nothing will make you leave.”
“People in this town may know my past, present, and future, but I am home here. I have my work, my job, friends, and my mom here. My world is here, and unless that world crumbles, I will be here,” she admitted, knowing that if her secrets came out, she would have to leave. There were things in her life she didn’t want everyone to know about, things she liked to keep to herself.
She looked down at their hands still linked together on the couch. The small contact was enough to make her relaxed and comfortable with him. When his thumb played with her hand, it sent shivers down her spine.
Without looking up at him, she asked, “Why are you here?”
“With you? Because I find you fascinating. I want to find out more about you.”
“You have known me for four years now. I was there the entire time.”
“I think I didn’t see you before because I was in a relationship that I was loyal to. When I moved here, it was early in the relationship. I wasn’t looking at other women. Over the years, you became my personal assistant, trusty Ruth. I never looked beyond that. Then one day I saw you, and it was like I opened my eyes, and you were there. I have been thinking about you for months. Wanting you for months.” He brushed his hand over her cheek.
“It seems sudden.”
“It hit me one day. It was instant.”
“What about my job? I like my job.”
“You will always have a job.”
“Is it only about sex?”
“No, I want to talk to you for hours. I want to see the world through your eyes. I want to get to know everything about you.”
“The last time I was in a relationship, I was shattered when it ended. I put everything into that man, and he walked away from everything I was offering him. I don’t know if I can let that happen again.”
“I understand. I will have to deal with learning to trust, trust that you will be faithful to me.”
“Are you willing to put in the time needed for a relationship to build around our issues? Date maybe, make out maybe, find out more about each other before jumping into bed together and ruining everything? Can we go slow and see if there is something here?”
“I think that is a great idea. Can we go out on Friday night?”
“No.”
“Shooting me down already?” He looked away from her then.
“I go to my mother’s on Fridays. Anytime during the week would be good, though.” She wondered if she had missed her chance to see if this was going to be something.
“How could I forget your mom?” His eyes returned to her.
“Because you haven’t met her.”
“Tomorrow night? I will walk you home and cook dinner.”
“Yes,” she said, maybe a little too eagerly.
“Good. I should get going so that I can plan our date.”
Getting up, they walked to the door and into the hallway. Sliding his shoes on, he grinned at her as he pulled her into his arms. “Can I kiss you tonight?”
“If you want.” She felt a shiver run through her entire body at his touch.
“Want,” he whispered as his mouth touched hers lightly. She felt him slide his hand into her hair and pulled her head so that their lips pressed firmly together. Before she was able to get used to the feeling and pull him closer to deepen the kiss, he pulled away from her, leaving her standing at the top of the stairs as he started down them. As she watched him walk down the stairs, he turned at the bottom and said, “Good night, Ruth.”
