AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was wearing another one of his T-shirts and a pair of panties. The shirt was white, so it didn’t come as a surprise that the look in his eyes intensified as he answered, “I love it.”
Feeling proud of myself for taking one of his shirts without asking, I returned, “I aim to please.”
“And you succeed every single time. Did you talk to your mom this morning?” he asked.
I nodded as I pulled the toast from the toaster and set it on the plates. “I did. And all I’m going to say is that she’s not interested in waiting a very long time for the two of us to go over and have lunch or dinner with her. I hope that’s okay with you.”
Jesse and I sat down beside each other on the stools at the island countertop. Then he replied, “I’m good with that any day you want to go.”
“She’s so excited,” I revealed. “Honestly, I can’t recall a time in my life when I’ve ever heard such excitement in my mom’s voice.”
“Well, I can’t say I blame her. She hasn’t had you around for years, and now she’s getting confirmation that you’re here to stay,” he noted.
He made a valid point.
To say that my mom was ecstatic at the news would have been an understatement. While I wanted her to know that I was still in town, I didn’t want to tell her about the lingering death threat.
Fortunately, even if I had planned to tell her about it, she was so distracted when I told her about Jesse and me. I would have thought she’d have been caught a bit off guard by the news, because it hadn’t even been a full week since he went to her house looking for me. Mere days ago, I was supposed to be heading out of town permanently, and now I was here and living with Jesse.
That thought and the words he’d just spoken forced me to address something with him.
“I’ve been thinking,” I shared after I’d taken a bite of my eggs.
“About what?” he asked.
After I chewed and swallowed, I answered, “About work.”
Immediately, the air in the room changed, and Jesse’s body had gotten tense. “What about work? You aren’t going back to work at that place, Sawyer.”
I let out a laugh and said, “Of course, I’m not. Do you think I’m crazy?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just making sure you’re aware. So, what exactly are you thinking about regarding work?”
“A job,” I stated. Picking up my glass of orange juice, I took a sip and set it back down. Then I continued, “I’m guessing you aren’t interested in having me move back to Maryland any time soon.”
“You’re staying in Steel Ridge,” he insisted.
I was glad he felt that way. Even if I had no intention of returning to Maryland, I certainly didn’t think I would have been able to stay in Steel Ridge if Jesse didn’t want me around.
I loved my mom, and I had missed her just as dearly all the years that I was gone. I wasn’t sure I could stay here if I knew that she was the only person who wanted me around.
Truthfully, even with Jesse on my side, I felt a bit uneasy about what was to come. I wasn’t sure if people would want me here.
For that reason, I replied, “I want to stay as much as you want me to be here, but I want a job.”
“I can cover you,” he offered.
My brows pulled together. “Jesse, we’ve been together for all of what feels like five minutes. You can’t just cover me. I’m uncomfortable with that. Besides, I can’t sit here every day doing nothing. I need to have something I can do, even if it’s only a few days a week.”
He sighed. “First, we’ve known each other for years, so don’t pretend like this is moving fast between us.”
“Fair enough,” I murmured, scooping up more eggs.
Jesse had just shoved a heaping forkful into his mouth, but after he chewed and swallowed, he added, “I’m still not going to want you going anywhere alone. If you get a job somewhere, I need you to promise me that you’ll agree to having me take you to and from work.”
I didn’t think that what he was requesting was unreasonable at all, so I pointed out, “I came to you from the beginning, because I knew you could keep me safe. Because I trusted you. If you believe the best thing for me is to be escorted by you wherever I may need to go, I’m going to listen to and heed your advice.”
Jesse’s body relaxed, and his features softened. “There’s a bar in town that could be a good fit for you. It opened up about five years ago, and from what I’ve heard, people seem to like it there.”
