Chapter 36 Meant Something
MEANT SOMETHING
“Are you going to get out of bed this morning?”
Natalie rolled over and saw Arik sitting on the side of the bed. “What time is it?”
“Seven thirty. You never sleep this long, but you haven’t moved much. Guess you had a long week and were exhausted.”
She hadn’t thought she was that tired, but guess she was.
Thursday when they’d finished cleaning Arik’s house, they’d ordered pizza because the thought of going out or making anything didn’t appeal to either of them.
“How long have you been up?”
He was showered and had a cup of coffee in his hand. Not one he made in the room but had gone down to the lobby to get. She hadn’t heard him leave.
“About an hour. I thought for sure you’d be up when the door closed. I was getting worried.”
She threw the covers back. “Sorry about that. We were on the go yesterday, added to a long week.”
They’d arrived in Boston early Friday morning, could check into their hotel thanks to her name and staying in a Bond-owned business.
They got an Uber and were on their way to Fenway two hours before the game started. Traffic was so bad, they were dropped off a few blocks before and walked. It was such a nice day, it hadn’t mattered.
The game went into extra innings; they walked a few more blocks to a restaurant and then called an Uber to bring them back.
She hated driving around the city and they were less than a mile to Quincy Market, just over the bridge. Today would be another day on her feet moving around, but she was looking forward to it.
“Another busy day. We can find a bench to sit on and enjoy some downtime.”
“No way,” she said. “I don’t get here often and want to take advantage of it. I mean it.”
“If you say so. Your coffee is on the counter.”
“Thanks.” She picked it up and took a healthy sip, it hitting the spot. “This will give me a shot of energy to get through the day.”
“I’ll order breakfast if you want or we can go find a cafe to eat at.”
“I’d rather do that. No plans today. Let’s go where our feet take us.”
“Now you’re sounding like me.”
“We are rubbing off on each other.”
She closed the bathroom door after getting her clothes for the day.
Twenty minutes later, she was out of the bathroom and reaching for her coffee. She could take it with them while they found a quiet breakfast spot out of the way.
“Did you decide about Don?” she asked.
She knew he hadn’t wanted to tell her about that. After the condition of his house, the embarrassment kept him quiet. Or so she thought that was the reason.
She had to admit, hearing him open up thrilled her. He was seriously considering the consultant position, unsure how to make it work, and he wanted her opinion. That meant something.
To her, and hopefully to him, it meant they were a team. A partnership.
He wasn’t deciding like a man who could pick up and leave, but one who wanted to assure he had time to devote to her.
To them and their relationship.
That was her dream man. The one who cared enough to even try.
“I don’t know,” he said. “What do you think?”
“I think you know what your limits are.”
“Obviously not if I let the house get the way I did in five days.”
She laughed, unable to help herself at the chagrined expression twisting his face.
“Do you want my opinion?”
“I wouldn’t have told you about it if I didn’t.”
Which warmed her insides some more.
“Let’s walk and talk.” He grabbed his keycard and phone, then stuck both in his pocket. “You forgot something.”
“Shit.” He grabbed the cash he’d left by the table. He had one of those electronic money clips on his phone with his ID and credit cards.
“Are you normally scattered or is it something more?”
“I’m not scattered. I’m just ready to get on with my day. I don’t carry cash often and didn’t think of it.”
She’d buy that and not that he had so much on his mind he couldn’t keep it straight.
The way he described his health when he left his last job worried her. It wasn’t just burnout, it sounded like he’d been breaking down.
A messy house, forgotten money. Small things to many, but were they signs of something else?
Both were things she hadn’t witnessed prior. Or not this bad. So she really didn’t know and hated it crossed her mind.
“Okay.”
What more was she going to say? Arguing served no purpose when she didn’t know the truth other than what he told her.
They got out of the lobby and walked toward Quincy Market. By the time they ate and walked some, they’d be getting there when it opened.
“You’re quiet,” he said. “What’s going through your head?”
“Just thinking.”
“Think out loud. Let me hear how you process thoughts.”
“I’ve never done that before.”
“Try something new,” he said.
She turned her head, her hand reaching for his. She wasn’t one for holding hands, but it felt right to do it now. “I’ve been doing a lot of new things lately.”
His hand gripped hers, then loosened so that their fingers were entwined. Enough to keep them connected but not taut.
“You have. Lay it on me. Be honest.”
“I’m always honest. What I’m thinking is that since you got in the house, you’re not as—I know you hate this word…organized. I’m not sure if you’re just adjusting to your own space and not having someone pick up after you or it’s more.”
“The first,” he said. “And I’m a slob. I’m going to get someone to come in a few times a week.”
“A few times?” she asked.
“Do you think I can have someone do it once a week?”
Her lips slid back, her neck shrinking with it. “Probably not. Unless you change some of your daily habits.”
He had an adorable smirk covering his face. “Some things are worth paying for. I can pick up a bit more, but scrubbing down isn’t really my thing.”
“If you’re willing, there are a few housekeepers at The Retreat who clean on the side. They normally have a day off during the week and on the weekends or clean at night when they are off. They are trustworthy.”
He squeezed her fingers. “You’re a lifesaver. If you’re willing to hand over their names and not worry that they’ll find out we are together, I’ll gladly take it.”
It didn’t seem to be much of a worry anymore.
“It’s fine. They will appreciate it and could use the money.”
“Perfect. One thing solved. What else is going through your mind?”
“Forgetting money didn’t bother me. I guess just having it on top of the way your place looked the other day added to it.”
“It’s nothing more than I don’t carry cash often.
Also, I told Don I’d get back to him on Monday.
He’s desperate. It works to my favor. My ego can’t let the place fall.
I just can’t. Half the people I worked with are still there.
I got the payout I did because of what I put into it.
No one else had. Don had more stock options than most, but not enough to walk away. Not with the promotion he got.”
“And he wants to keep his job?”
“That and move up. Maybe he’s not managing things as well as he could. I don’t know. Not my place to judge. They’ve had a lot of turnover. That’s common. As he said, he can’t afford not to have me come in.”
“How long will it last?”
“That’s up to me. I only know a brief summary. I’ll get more on Monday. There had been no reason to ask more if I was going to say no.”
She smiled. “And deep down you don’t want to.”
“Not really. It’s the ego. I know. I can’t shake it.”
“It’s not a bad thing. What about your app?”
“I’m close to getting it ready for testing. I can work on that but at my pace. I’m not interested in running myself into the ground. If it doesn’t work out or the time’s not there, I’ll let it go.”
“So you’ve got a plan with that. And one with the house.”
“See, it’s nice to talk this out with someone. I’m feeling better already. I plan on telling Don this is Monday through Friday. No weekends, no late night calls. I’ll make adjustments for the time change, but I don’t want it cutting into my time with you.”
She leaned on his arm, her head against his bicep. “Thanks for that. But you have to do what works for you.”
“I’m doing what works for us, Natalie. I mean that. I opened up to you and unloaded. You did the same. I’m not going back on anything I said.”
“I appreciate you saying that. I’m not looking for you to do that.”
“Yes, you are. You’re carrying the weight of caution, watching everything too closely and bracing for something to go wrong.”
“You make me sound paranoid.”
“Careful,” he corrected. “And there is nothing wrong with that. I’m the same way. I’m nervously tiptoeing around you the same as you are me.”
Her nose twitched, unease creeping in, and the threat of remorse coming on quicker than she was ready for. “I don’t want you to feel that way.”
“And I don’t want you to feel that way. Sounds like we agree on more things.”
A relaxed bubble of laughter snuck out. “Okay. I do feel somewhat better.”
“I’ll take it. This thing we have, it’s real. Every bit of it. We both have doubts, but that is normal. But I don’t want to feel as if every time we are together we have to weigh every move we make. It takes the fun out of getting to know each other.”
Exactly what she didn’t want to happen.
That she was robotic in her concerns and put pressure on what they had rather than enjoying what could be.
“You’re right. Let’s make a pact. No more serious conversations for a month.”
“A month?” he asked.
“Think you can handle it?”
“Child’s play!”