8. Ronnie #2
He takes my hand and puts it over his flannel, and I feel his racing heart through the thin material. Maybe this conversation is terrifying him as much as it is me. “We’ll take it slow.”
I wish more than anything that I could agree to take it slow. But if it doesn’t end well, I lose more than a job. I lose lodging and the stability I’m trying to give my kids. Besides, I know what happens when you trust a man against your better instincts. “This can’t happen. I’m sorry.”
He studies my expression. “I'm not letting you go, but I will be patient and wait for you.”
I call his name.
He sighs softly. “Let’s get back to the office.”
“I've already seen the office and pretty much everything else on the grounds. How about the cabin? I’d like to see where I’ll be staying.”
He hesitates. “It might not be exactly what you're expecting.”
“I just need a place to stay. I'm not hoping for five-star accommodations,” I explain as we leave the stable, stepping back into the bright sunlight. I blink against it, taking a moment for my vision to adjust.
“Two stars might be more like it,” he answers and pulls off his sunglasses passing them to me. He grunts, “Easier for me to navigate without them.”
I accept them gratefully. It’s not lost on me that he’s always looking out for me in a way that my ex-husband never did. Flint spends a lot of time and energy trying to make me comfortable and happy and that’s just one more thing that makes the whole situation so hard.
We walk to the cabin slowly, neither of us speaking. It’s a beautiful day with a bright blue sky and a slight breeze that battles back the humidity. The path to my cabin is well-worn, and it’s only about two miles from the office space.
I imagine that during the milder months, it'll be nice to walk to work. Maybe I can even walk home during lunch hour and check on the boys and my grandmother. I’m already mentally planning our first afternoon together when I stop short and stare at the cabin in front of me in shock.
“You were right. It’s not quite five stars,” I say, feeling queasy at the fire damage.
He grimaces. “Kids playing in the woods with matches did this. No one got hurt, and that’s the good news. The bad news is now you have a skylight in the living room and no kitchen. Bedrooms weren’t hit though. All in all, we got it contained pretty damn fast.”
The longer I stare at the burned cabin, the harder I have to blink to keep from crying.
I’m glad I’m wearing sunglasses so he can’t see that.
The job is too far for me to commute every day.
More than that, I was counting on the money that I would save from not paying rent to help toward the costs of the new baby.
“This was supposed to be my home,” I whisper.
He puts his hands on my shoulders gently and spins me around. “See that building in the distance?”
“Is that cabin available?” I ask hopefully.
“No, that’s my place,” he explains. “But you and the kids and your grandma could hunker down with me. No rent required.”
He hasn't moved his hands from my shoulders, and I like the weight, the feeling that I'm not in this alone. That’s why I can’t accept his offer, generous as it is. “I don't want to be in your hair.”
Maybe it's my imagination, but I think his voice drops a note when he says, “I like the idea of you being in my hair.”
“Is there anybody else on the farm that would open their doors to us?” I ask, keeping my voice soft so he doesn’t think I’m rejecting him. I’m not sure I can withstand the temptation of being around Flint day after day.
He drops his hands from my shoulders and comes around beside me. He taps his chin, beard moving with the spring breeze. Then he snaps his fingers. “Well, there's Bronco.”
Hope swells in my chest. “Do you think he’d let me stay with him?”
“Probably,” Flint answers. “He’s a good man.
Of course, his girl, Lauren, just moved in with him.
And you know, there’s Cord and Mira. They have a cabin.
They’re newlyweds, but she’s your friend, right?
I'm sure she'd love to host you and your rambunctious boys and your grandmother. I bet Cord would love that too.”
The longer he talks, the more I realize I only have two choices. I can either quit my job on the spot to avoid a long daily commute, or I can live with Flint for a little while. “How much time do you think it will take to repair the burned cabin?”
“Just a matter of weeks, probably even faster if we get a good crew on it,” he reassures me.
I think about it for a moment. Staying with Flint for a few weeks would give me the chance to tell him about the baby, and it would help me with my plan to save for the baby since he’s not asking for rent. “Are you sure having us in your cabin won't be a problem?”
“I'm hardly even there most of the time, and I'll bump this cabin up the priority list. I’ll make sure it gets fixed straight away.”
I take a deep breath and nod. “Okay, it looks like we’re roommates then. If you’ll have me and my huge crew.”
He grins. “Not roommates. Friends.”