10. Raven
“Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. You’ve been here…what, a month? Any client would want to go out after what’s basically been a house arrest.”
I can’t claim it’s a full-out house arrest, not when I had preschool at the beginning and spent some time with Nick’s music non-profit organization after my bout of boredom. Honey Lee volunteers there a lot, so I got to meet the other organization members and her friends.
But this?
“Let me get this straight. You’re okay with me going anywhere in Sweet Haven? Anytime I want? As in, not just preschool, the non-profit headquarters, or the forest?”
Green eyes darken, but they clear just as quickly. My stomach tightens, but I force my mind to stay on topic and not wander.
“Yes. I’m okay with it. Mostly because I’ve been keeping track of the situation in California. And here. There’s still nothing connecting the two places, so I think it’s time to loosen some of the reins…that is, if you’re comfortable with it.”
He’s kidding, right?
“Yes! I’m comfortable!” Realizing I’m close to shouting—and he’s grinning—I swallow and lower my voice. “Where are we going?”
“Wherever you want.”
It feels like too much freedom. I’m happy but overwhelmed, so I take my time mulling it over before I make my decision.
“The diner?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The food you brought me from that place was so good. People always go where there’s good food, so I guess it’s a good spot to get…acquainted?”
Mostly, I just want to observe more of the townsfolk, this time out in the open. When he nods, I can’t help the excitement that jumps out, and I can barely contain myself as we get into his truck and drive to the diner.
It’s kind of empty when we get there, but I can already smell the food wafting from the kitchen and it makes my mouth water. Christian reads my expression and smirks in amusement. “What do you want to have?”
“The special. Anything. With dessert, please.”
“Okay. Just stay here. I’ll order for us.”
As soon as I settle in the booth and he strolls to the counter, the front door chimes, and in comes Mary Anne and Betty Sutton, cousins who co-run the non-profit organization with Honey Lee and Christian’s sister, Clara. I wave to them and they wave back, then head over to me. I also realize that it’s not just them as there are other women with them, one of whom lights up at the sight of me.
She reaches me first, her face riddled with curiosity. I note how pretty she is with her big brown eyes and the pin-straight dark hair that falls past her elbows.
“Hi! We haven’t met.” She holds out a hand. “I’m Aimee Sutton. I’m second cousins with Mary Anne and Betty.”
“She’s also the prettiest Sutton in Sweet Haven.” Mary Anne beams proudly. “Won the Nashville pageant twice in a row.”
I shake the outstretched hand and offer a smile, then startle when the other two women begin flocking around me. I recognize one of them, but Honey Lee isn’t around, and the scene feels different. It’s not a bad kind of different, though.
After the next round of introductions, Betty gestures. “You don’t mind, do you? Since Christian’s still busy ordering.”
I glance at the counter, then nod at them. “Sure. What’s going on?”
Betty leans in. “Honey Lee and Christian said you’re his assignment, and I understand that’s a private matter, and we won’t pry about the details. We know he has a very important job.”
“Yes, he does. And yes, I’m his client.”
“But we are curious about something.”
I wait for them to ask me about where I’m from, maybe what I think of Sweet Haven.
“Hmm?”
“Have you two hooked up?”
Not that.
I blink. “What?”
Mary Ann clears her throat while the woman named Amanda titters. “What she’s trying to say in her usual blunt way is that you live with him. I heard you guys rarely go out, too, which means more time together and in close proximity. It’s normal to be attracted to each other since you’re both young and single.”
Suddenly, I feel the weight of five pairs of eyes on me, waiting for my answer. I blush. I can’t help it, not when my brain decides to betray me and replay the times when Christian and I were definitely in close proximity.
Then I shake my head, remembering what he said about the people here thriving on gossip. “We’re not hooking up.”
“Are you sure?” Amanda asks.
“Positive.”
There are several looks of disbelief, while Betty’s just disappointed. She sighs. “Wow. So, the hot military guy remains elusive and unattached. It’s crazy that he hasn’t made the move on you. You’re hot.”
“Thanks. He’s hot, too—I mean, objectively. But yeah.” I fight not to keep blushing. “We’re just friends.”
Thankfully, they don’t see through my denial and quickly move on from the topic. After some lively conversation, the four women leave to get a separate booth while Aimee stays with me and we get to chatting about traveling.
“It’s one of the perks of winning pageants and probably my favorite.” Aimee smiles. “I’m going to try to join again this year and see if I still have a chance.”
“I’m sure you will.”
“The food’s good, too.”
Speaking of food. I glance at the counter, wondering what Christian got us. He’s busy chatting with the waiter, but as if sensing my attention, he turns.
His gaze meets mine—and just like that, the world falls away and I’m taken back to us in that waterhole, where he fingered me to my orgasm and didn’t take his relief after. I want to say that it was a moment of weakness because of the alcohol, but I’m not one to blame other things for my decisions.
And I know that when things turned intimate between us there, it was my decision to keep going despite our past. Because I felt it: that electric charge that never really went away.
I tried to fight it. So did he, but it seems bigger than both of us. But he’s holding something back…being careful, not because he thinks I’m fragile but because he seems hellbent on sticking to his one professional rule.
And he’s doing a good job at it, too, by not touching me after the waterhole incident. Heck, there’s such a polite distance between us whenever we’re in the house, which is more often than not.
And I’m trying not to take it personally.
He liked Honey Lee.
Oh, yeah. There’s that, too.
I’m trying not to regret my decisions right now, so maybe it was a good idea that we stopped where we stopped.
“I’m kind of glad you said what you said. You know, about not hooking up with him.”
I break out of my reverie and return my gaze to Aimee, who I forgot is still here. The words register just as I’m offering her another polite smile.
“Oh?”
“I mean, if you were, I’d totally respect it, but since you’re not, I wanted to say hi to him again.”
Something in her hopeful, almost giddy tone has my spine stiffening.
“Oh?”
“We kind of have a thing going on.” Her eyes sparkle. “We slept together the last two times he came back for a break. Nothing serious, but I want to see where it’s going.”
“I see.”
My smile stays in place. But I don’t think I’ve ever been more jealous in my life. It roars to life inside me, an ugly thing that makes me nauseous.
“You don’t mind, do you?”
I mind!
Except I have no right.
“No.” I hesitate, then, “Did you guys sleep together recently?”
“No, but I want to make a move on him again. But I’ll find the right timing! I don’t want to interfere with his assignment or anything like that.” She beams at me as if she’s being very generous. “But I won’t wait long. I know others have carried a torch for him…speaking of. That’s Carrie.”
I glance at the counter again. This time, Christian’s no longer alone as two pretty women sidle up to him. They talk about something that tugs a grin from his mouth, and the sight makes me ache.
When he tells them something, they throw their heads back in giggles as if he said the funniest thing. Charm oozes out of his pores, so natural. It probably should be illegal, too.
And somehow, I don’t blame the women for finding him fascinating.
“Anyway, it was nice meeting you. I hope to see you again.” Aimee winks and stands. “And you know, get the update about him.”
“Yeah. It was nice meeting you.”
But I can’t say the same for my excitement.
When Christian returns with our food, it’s as mouthwatering as I imagined, but I no longer have the appetite for it. I try to get into the burger and milkshake, though, and try to catch up to his casual conversation, not wanting to let anyone know how I feel. But I’ve never been more relieved when we finish the food.
“So, how was that?”
“Good.”
“Where do you want to go next?”
“Home.”
He frowns at my one-word replies, trying to figure me out. But I’m all too conscious of the eyes on us and am no longer comfortable. To my relief, Christian doesn’t ask questions and ushers me out of the diner in no time.
But when we get into the truck, I realize he’s not driving toward where his street is.
“Where are we going?”
Christian’s silent for a while. Then he clears his throat.
“We’ve been stuck at home for a while. I have a better plan.”