Chapter Fifteen
Susannah couldn’t help but steal glances at Wesley during their walk. For the last two months, she had been getting to know him, but she hadn’t been quite sure how he would react to her securing employment. It was an inevitability, though, given their decision to wait to get married.
“I think restaurant work suits you,” Wesley said as they walked. “I can understand not wanting to get employment outside the inn, and I think you’ve got it down already.”
“I did help in the kitchen at the orphanage,” Susannah said.
“Not often, as it wasn’t what I had been hired to do, but I did help.
Mainly with washing the dishes, but I did have to cook on occasion when the cook took her day off.
They at least had the sense to make sure we each got a day off each week.
Mine was Wednesday, but that’s neither here nor there. ”
“That’s generous of them. Most places I know of would have only offered you a day off once every two weeks,” Wesley said. “I suppose there’s something to be said for needing to retain staff if they were so understaffed.”
Susannah nodded.
“I wasn’t sure I would be able to find a job outside the inn, and I didn’t want to make it harder for you to find me,” she said.
“I enjoy our nights out, and getting a job outside the inn felt like it would just be making that harder than it needed to be.” She looked at him before continuing.
“I hope you don’t mind that I feel the need to do something more than wait out the days.
I’ve heard of men getting mad about that before. ”
“It makes sense to me. Why wait around all day long when you could easily get a job and be productive?” he asked. “I see the appeal. And if you’re not in your room, you’re likely to be in the restaurant now. It doesn’t bug me in the least.”
Susannah smiled.
“Well, you’ve seen how my day at work went. How did yours go?”
He didn’t answer immediately. She didn’t mind. If something was going on in the office that she didn’t need to know, or wasn’t cleared to know, then he had a right to keep that knowledge safe. Secret.
“It was a normal day at work,” he said after a while, with a shrug. “I saw a few cases, but nothing too big. I’m not high enough up in the food chain to be making a large impact on our judicial system yet. I’d like to be up there, though.”
She gingerly took his hand in hers.
“And I’d like to be at your side when that happens.
I’ve already come to care for you deeply, despite only having known you for eight months,” she said.
“I suppose there’s something to be said for being able to meet you and get to know you more personally over the last two months than letters sometimes allow. ”
“I’m glad to know that, Susannah,” he said as they walked up to the restaurant. “Now, enough talk of what is to come. I think it’s time to just relax and enjoy the evening together. What do you say?”
“That sounds good to me, Wesley.”
They walked into the restaurant and took a seat at one of the many tables.
She was happy to see it busy, but she wondered how many of these people would have preferred a meal closer to the inn.
This was quite a walk or a simple buggy ride for those who had access to a buggy and a horse.
Either way, it was too far from the inn to justify the daily outing… but some didn’t have a choice.
Like her right now. And she wasn’t even paying for her meals.
Wesley was. Which was partly why she wanted a job.
However, she put all of that aside to focus on the meal.
The conversation was illuminating, focusing on what they wanted to get out of their lives.
At this point, their conversations allowed them to be on the same page about their relationship.
She did have one hang-up: as much as she wanted to have children, she had spent the last two years caring for children who weren’t her own.
She wanted a chance to recuperate and restore the love for children that she knew was in her heart.
After all, before she had been offered the job at the orphanage, she was thinking about becoming a midwife or an antenatal nurse to help with childbirth and taking care of the children while the mothers were recuperating.
Wesley didn’t seem to care too much that she needed time.
It appeared that he was happy with the slower pace now that they had been able to meet in person.
She wondered if that was because he wanted to be sure this was the right choice.
She couldn’t fault him for that. Many a woman would have been happier if the men had taken time to inventory their feelings rather than acting under the pressure of society, which meant they had to be married by a certain age.
After Wesley dropped her off that night, Susannah walked to the bed with a sigh.
She was starting to fall in love with the man, but she wasn’t sure how to show him.
He didn’t seem the type to be that in touch with his feelings.
Perhaps he needed a little while longer before she opened her heart to him.
Besides, she wasn’t mad about having to wait to plan a wedding. That was stressful itself.