Chapter 31
It was like a fairytale. It was better than the first time. Samantha felt like a grownup this time. Brentwasa grownup this time. There was nothing boyish about him. Not anymore. He was all masculine, all man.
He took her breath away.
She didn’t want to leave the restaurant, but she certainly couldn’t eat anymore. He took her hand on the way out of the restaurant and then quickly looked down at her. “Sorry, is this okay?”
She nodded quickly. It was more than okay.
“Oh good. Old habit, I guess. I didn’t even think about it.”
If it was a habit, it was from their early days together. He hadn’t held her hand for a long, long time. When they reached the parking lot, she was sad at the thought of parting ways even if it was only for the night.
“I know it’s kind of chilly, but do you want to go for a short walk?”
“Definitely.”
He looked at her blouse. “As much as I hate to cover up that blue ...” He let go of her hand to take off his coat.
She tried to resist, but he wouldn’t have it. He draped it over her shoulders and rubbed them, sending goosebumps through her whole body. “Let me know if you get too cold, and we’ll come back. I just don’t want to go home yet.” He laughed. “Not quite ready to let you out of my sight.”
They started walking, following the narrow path that followed the shoreline.
“What’s it like, living in Carver Harbor again?”
“I hate it, and I love it.” He laughed. “What’s it like living in Hartport without me?”
“It’s awful. I really hate my job. I’ve been looking for a new one.”
“Oh yeah?” It was cute how excited he sounded. “What do you want to do?”
“I’m not sure what I’m qualified for other than office stuff. And that’s okay. I like office stuff. But I need a different office. The one I’m in isn’t safe or healthy.” She took a deep breath of cold air. “It took me a while to figure that out, but now that I have, I am in a hurry.”
“Well I don’t want to rush you or anything, but the school is looking for a new secretary.”
“What school?”
“The elementary school in Carver Harbor. You could help cute little kids instead of criminals.” He laughed. “A woman from my church works there. She’s the one who invited me to the church in the first place, actually. Or at least, she was one of the women. Anyway, I am nearly certain that I can get you that job unless they’ve already got someone else in mind.”
“A woman from your church?” She hated herself for it, but jealousy had appeared.
“Yeah, she’s super nice,” he said, oblivious to what she was really asking. “Her name is Tonya. She’d be great to work with.”
“How old is she?”
“What?” He laughed. “Have you turned into an ageist?”
His cluelessness was adorable.
“I don’t know, maybe forty? She has a teenaged daughter, so.”