"If that's what you want."
She looked down at the ground before meeting his gaze. "Despite everything... despite not knowing how easy it'll be for me to get another job or not... despite missing my father so much... I'm happy. I didn't think I would be, but..."
He reached out and cupped her face in his hands. "You don't have to worry, Beverly."
He pulled her in for a hug, and she hugged him back, inhaling the scent of his cologne. She didn't care if it was the night of their first date or not. She knew she could trust him.
As they head back toward her house, they talk about their dreams and aspirations. She loved that Roy encouraged her as much as her father her had.
And then Roy just about floored her.
"I want to offer you my services."
"What do you mean?" She gaped at him, coming to a halt.
He stopped walking too and faced her, holding her hands in his. "I mean that I want to donate some of my time to helping you with your jobs. The ones that require an extra body, extra hands. I'll make it work. I haven't formally talked to Colton about it, but he won't care so long as I get my chores done at the orchard each day, and I will. I like the feel of a hammer in my hand, and I'm already coming to miss it, the construction work... and working side by side with you."
She could melt right then and there.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"I'm positive. If you'll have me."
"Of course," she murmured. "Maybe you could even come with me when I have on-site interviews."
"You mean in case there are more like Mr. Davis," he said flatly.
She nodded.
"We're just going to have to get so many testimonials and so many gigs that people won't care who is doing the work from Nails R Us, they're just going to be lining up for us to do all of their construction needs. In fact, they'll be waiting, even if they have to wait months, just so they can get us to do it."
"Is that right?" she marveled with a laugh. "You might have bigger dreams for my company than I do."
"Dream big," he urged her. "You can do anything, Beverly. I believe that."
She hugged him so tightly. The stars kept watch as they lingered in each other's embrace until eventually Roy walked her up to her doorstep. , Roy turned to face her, a gentle smile curving his lips.
"Thank you for tonight," he said quietly. "I had so much fun that I didn't want it to end."
"Neither did I," she murmured.
He said goodnight with a gentle peck on the cheek and promised to call soon before he drove away into the night.
Truly, Beverly couldn't be happier if she tried.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Despite his best intentions, things were really hectic at the orchard because of new animals coming in and needing to get acclimated, so Roy wasn't able to help Beverly like he wanted to, not immediately at least. Soon, he hoped, though.
It had been three weeks since they had started dated, and they had dinner together at least twice a week, if not more. It all depended on their schedules, but they always at least spoke on the phone in the early morning and before bed. She was the first person he talked to and the last, and he didn't want it to be any other way.
This night, he picked her up from her place for them to head back to his apartment where he had a home-cooked meal waiting for her. yes, she could've just driven herself over, but he was a bit old-fashioned that way.
Once they arrived, Beverly beamed at him. "You made dinner for us?" she asked, her voice filled with awe. Her eyes twinkled with joy.
Roy smiled and nodded, feeling proud of himself. "I figured it would be nice to have a nice meal together without having to go out somewhere," he said.
She smiled back and leaned over to kiss his cheeks beforehe took her hand to lead her into the kitchen. His apartment was small, so there was no separate dining area, but he did have a small table in the kitchen where he ate.