Ula appeared on the steps and called out an offer for something to drink. Stone accepted for both of them. Cathy took the moment to try to compose herself. Being around him always made her feel fluttery. Sometimes when they were talking about politics or books they’d read, she could go toe-to-toe with him and hold her ground in the discussion. But when she remembered their differences in position, or that he’d been to college and ran a multimilliondollar business, she became tongue-tied.
Stone relaxed back in his chair. She was pleased that he was so comfortable with her. It had been little more than a week since she’d first walked in on him and seen his scars. Since then, they’d been spending more time together. They’d shared all their dinners and most lunches.
Cathy was willing to believe that Stone liked her—at least as a friend. He’d been good to her. He’d even warned her away from him.
She remembered that conversation, which they’d had the first night they’d eaten dinner together. He’d told her he was little more than a beast. She’d thought about it a lot, and she’d finally figured out what he really meant. He’d been gently telling her that he wasn’t for her. No doubt he’d realized she had a huge crush on him and he didn’t want to embarrass either of them by encouraging her to act on her inappropriate feelings. While she was a little chagrined he’d read her so easily, she was grateful he’d found a gentle way to let her down. The crush was still alive and well, but she was working hard to keep him from knowing.
Ula returned with their drinks. Cathy took a sip of her low-cal soda on ice. Every time she wanted a sugary drink or felt a hunger pang, she reminded herself that her body was burning calories and if she could hang on just for the rest of the day, she would have accomplished something. That’s what she was trying to do—go it one day at a time. As her mother had often said, on those rare occasions when she’d been sober, clichés were clichés for a reason: they were usually accurate assessments of life.
Stone downed half of his iced tea, then pointed at the papers in front of her. “What are you doing?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Paying bills. Or trying to. I’m getting disability until I go back to work in a couple of weeks. At least the house payment is tiny. The place is old, and my mom never took out a second mortgage. That helps.” She spoke lightly, not wanting Stone to think she was trying to beg or borrow money. “I’ll be fine.”
He set down his glass and leaned forward. “The doctor cleared you to go back to work in two weeks?”
She’d had an appointment earlier in the week. Cathy nodded. “Actually he said I could return whenever I wanted. My boss gave me the extra time. He wants me a hundred percent when I return.” She smiled. “Eddie’s kind of gruff on the outside, but underneath it all, he’s a sweetie.”
“Is that what you want?”
Cathy opened her mouth, then closed it. “I don’t understand the question.”
“Do you want to go back to work?”
She still wasn’t sure what information he was after. Her heart sank. Maybe he was trying to tell her that it was time to move on. After all, she was fairly mobile, and the doctor had said she was cleared to drive.
Disappointment overwhelmed her. She wished they were back in the dark so she wouldn’t have to guard her expression. Of course, she thought. He wanted her gone and his house to himself. She should have figured that out sooner.
“I do plan to take the extra couple of weeks,” she admitted. The prospect of returning to her graveyard shift at the answering service was not appealing. “But I won’t wait that long to get out of your way. You’ve been more than kind, and I don’t want to take advantage of your hospitality. I probably should have left sooner. I apologize. It’s just everything has been so lovely, I didn’t really think about it.” She shrugged lamely, then cleared her throat. Please God, let her not cry until she was alone.
“No!” Stone said forcefully. “I’m not hinting that I want you to leave. Quite the opposite. I want you to stay with me as long as you like. At minimum, until you’re ready to go back to work. No arguments. I insist.”
“I—” She didn’t know what to say. The truth was she wanted to be with Stone for as long as possible. His dark gaze was so intense, she decided she could believe him. After all, he was a successful businessman. He wouldn’t be where he was today if he had trouble telling people no.
One comer of his mouth twisted down. “Unless you’d rather leave. You’re not a prisoner here.”
“No,” she said quickly. “I’d like to stay. Thank you for asking me. You’re very kind.”
“I’ll make you a deal, kid. Stop telling me I’m kind, and you can move in permanently if you like.”
He was teasing, but for a second she allowed herself to believe it was true. That the fantasies that filled her night were real and that Stone cared about her as more than a friend.
“You are kind,” she said, “but I’ll stop saying it.”
“Then we have a deal?”
She nodded.
He finished his iced tea. “I have fourteen phone calls to return,” he said, then rose to his feet. “Thanks for letting me join you.”
He circled around the table and paused by her chair. Before she could figure out what he was going to do, he leaned down and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. Then he was gone.
Cathy watched him walk into the house. She knew that his mind was already a million miles away, or at least up in his office dealing with business. She knew that the gesture had been friendly and even absentminded. He probably didn’t know what he’d done. But she could still feel the soft pressure of his lips on the top of her head and the way he’d briefly squeezed her shoulder in passing. She would remember and tonight, before she slept, she would play out her fantasy of the two of them. She would pretend that his touch had meant so much more.
* * *
“You’ve promised,” Pepper said two weeks later as she folded up her table.
Cathy grinned. “I know and I mean it. I’m going to work out at least five times a week. Forty-five minutes of aerobics, and I’m going to keep up the weight training, too.”
