“I know about them. I’ll keep them safe for you.”
He glanced over at her. “That’s very kind of you. Thank you.”
“Of course.”
“Would you want to…”
She held her breath, waiting to hear what he might say.
A long moment passed in which he didn’t finish the thought.
“Would I want to what?”
“I was going to ask if you wanted to get dinner sometime, but then I thought maybe that wouldn’t be fair since I have no idea which end is up right now or whether I’m coming or going.”
“I’d love to have dinner with you sometime, and it’s okay if you’re not sure of anything. Neither am I, and I didn’t just suffer a devastating loss.”
“So you’re saying it’s not just me who’s a total mess?”
She laughed. “Not at all.”
“That makes me feel a little better.”
“Whatever I can do to help.”
When he smiled, it changed his entire countenance, giving her a hint of what he might be like when he wasn’t caught in the depths of grief.
The man was a handsome devil all the time, but that smile…
“I should get going,” she said. She put two twenties on the bar to pay for her drinks and the cup of chowder she’d had for dinner, as well as a tip for Jace. “I’ve got an early morning at the studio.”
“I’ll walk you home since I’m heading that way.”
“How do you know where I live?”
“I asked Duke. He said you live over the store.”
“Oh. Okay.” She wanted to ask why he’d felt the need to ask Duke where she lived, but she couldn’t seem to say the words.
“I was curious about you,” he said, saving her the trouble.
“Oh. You were?”
“Uh-huh.”
About what? Was he going to finish that thought, or was that all he was going to say? He’d spun her into knots with a couple of tiny little sentences that packed a big wallop.
“Let me just say thanks to Jace before we go.” He walked over to where Jace was and leaned across the bar to shake the bartender’s hand.
Sierra followed him since he was headed toward the exit.
“Thanks for everything,” Morgan said. “Appreciate it.”
“Wish there was more we could do for you.”
“This was what I needed today. I won’t forget it.”
“We’re here if there’s anything we can do. Cindy would want me to include her, too.”
