Page 73 of Pete and His Precious

“I sat for a while and listened to you on Saturday night.”

I guess he would have heard me. I didn’t even think about it. I was so focused on getting done, and on trying to figure out what I should do, that I hadn’t considered he might be on the other side of the wall.

“Your voice is like liquid gold,” he says, and it should sound sappy, but it doesn’t. It sounds beautiful.

“Well, I kind of wish it was. It would be worth more,” I say, a sad attempt at a joke.

“It’s worth a lot to the people who love you,” he says, and I can’t help the slight widening of my eyes. I want one of those people to be him.

“I should have said more before you left on Thursday night, but I guess I was a little overwhelmed.”

“You didn’t have to say anything. I understand. You were clear about what you want in your life.”

“But I wasn’t being honest. Because, I’ve been waiting all my life for someone like you. Someone with character, and integrity, and who takes their job seriously and cares about people, but is still fun and funny and kind and,” I don’t know what else to say. He’s basically perfect. I want to tell him that. Maybe not perfect with no faults, but perfect for me.

“What about your career?” he asks, and he seems to hesitate before he takes a step closer, almost as though he’s not sure that I mean what I say.

I shake my head. “It’s not important.” I take a deep breath. “If you truly meant what you said about liking me the way I am.” He didn’t say it in that many words, but that was the gist of what I got.

“I don’t care how successful you are in your career, and I don’t care how much money you have. I know that’s important to you —”

“Was important. It was. But, if you don’t care, it is silly for me to care, isn’t it?”

“If you care, that’s important to me.”

Wow. I can tell he means it, and those words settle down to my bones. It’s what I want. Someone who cares about me.

“Whatever job you have, or don’t have, I mean, money certainly makes things easier, but it doesn’t make a life. That’s what two people and the Lord are for.”

He’s talking about marriage. I think.

“I guess I told you I don’t mess around with relationships that I’m not serious about. I just...want one forever.”

“I see. But what about money? Don’t you have any concern about it?”

“It’s not important to me. I have to make a living, I have to earn enough money to provide for my wife and family, but beyond that, it’s all gravy. And I don’t want money more than I want...you.”

I’m having a little bit of trouble breathing. I’m shaking, and I feel like I need to reach out for something. Maybe my hand did lift, because the next thing I know, he’s got his arms around me, and I’m leaning on him. It’s not necessarily a passionate embrace, because I have my head on his chest and my arms wrapped around his waist, and he’s running his hands down my back.

“I hope you’re saying what I think you are.”

“That I want to be with you?” I say, because that was the gist of everything. I want to be with Pete.

“Yeah. That’s what I was hoping.”

I lean back a little, and he’s looking down at me with a smile.

“I want to kiss you, but I don’t really want Bexley to come down and us not even hear her, because kissing you tends to be an all-encompassing thing.”

“I feel the same way about kissing you.”

We smile, the knowledge that we both want something, but we’re going to wait, reflected in the smiles we give to each other.

Chapter 28

Zoe

The day of the festival dawns bright and clear. It’s one of those gorgeous October days when the sky is a deep blue, the leaves are changing and you can feel the chill in the air, telling you it’s not summer anymore, but the cold of winter hasn’t set in, either, and it’s just the perfect day to get together with friends and neighbors and have fun.

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