Page 73 of His Virgin Romance Series

JARED

“Thank you so much!”

She was a slight little thing with silver-white hair and eyes that were brown and filmy. She had glasses that were too large for her face, and her face and hands were lined with veins. She seemed so fragile that it felt that if I blew she would just tip over. She stood before me with a look of profound gratitude on her face as she thanked me for what seemed like the tenth time.

“Ma’am,” I said gently. “You don’t have to keep thanking me. This is my job and more importantly it was my pleasure.”

She smiled. “You’re a nice boy,” she said. “You remind me of my husband when he was young.”

I smiled. “He was a looker, was he?” I teased.

When she laughed, I could imagine the woman she had been fifty years ago. “Yes, he was, as a matter of fact.” She nodded. “He had beautiful hazel brown eyes, just like yours. He’s been dead for nine years now.”

“I’m sorry,” I said soberly.

“We had a wonderful married life together,” she continued. “But we never managed to have children. So we had dogs… We must have adopted over fourteen dogs over our forty-six-year marriage. Alfie here is the last dog we adopted together.”

She hugged the spaniel to her chest and despite how fragile I had thought she was, she managed to keep a firm grip on him. The spaniel turned his nose around and licked her across the face with affection. I reached over and patted Alfie on the head. The dog turned to me and gave me a lick, too.

“He’s a beauty.”

“He’s getting up there,” the old lady replied. “And, I’m terrified of the day when I’ll have to say goodbye to him. Thanks to you, that day is not today.”

“You must be careful with the candles, ma’am,” I told her.

“Please, could you call me Linda?” she asked.

I smiled. “Of course, Linda.” I nodded.

“My neighbors have told me to stop lighting candles,” Linda said sadly.

“That does sound like the safest option,” I said. “They were too close to the curtains, in any case. Thankfully we got here before the fire got too bad.”

“How is the damage?” she asked. “I haven’t been able to go in there yet.”

“It’s best you don’t,” I said. “At least until the area has been properly settled. The dust fumes can be dangerous. And as for the damage, it’s minimal. One room will need to be redone, but the rest of the house is fine.”

“I’m moving out of this house next month,” Linda revealed.

“You are?”

“I finally decided that it was ridiculous for me, a woman in her seventies, to be living alone,” she said.

I smiled. “Perfect timing, then.”

She laughed. “Not everyone will agree. Thank you again… Alfie thanks you, too.”

“Don’t mention it,” I insisted.

Unexpectedly, she came forward and gave me a hug, and I hugged her back fondly. A few minutes later we loaded up the truck and set off back to the station.

“Made yourself a girlfriend, did you?” Kendrick teased.

I rolled my eyes at him. “You’re just jealous because you didn’t make an impression—not that you ever do.”

“Please,” he said. “The ladies love me.”

“Is that why you haven’t been on a date for weeks?” Ryan asked teasingly.

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