Page 42 of More Than Pen Pals

She looks so hopeful, I concede. “If you insist.”

I laugh when she pumps a fist in the air like her team hit a home run.

Leslie pushes her empty plate aside and props her chin on her hands. “I like you a lot, Ash Hamilton.”

“Hey, that’s against the rules,” I reply with a fake frown, though her declaration makes my heart pound.

“Only for letters.” She grins. “But, as much as it pains me, it should apply at all times until further notice. I will, however, give you permission to say it back one time right now, if you so desire.”

Leslie speaks with confidence, but her smile wavers when I don’t reply immediately. She doesn’t know I’m hesitating because I’m afraid I’ll choke on the words.

I finally say, “I like you more than a lot, Leslie Beckett.” I clear my throat. “The ball’s in your court now. When you’re ready to be more than pen pals and co-workers, I’ll be waiting.”

“You promise?” She shakes her head. “No, that’s not fair of me. I can’t ask you to make that promise.”

“I promise.” It’s an easy one to make. There’s no woman for me except the one sitting across the table.

“There’s one promise I do feel comfortable asking you to make, though,” she says.

“What’s that?”

“That you won’t try to pay the bill tonight.”

Although I’d prefer to pay, I can tell by the look in her eyes that this is important to her. “I promise I won’t try to pay the bill.”

The waitress chooses that moment to bring the check. Leslie lets it sit on the table while looking back and forth between it and me several times. I lean back in my chair and inspect my fingernails. She laughs and then takes care of it.

When we stand, I have to stick my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching out to take her hand. Leslie stops when we step outside the restaurant door and turns to me.

“No, I’m walking you to your building,” I say. “I know it’s only a few doors down, but I insist.”

She nods and we take off down the sidewalk.

“Thank you for being so understanding,” she says. “You didn’t have to be.”

“No,” I reply. “I didn’t. But why wouldn’t I, when I care about you and want you to take the time you need? I also feel I should point out that being understanding about this isn’t a completely selfless move. Even if I were angry about this situation, what good would it do me to argue with you about it? Either you’d tell me to take a hike, which I don’t want, or you’d give in and we’d likely crash and burn after a few weeks or months. What’s in any of that for me?”

We stop and face each other outside her building’s door.

“That was some honesty,” she says.

“I’ll always be honest with you.”

She looks like she’s about to cry, and I don’t want our evening to end with her in tears, so I grin and say something I know I absolutely shouldn’t. “Well, at least I’ll be honest when it matters, which is ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time. However, I might tell a fib to get you to a surprise party. Or I might lie and say your butt doesn’t look big in that skirt.”

Her eyes widen.

“Sorry.” I chuckle.“Thatwas a lie. It looks amazing, to be completely truthful. But that’s not something I should say to a pen pal, so please forget I mentioned it.”

Leslie’s face turns a marvelous shade of red, and she playfully swats my arm. “I don’t know how to respond to that.”

“Thank me and then go upstairs and call Aunt Star and tell her all about it.” My arm is tingling, and not because it stings. She didn’t hit me hard enough to hurt.

She bites her lip, which reminds me I don’t get to kiss her goodnight. But the mannerism also reveals she wants to say something but she’s not sure if she should.

“You can say it, whatever it is,” I say. “Operation Pen Pal doesn’t officially begin until you walk through that door.” I point to the door in question.

She gives me an earnest look. “Do you have someone you can talk to about this? I don’t want you to be all on your own.”

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