Her gaze softened. “I know. None of this is your fault. I guess I’m just overprotective of Wes. He was teased at school, and I eventually had to pull him out and hire tutors. It was torture seeing him treated differently. I never want him to go through that again.”

Damian slowly nodded, choosing his words carefully. “But he’s an adult now. Maybe it’s time to let him do more things. People with Down syndrome can hold jobs.”

Lydia pinched the bridge of her nose. “I know. I just don’t want him to be crushed when he gets rejected.”

“I think he can handle it.”

She sighed. “You barely know him. What makes you think you can come in and spend one day with him, and know exactly what he needs?”

Damian scratched his chin. “You’re right. I’m probably overstepping. Just think about it, okay? If you decide a part-time job would be all right I can make some phone calls.”

Lydia crossed her arms. “I suppose I can think about it.”

“Thank you. I’ll be in touch.” Damian gave her a parting nod, then left the house. As he pulled on his gloves his heart lightened. He’d enjoyed his time with Wes. His brother was kind-hearted. He was smart, too. He could hold down a job. And it looked like Lydia might come around to the idea after all.

He slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. He couldn’t wait to tell Kat about how things went. As thoughts of Kat entered his mind, he grew anxious to see her again. Things had progressed between them last night. They were entering new territory and he wasn’t sure what to do about it, he only knew he liked how he felt when they were together.

He felt a little guilty for not embracing what they had as a relationship. He was hesitant to enter into something like that with Kat, for obvious reasons. Besides the fact that they lived a thousand miles apart, their lives were very different. But he couldn’t deny his feelings for her, and he wanted to indulge himself. Maybe, if he flew out every weekend, they could continue to see each other. The thought excited him as he pulled up in front of Kat’s house.

Kat pulled the door open before he had a chance to knock. She smiled and curled her hair behind her ear. “Hey.”

How had he ever thought she was simply pretty? She was stunning. Her blue eyes were like liquid glass. And her sweater hugged her just right. He couldn’t help himself. He snaked his arm around her and pulled her to him. “I’ve missed you.”

She blushed. “Are you ready? I was thinking I could introduce you to the other mom and pop restaurant here in town. The Dragon Palace.”

He really didn’t care about food at the moment, but he nodded anyway. “Sounds good.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. The feathery kiss ignited a fire in his veins. He pulled back. He’d have to be careful or he’d just spend the evening kissing her in the doorway.

Kat grinned at him. “Let’s go.”

The Dragon Palace turned out to be the perfect place for a date. They were seated in the back, in a secluded corner booth. The lighting was dim enough to be romantic. He sat across from her, gazing into her eyes. “I like this.”

She shied away from his probing gaze. “What do you like?”

“Being with you.”

“I like it too.” She gave him a smile, then bit her lower lip.

“What?”

“I don’t know. I just can’t help but wonder where we can go from here. It’s just my personality I guess.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about our conversation yesterday. Maybe I was premature not wanting to say we’re in a relationship.”

Kat played with her straw. “So, you now think it’s okay to call this a relationship?”

Damian leaned closer. “Last night I called a woman I met online.”

Kat seemed to freeze. “And?”

“I told her we couldn’t talk anymore. I realized I didn’t want to think about another woman. I like what we have. I don’t want to jeopardize it.”

Kat went back to stirring the ice in her soda. “I’m glad.”

“I was thinking maybe I could fly down here during the weekends. Then I could spend time with my brother, as well as you.”

“I’d like that.”

No one spoke for a few moments. Damian grew tired of the silence. “What are you doing for Christmas?”