Page 51 of Hold Me Instead
Seriously, she worked with animals, and she saw people loving on their pets every day. Seeing him like this shouldn’t be a turn-on, and yet, she was imagining those hands stroking her body, that voice whispering in her ear.
Finally, Jasmine swooped in, eyes bright as she calmly approached the litter, and Charlie and Zachary returned to their office.
“It’s freezing in here,” Zachary murmured, pulling on his fleece as he sat to finish paperwork and phone calls.
They’d started having problems the winter prior, but Charlie didn’t want to mention it. He’d add it to his list anyway.
His chair creaked behind her, and she sensed Zachary’s heat as he leaned back. “You’re right,” he said softly.
Her shoulders loosened, but she didn’t turn around.
“I walked in here acting exactly like the son of the owner instead of a new hire—and atemporaryone at that.” He sighed. “Not that it makes a difference, but the appointment last week was an old family friend. He’d sent me a wedding card that basically told me off for bailing on my dad. Didn’t think either of us would want to see the other.”
She turned at that, watching as he scrubbed his face with his hand.
“That’s my problem, though,” he added.
“You can’t keep avoiding them, Zachary,” she said softly.
His eyes found hers again. The pain, the distance in them, tugged at her instincts to comfort. She felt her face soften the longer they sat, staring.
He seemed to struggle over what to say next, his mouth opening and closing a few times. Finally, he said, “Let me make it up to you?”
She looked away, out at the dark sky, the cold wind whipping past the windows. “Cookies?” she mumbled softly.
He chuckled, and she couldn’t help herself as her gaze whipped back to catch him smiling. Now she saw he had more laugh lines on his face, ones that suggested years of happiness, someone who still enjoyed laughing. She ached to trace each and every one.
His smile shifted to a nervous uncertainty. “Cookies are a given. I still owe you, remember? Dinner, tomorrow night?” He blew out a sigh. “Let’s get to know each other again.”
Chapter 14
Zachary
“Idon’tknowwhatto make of you in plain scrubs. Two days in a row. It’s really throwing me.” Zachary scratched his head, wishing the statement wasn’t so true. “I’m used to them being loud,” he added, an attempt to recalibrate.
“They’re cheerful, not loud.” Charlie slipped on her army green jacket, her grin almost proud, like she knew he was rattled. “You still like burgers?”
“Yes.”
“Perfect.” When they reached the parking lot, she swung open the door of her sedan and stretched inside, her scrub pants molding to her body nicely in the process. Honestly, he’d never paid attention to how scrubs fit anyone until now.
He cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets.
“I can follow you,” he said. “Al’s Burgers?”
“No, no.” She emerged with a periwinkle scarf and scrunched her nose. “Not Al's. There’s a place up the road, if you don’t mind walking?” She flipped the scarf around her neck in various ways and gripped it close to her chest, looking at him expectantly.
“Great.” All that mattered was fueling his body, no matter what type of food apparently, since he would've followed her to the cheap burger joint he’d hung around as a teen.
Charlie shut the car door, swung her arm out to guide them, and started walking.
They moved in silence, Zachary trying to distract himself with their surroundings. Six years away from his hometown was longer than he’d realized. He appreciated the draw of the quaint Elmwood Falls Village, its historic buildings offering a century-old charm that had faded from surrounding neighborhoods. While the buildings were the same as he remembered, there were quite a few new businesses occupying them, denoted by modern signage and freshly painted doors. As close as he’d been to Main Street for the last week and a half, he hadn’t taken the time to just absorb it all. Even on Halloween, he’d been in too much of a daze to really process everything around him.
Zachary zipped his jacket to keep out the crisp breeze, not minding the sting to his cheeks. Dried leaves crunched beneath their feet, and wrought iron lamps adorned with greenery and gold bows glowed. Shop windows were lined with twinkle lights, setting a holiday mood. Charlie was probably the type to go home and curl up under a blanket after enjoying an evening like this, with a mug of something hot to drink. He pictured her place outfitted with blankets of varying colors and fluffiness. The mug would have a minimalist-style drawing of a human curled like a shrimp on the couch next to a cat sitting like a human, or some cheeky shit.
He snuck an anxious glance her way, the conjured image way too appealing.
She was busy looking at the shops, at ease with their leisurely pace. Her hair was in a low braid, one she’d redone while they were finishing up notes at their desks. He’d turned just in time to see her fingers deftly twist and twine the strands while she stared out the window. As the wind swept up around them, the wisps of hair that always broke free danced across her cheeks. He was oddly grateful she didn’t brush them away, and wondered how their softness compared to her skin.
