Page 39 of Mine This Time
“I’d like to play it cool, but I adore him too,” she said with a sheepish smile. “Have faith, you’ll move on from Brett, and some man will sweep you off your feet.”
Have faith, you’ll move on from Brett, and some man will sweep you off your feet.
Hannah ’s words echoed in my thoughts as I drove away from the third inn she’d recommended for me. Every place she’d sent me had been warm and friendly. I guessed Hannah had called every single one of them personally to smooth the welcome for me. Considering all the other stressors I was dealing with right now, I would take the help. I needed a break somewhere. If that meant a dash of kindness as I handled this one story, I’d take it.
After I drove away from my last appointment, I pulled over in a small viewing spot along the side of a country highway. It offered a view of a marshy area with cypress trees standing in the edges of the water and Spanish moss swaying lazily from the branches of trees in the early evening breeze. The sun was starting to set in the distance, casting the sky in a wash of orange and yellow mingling in the fading gold of the sun’s rays.
The view was soothing, and I leaned my head against the car seat. A mere three weeks ago, I’d had no idea what was in store for me here in Louisiana. I felt as if my life had been turned upside down. I had no apartment left to move into in San Francisco, and the boyfriend I thought was trying to rekindle our relationship was now permanently gone. Somehow, I wasn’t panicking about my living situation. Maybe I was acting impulsive, but—wow!—it felt good to be with Nash. Just thinking about last night sent goosebumps prickling over the surface of my skin.
Nash was unsettlingly good in bed. I kept trying to think clearly, but my brain was having a hard time getting past the haze of last night. And he was so genuine. He was going above and beyond to help me, and I didn’t know what to think.
Fishing my phone out of my purse, I glanced down at the screen.
Nash: Call me when you get this. I know you’re probably working, so get to it when you can. I’d like to have your stuff taken over this evening. I’ve got a security team set up at the house, but I don’t want to make assumptions.
Considering that I’d already told him I was okay with staying there, I wasn’t sure what his assumptions might be. Perhaps he thought it was presumptuous to move my things. Not that there were that many. I had some groceries and my single suitcase, pathetic though it was with its broken wheel.
Tapping the text screen open, I typed out a reply.
Me: There’s not much to move, so go ahead. I already packed up my clothes. Where should I meet you? I’m done for the day.
I appreciated that Nash respected the fact that I was working. During my relationship with Brett, I wasn’t often afforded that level of respect. He tended to think that since I didn’t work from an office and had a fairly flexible schedule, I could simply rearrange everything related to my job on a whim.
Nash’s reply came in a matter of seconds. Meet me out at my house. Call me first though if you don’t mind.
Bemused, I tapped the button to call him. He answered on the first ring.
“Hey, how was your day?” he asked.
Dear God. All Nash had to do was answer the phone, and my body sat up and took notice with my belly spinning and every hair rising in awareness.
I didn’t realize I was sitting there in silence until Nash prompted, “Mari?”
“Oh, sorry. My day went well, all things considered. How was yours?”
“Busy. Are you okay just meeting me at the house?”
“Of course. When will you be heading out there?”
“I’m on my way now, so I should be there in about ten minutes,” he replied.
“Remind me of the address again.”
Nash quickly recited it.
“Okay, I’ll put it into my GPS.” Tapping the speaker button, I pulled the phone away from my ear so I could bring up my maps and enter the address. “It looks like I’m about a half an hour away, so I’ll see you shortly.”
“Excellent.”
The urge to offer an endearment was at the tip of my tongue. Which was ridiculous, since surely this thing with Nash was just a rebound, and I needed to remember that. And yet …
You’ve got me. All of me.
Nash’s words from last night kept playing on a loop in my thoughts.
I followed the friendly GPS speaker voice to Nash’s house. I turned down a long, secluded driveway flanked with oak trees. The sun had fully disappeared behind the horizon, leaving nothing but fading colors as dusk settled in the wake of the setting sun.
Then, suddenly the trees opened up to a circular driveway. His home was lovely. A sprawling single-story home that blended into the landscape. It was surrounded by flowers and trees with a long porch running the length of it.
