Page 41 of Noble Neighbor
Oliver nodded. “Not even a peep out of them. I removed their shoes. Reckoned the rest could wait till morning.”
Sunny slumped against the seat and closed her eyes. “I messed up tonight.”
“Messed up? Sunny, no. Hey … look at me,” he demanded in a hushed tone.
She forced her eyes open. Oliver kneeled before her, placed his hands on her thighs, and stared up at her, frowning. Sunny resisted the urge to smooth the crease between his eyes.
“It’s okay to rely on others, sweetheart.”
Shaking her head, she whispered, “It’s more than that, Oliver.” So much more. “I lost my cool. In public. And you punched the sheriff. What if he lays a charge against you?”
Oliver shrugged. “Beau won’t. He had it coming. What he did — running you through the system — was plain wrong. And he knows it.”
He pushed to his feet and offered his hand, much like he’d done earlier. “How about we get you inside?”
It’s okay to rely on others.
Nodding, she fumbled with the seat belt, managing to undo it. And put her hand in Oliver’s, accepting his help. Her hip protested when she straightened, sending a couple of sharp twinges down her thigh. She stopped.
Oliver noticed and placed a warm hand on her hurting hip, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’ve got you, Sunny.”
His touch … so warm, so comforting. So safe.
It’s okay to rely on others.
She took a few moments to just enjoy the utter rightness of relying on Oliver Armstrong. Perhaps it was okay to relax her guard. Just a little.
“Want me to pick you up and carry you to bed, too?” He chuckled and added with a playful undertone, “Maybe do more than remove your shoes …”
“Oliver.” But instead of being outraged by his remark, he was only echoing what was on her mind.
She wanted to do that, too. So very much.
He stepped away, releasing her. “Alas, this is not the right time.”
Sunny nearly bemoaned the loss of his touch, but he was right. Not only was this not the right time, but she had to think on what he needed to know before anything … more could happen between them.
And the more, she was coming to understand, was inevitable.
His next words underscored her feeling. “But Sunny, mark my words, we will revisit this. Not sure where we headed, but I reckon we owe it to ourselves not to dismiss this … whatever.”
They shared a long, silent look before she nodded.
Oliver offered a brief smile before turning away. She followed him to the rear of the vehicle and accepted the quilt he offered while he hefted the crate of apples she’d bought earlier.
“What’re you going to do with all the apples?” Oliver cocked his head. “Iloveapple pie, just in case you wondered.”
“Never made apple pie in my life,” she confessed.
“So why buy them?”
She shrugged, clutching the checkered quilt to her body. How could she explain buying dozens of baking apples when she didn’t really understand herself, except … “Nostalgia?”
He shot her a quizzical look before he turned and strode inside.
To her utter horror, tears burned behind her eyelids.
Again.Urgh.What on earth was wrong with her tonight?She’d turned into a veritable watering pot.
