Page 21 of Sean
“Then why...?”
“Benjamin’s been harassing me.You caught me at a bad time.”
“Harassing you about what?”
Sean swallowed.Brush her off or be straight with her?Since he wanted...needed a friend, he decided to try being straight.“Can I be honest with you?”
“I hope so.”
Sean ran a hand through his hair.Words formed in his throat, but he had to breathe deep to push them out.“My wife died a year ago.”
“Yes, I know, and I’m sorry.What does that have to do with your brother?”
“Benjamin thinks it’s time for me to get on with my life.”
“Oh.OK.”
“He saw us talking together and thought...well, you can probably guess.Anyway, when you invited me for coffee, I didn’t want to give you the wrong impression.Or him, since he was there.It’d be cool if we could be friends, but I’m not sure it could be more.Which, I mean, you weren’t proposing...”Why did he use that word?“...Suggesting anything but coffee.I just...”
Was an idiot who needed to shut up.
Monica stared at him for several seconds before she spoke.“I appreciate your honesty, but you needn’t have worried.I wanted to tell you about a job opportunity I thought you might be interested in.”
“Really?”
Monica dropped her gaze and fiddled with her sack as Bobbie’s words came back to haunt her.
“Youlikehim.”
She swallowed.“The center is looking for a part-time chaplain.”
It figured.“Thanks, but I’ve taken a step back from the ministry.”
“OK.No problem.”
Sean held out his hand.When Monica reached forward, he didn’t clasp her hand in a shake, just held her fingertips gently.“Friends?”
“Of course.”
Despite her agreement, something in the air had made an almost imperceptible shift.That wasn’t how Sean wanted to leave it.“If you have a few minutes we could make up for that missed cup of coffee.”
“What did you have in mind?”
He motioned to her unopened lunch.“We could have lunch together.I have a burger and fries down in the car.”
Monica’s smile was a little tight around the edges.She was probably disappointed he’d refused the opportunity she’d offered.Fortunately, the tightness faded into a true smile.
“Well, go get it,” she said.“We’ll have an office picnic.”
***
MONICA PUT HER ELBOWon her desk and propped her chin on her fist as Sean hurried out of her office.Even though the romantic side of her heart was already nudging him into a more meaningful category, the logical side, the side that she was determined to pay attention to, whispered one word into her ear.
Arizona.
Monica hadn’t shared Hailey’s offer with anyone.With that move on the horizon, she couldn’t risk a romantic involvement, but friendship, she could do.The sadness in Sean’s voice when he mentioned his wife tore at her heart.The problem wasn’t that he was still grieving but that he’d allowed his grief to push him away from his life’s work.
She heard him coming back up the stairs and put a smile on her face.He needed friendship, not pity.
