Page 14 of Fated Midlife Christmas
“Do you like to cook?”
“Does anyone actually like it, or do they just like eating the results?” she shot back.
Lars laughed again. “I like it, actually, as well as the results. I’m not a gourmet chef or anything, but there’s something nice about taking a few moments to prepare a good meal for yourself.”
“So you’re not one of those single guys who only eats frozen meals and takeout?”
“I’m not going to say I never eat that way, but no. Most of the time, I find it’s a lot easier to just chop up a few things and throw them in a pan.”
It was a simple conversation, but Amanda found that she absolutely loved his accent. It had a musicality to it that made it easy to listen to him, especially when he’d been talking about Christmas in Norway at the clanhouse the other night. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course. That’s why we’re here together.”
Goddess, he was charming! “How is it that you speak English so well? Did you decide to learn it for a specific reason?”
“Many people speak English where I’m from,” he told her. “Our education system is very good, and you’ll find a lot of people who are bilingual.”
“Really?”
“Certainly. If you came to Longyearbyen, you’d have no trouble talking to anyone.” They reached the restaurant, and he opened the door and waved her in.
When they reached their table, he took her jacket and pulled out her chair. His gentlemanly manners were making her feel warm and cozy inside. They were the kinds of things guys did when they were trying to make an impression, and most men would stop doing them once things weren’t new anymore, but she had a feeling Lars was different.
He fixed those bright blue eyes on her once they’d ordered and they were alone again. “Tell me about your work.”
“Oh, there’s not a whole lot to say, really.”
“People can’t even get an appointment with you, and there’s not a whole lot to say?” he asked with a little smirk. “I think you’re being too humble. And I’m interested.”
When Amanda looked at him, she genuinely believed him. Most people only asked about work to be polite, but that was a mistake she kept making. Lars wasn’t most people. Her bear had already told her that, and she needed to start listening. “Let’s see. I’ve been practicing full-time for about fifteen years now. At first, it was just something I did on the side. I didn’t think enough people would be interested enough that I could make it my career, but that’s one of the nice things about living in Salem. The people here are a little more open-minded.”
“What ailments can you treat?” He took a sip from his glass of tea and then set it to the side. His fingers were long and thick, strong, capable.
“A lot of things, really. I deal with a lot of mental and emotional issues, like anxiety and stress. Migraines, back pain, nerve issues. I had a patient who’d had a leg amputated and was dealing with phantom pains. There’s a little bit of everything.” Amanda found it difficult to sum it all up without going on for too long.
The waitress brought their food, which paused the conversation for the moment, but Lars was ready to jump back in right away. “You must help a lot of people.”
“I do my best. I tell all my clients that it’s a complementary therapy to traditional medicine. I’ve seen the results myself, and I know it balances their minds and bodies and brings them back to a state of well-being. I like to think of it as creating the inner environment where their bodies and minds are at an optimal state for healing.”
“That’s great.” A bit of his hair came loose over his forehead, and he pushed it back into place. “It sounds as though you like what you do.”
Everything he said, even if it wasn’t a question, was an invitation for her to say more. Lars was easy to be around. There was attraction, but it was even more than that. It was connection. “I like that feeling when it all works, when it clicks into place and you can feel even without asking them that the client is going to feel infinitely better. It’s like completing a puzzle, one that’s different for each person, and that can be really satisfying.” Amanda paused.
“But?” Lars asked.
“But it’s been a little different lately,” she admitted. “My last client of the day, for instance. She seemed really happy with her results, and I have no doubt that she benefited from the session, but I wish it could’ve been better. It’s just something I’ve been having trouble with lately.”
His eyes fixed hard on her, a piercing, icy blue. “Why do you think that is?”
“I don’t know. I can put my hands near someone else and tell a lot about them. I can click those puzzle pieces into place. I just can’t really do the same thing for myself.” It wasn’t until she spoke the words out loud that she realized just how significant they were. She’d been having trouble when she and Zoe were trying to work on Kristy. It’d been easy to blame that on distraction and laughter. It was also easy to say she’d had along, hard day at work and just needed a little rest. But now she wondered if it was all adding up to a bit more.
A few lines of concern showed on his handsome face. “For yourself? Are you all right?”
She struggled to find the right words. “Overall, yes. I don’t think there’s really anything wrong with me. It’s like I just can’t quite tap into my natural talents with the ease that I normally can. I’m not sure why.” Amanda also wasn’t sure why she was telling him all of this, other than the fact that being around him made her want to open up and say everything.
Lars moved his plate aside so he could lean across the table a little. He watched her for a moment, his eyes darting around, absorbing. “I think you’re pushing yourself too hard.”
She laughed a little. “How can you say that when we’ve only just met?”
