“Well, her. Not you. Except that your dad always complains you work too hard and don’t come home enough.”
He put his hand over hers on his arm. “I think you and I should get to know each other better.”
Her exuberance dimmed when she realized what he meant and that she was standing really close to him. So close that he could smell the garlic and chocolate on her from her day in the kitchen cooking, mixed with the peanut butter and jelly sandwich she ate with him.
He backtracked, thinking he’d come on too strong. “Unless there is someone waiting for you to come home.”
She kind of came back to herself all at once. “Oh. No. That is, I’m not seeing anyone. I was just surprised you were interested.”
“The timing and the circumstances are strange.” He usually had better game than this. And timing. “But . . . I don’t know. I appreciate what you did for my dad and staying with me tonight. I just got back to town. I haven’t connected with anyone. Except you. I’d like to get to know you better.” That might be more than he’d said to a woman, other than Steph, in a long time. He definitely needed to up his game.
The elevator dinged and let them out on the ground floor.
She slipped out ahead of him and he followed, wishing he hadn’t said anything that would make her stop touching him.
He caught up to her. “Trinity, if I’ve said something . . . or you’re just not interested—”
“It’s not that.” She stopped in the middle of the hospital lobby and stared at the floor.
“Great.” He hoped that reassured her.
“Um, it’s just been a while for me. I . . . uh . . . something bad happened . . . It’s been hard to . . . trust myself lately.”
Okay. He got that. “I haven’t really dated in a while. And if you know anything about Emmy’s mom, you know that trusting myself to know if someone is good for me or not has been hard, too.”
She finally met his gaze. “I actually don’t know that much about you and your ex-wife.”
“She’s just an ex. We never got married. Weren’t even engaged.” Why he wanted her to know that particular detail he didn’t know, and chalked it up to full disclosure.
“Well, I’ve never been engaged either, but my three brothers have all gotten engaged, and two got married, over the past year, making me the perpetual bridesmaid.” She rolled her eyes. “And that’s a major turnoff, right? I wasn’t trying to say that I want to get engaged or—”
He touched her shoulder. “Got it. But do you want to . . . spend some time together?” He heard how that sounded like a lame pickup line for sex and backtracked. “I mean hang out.” What the hell was wrong with him? It was like he’d never asked a woman on a date.
She grinned at him, her eyes full of humor, then cocked her head toward the door. “We should head out.”
The nonanswer confused and disappointed him. Did he blow it? Probably, because she was right; he was beyond tired.
They let the quiet, cool night surround them as they made their way to her car in the parking lot. The drive home was long. Neither of them spoke much, but listened to the softly playing country music as they relaxed next to each other and enjoyed the ride.
She pulled into the driveway, and though the lighting was dim with only the flare of her headlights beaming off the garage door, he caught the moment when it all came back to her and her eyes clouded with distress.
“You must have been really scared when you found my dad. I know I nearly freaked out when I saw you hoisting him into your car. I couldn’t get down the driveway fast enough.”
She took in a calming breath and let it out slowly.
He’d seen her consciously do the same thing several times during the ride to the hospital.
“I’m just glad we got him the help he needed.”
“I can’t stop thinking about it. What if he hadn’t called in the delivery order? What if I didn’t get in until late tonight or tomorrow?”
Trinity laid her hand over his on his thigh. “It all worked out.”
He turned his hand and linked his fingers with hers. “Thank you for finding him, for getting him out to your car. I know you’d have gotten him there on your own no matter how hard it was for you to do alone. But most of all, thanks for staying with me and being . . . you.” Because he didn’t have anyone in his life who was just like her. He didn’t have someone who’d take the time to sit with him and wait just so he wasn’t alone.
“You’re welcome.” She slipped her hand free, grabbed her bag from the back, and rummaged inside until she pulled out a card. “Please call me in the morning and let me know how he’s doing.”
He took the card, noted it wasn’t a business card, but her personal one.
“And yes, I’d like to see you again.” She smiled softly with a touch of nervousness mixed in. “And maybe I’ll get to meet your sweet girl Emmy someday.”
“She’ll want one of those double-chocolate brownies my dad likes so much.”
“For her, on the house.”
They stared at each other for a moment. He just took her in, then forced himself to get out of the car. “Is your place close?” He didn’t like her out on the dark roads this late at night, especially when she’d had a long day.
“I live in the apartment above the shop.”
Surprise punched him in the gut. “You mean in town?”
She nodded.
“Why didn’t you say anything? I would have found another way home.”
“Because I wanted to drive you.” She gave him another shy but sexy smile, waking up all kinds of thoughts about her lying on white sheets and his hands caressing every inch of her silky skin.
He eyed her closely. “You’re not an angel, you’re a temptress.”
She laughed. “Call me in the morning with that update on your dad.”
He held up her card. “I’m calling you for a lot more than that.”
She pressed her lips together, hiding a nervous grin, but her eyes were bright with interest.
He reluctantly closed the door and waved goodbye. When he walked into the dark house, he was still elated by their exchange and it made him miss her all the more.
He couldn’t wait to see his father looking better tomorrow and call the beguiling woman who took him by surprise and made him want to try the whole dating, and possibly relationship, thing one more time.
Chapter Three
Jon may not have slept well last night, but he’d eaten a damn good spinach, bacon, and cheese breakfast quiche this morning from Almost Homemade. He’d found it in his father’s fridge along with at least two dozen other prepared meals. He’d never tasted anything so good. No wonder his father ordered delivery from them.
After he ate, he made the long drive into town. He stepped off the hospital elevator, hoping to find his father awake, alert, and doing much better today.
The nurse at the desk stood. “Mr. Crawford?”
He stopped outside his father’s door. “Yes.”
“Your father should be back any minute. They took him for another chest X-ray to see if he’s improving.”