was highly inappropriate. He was her therapist not her boyfriend or even her friend. She’d set things up for him merely as a courtesy and now she worried she was giving him the wrong impression.
But was it the wrong impression? She was extremely attracted to him and wanted to see him smile more. And see him more. That’s all she wanted.
Was there something wrong with that? Yes, so much. He was her therapist and she was mixed up in her head. It wouldn’t be prudent and she could recognize that.
Dang it all.
Tommy leaned forward and laughed, shaking his head. “Look, if you take a breath, I might be able to answer your question.” He waited for her to stop swinging side to side on the swiveling chair and take a deep breath. “Amanda, we can be friends, that’s fine, but I’m your therapist. I’m not going to be around forever.”
Amanda scrunched her nose. “But you’re looking for a business here, right?”
His eyes widened and he nodded quickly. “Right. I’m just saying, I’m your therapist. We can be friends; I just don’t want to give you the wrong idea. You won’t always need therapy.”
The gentle letdown. She could handle that. She was there to get things figured out, not add another piece to the puzzle that didn’t have a place. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I…” What was she apologizing for again? The way his lips spread in a friendly smile left her distracted and unsure what it was she was talking about.
Things could be so confusing when a man like Tommy looked the way that he did. That just wasn’t fair.
Amanda licked her lower lip. “Okay, so let’s say we make sure we’re just friends. Dinner?”
Tommy studied her and then sighed. “I can’t tonight. I need to get some things done.”
Amanda nodded through her disappointment. “Right. Not a problem.” But it was, and that left her feeling very uncomfortable.
“But what about tomorrow? We could try out that place on the highway. I can’t remember the name of it. The Christmas themed one.” He rolled his eyes. “Wait, everything here is themed for the holidays.”
Amanda burst out laughing. “Do you mean Rudolf’s Burger Barn? They actually serve bison, elk, and venison burgers. We should go there. I love it. They have the best onion rings and fry sauce.” She smiled shyly at him. He hadn’t said no. He’d just adjusted the time frame.
Did that mean he wanted to be friends with her? She could use a friend. She waved her hand to the side. “Is it going to be weird, though, to be friends and patient-therapist?”
“Nah, we just have to make sure that we keep our boundaries in place. When we’re meeting in this capacity, this is the situation. Outside of the sessions, we’re normal people. Got it?” He winked and glanced back at the paper and then at his watch.
“Okay. I just want to make sure you don’t think I’m taking advantage of the situation.” She bit her lower lip again and studied him. She could look at him all day. There was so much cowboy in him, even as he sat at the table without his hat. “Hey, did you grow up on a ranch or a farm?”
Tommy jerked his gaze to her face and blinked at her in surprise. “Um, yeah, why?”
“You just carry yourself like a rancher. Very distinct. That’s awesome. We’ll have to trade ranch secrets sometime.” She knew something about him he hadn’t shared with her.
“Yeah, we’ll have to do that. Okay, let’s plan out the next few weeks and then I’ll let you get back to your day.” He reached across the table and covered her hand in his. “Hey, Amanda, I’m really grateful for everything you’ve done for me. It means a lot to have a friend like you.” He smiled and Amanda’s heart swelled.
They were friends. That’s okay that he didn’t want more than that. She could use a friend. A romance at that point in her life would just make things more confusing. She needed less puzzles to solve and more steadiness.
Tommy could be that for her. In more ways than one.
Chapter 13
David
The sun couldn’t seem to make up its mind on setting beyond the mountains to the west or if it wanted to burn up the clouds rolling in. Every time the clouds shifted, there the sun was, hitting the sky with brilliant pinks, oranges, and even purples along the lower edges of the clouds.
David hunched his shoulders against the winter