he's going above and beyond. What was it that you and I were talking about before the phone call?"
I knew he was lying, and now he was just trying to change the subject.
"It wasn't important," I said.
"Yes it—"
"I'd like to go get my car now, please," I interrupted.
"I thought maybe you could stay a little while longer, and we could have breakfast together."
"No, thank you. I really need to get back and take care of some things. Besides, Kate is probably worried about me."
"She's not. I already texted her to let her know that you were here with me."
Whatever reason he had for wanting to keep me here, it must have been a big one because he was really covering all the bases. It was starting to make me really uncomfortable.
"How about some coffee, at least?" he said.
I actually could use some caffeine. "Sure."
We both stood by the coffee pot as it brewed. Tim reached out to touch my hand and lift it to his chest. Then he pulled me in closer to him so that I could rest my head against his shoulder as he held me.
"I remember what we were talking about now," he said, and I could hear his voice vibrate against my ear that was pressed just over his heart. "You wanted to know how I wanted things to work out between us."
"You don't need to answer that," I said. At this point, I wasn't sure what to think about any of it.
"I want to," he said.
"I would like you to come back to Cubed and take on the new role of marketing director. When we got back to Spokane to present the final completed project, I would like you to come with Max and me, and I would like you to move out of Kate's crappy little apartment, no offense, I love Kate, and move in with me instead."
"What?" I whispered.
But he wasn't finished. "I would like for us to stay out of jail and stay away from crazy seductresses."
I laughed at that part because it sounded too ludicrously funny to be true, even though it was.
"And I would like us to make love under the stars again, in the snow."
"In the snow?"
"Yep. With blankets and maybe some bourbon to help warm the insides. But beneath the falling snow so that the cold, tiny kisses of snowflakes will burst against the burning heat of our bodies."
"That all sounds amazing," I said.
"Does that mean you'll move in with me?" he asked.
"It means I want to," I answered honestly.
"Then what's stopping you?"
I kind of felt like I was in grade school again and was waiting for the boy to send back the note that said he loved me.
"Have you ever asked anyone else to move in with you?" I asked.
"No."
"Not another single person in your whole life?"
"No," he answered. "Not even, Max."
I laughed.
"What's so funny about that?" he asked. "Max would make an awesome roommate. I just preferred to be alone. Until I found you, anyways."
His phone rang again, and he took the call and left again.
Okay, it was getting a little weird now. I needed to get back to my car and get back to Kate's apartment, and then I would think about all of the things that he had said. I grabbed my phone and wallet and keys, which was all that I had with me here, and stood by the front door to wait for him to get off of his phone call so that we could leave.
He was only outside for a minute or two this time before he came back in again. He looked at me, standing near the door.
"I'd like to go now, please," I said.
"I thought we were going to have coffee first."
"Yeah, I changed my mind. I really do need to get back and take care of some things, so I'd like to go now."
"Yeah sure, of course," he said. "Let me just take a quick shower, and you can hang out for a bit, and then we'll go."
He was stalling. Why was he stalling?
"Tim, I'd like to go now."
"I don't want you to leave yet," he said as he walked toward me, and I started to get creeped out. "Just stay for a little while longer. It won't take long, just give me a few minutes, please."
"What won't take long?" I asked.
Tim looked as though he'd caught himself saying something that he shouldn't have. "Nothing. Just stay for a few more minutes, please."
"No," I said as I reached