Concealed Hearts (Hometown Jasper #4) - Nicky James Page 0,16
end, I have email on my phone now, so that’s a plus. And I know how to use it.”
Tomi laughed out loud, and it sent a thrill through me. I couldn’t have washed the smile from my face if I tried.
“Windsor Elkhart, you’re a funny man.”
Maybe I was drunk with happiness and relief, but the following words tumbled out of me without thought. “I’m an awkward, middle-aged man who has been unable to get you out of my mind since you left. Is there any chance you’re on the same page as me, Tomi?”
Chapter Four
Tomi
“Is there any chance you’re on the same page as me, Tomi?”
To what end? Where could this possibly go? Windsor’s words hit me square in the chest. They moved through my body, tingling with a warmth I hadn’t felt in a long time. The truth was, I felt his words like they were my own.
“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought of you a few too many times to count since coming back to BC. Honestly, I had no idea you felt the same way. Wishful thinking is one thing, but this is real, isn’t it?” My cheeks hurt from smiling. “We’re talking.”
“Yeah. I was hoping we could do this more, actually. The talking thing. Maybe get to know each other better?”
“I’d like that.” I needed to broach the subject we were both skirting. If I didn’t, I knew my analytical brain would be up all night, breaking down the logistics of this whole attraction. “Would it be foolish to point out the obvious barrier in this situation?”
“You mean besides the fact that we’re both hiding who we are?
“Besides that.”
“Location?”
“I assume you’ve considered it.”
“I have. How about … one step at a time. Like I said, this is all pretty new for me anyhow. Maybe you’ll discover my cowardice is annoyingly immature, and you’ll decide you’re better off leaving me to these Jasper nuts.”
“You’re doing well, Chief. I mean it. Better than you think.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
It was time for my own honesty and bravery to kick in, but if I told him about all the thoughts I’d been fighting since leaving Jasper, it might scare him off. Windsor Elkhart wasn’t just incredibly good looking; he was the kind of man I’d been seeking for years. He had a quiet yet powerful presence most people didn’t have. He was one of those men who you could tell got better looking as they aged. The silver at his temples, his sun-weathered skin, and the crinkles beside his eyes were only a few things I’d stored away without knowing it when I’d run back to BC.
He took care of himself, and his commanding presence had literally commanded my brain and taken my logical thinking hostage for weeks. I wasn’t the person who usually allowed his thoughts to drag in the gutter, but that was where they’d been.
“Are you done teaching for the summer?” The strain and uncertainty in Windsor’s tone pulled me back to the conversation.
“I am. Classes finished while I was in Jasper. I came back to mark exams and organize grades. That’s finished now.”
“A few months off then?”
“Not particularly. I have a lot of lab time scheduled. The summer is when I work more on my research studies. It keeps me busy.”
“You’re not giving yourself a break?”
Windsor didn’t realize how my mind worked. It rarely shut down. If I didn’t give it something to do, it would drive me mad.”
“Research is relaxing.”
His deep laugh made me smile. “What are you working on? I’m afraid to ask because I’m sure I won’t understand a word of it.”
“On quantum gravity tests with composite particles.” I pinched my lips together, cutting off my laughter. No one outside my field of work ever understood.
“Yeah, see. That’s what I thought. Sounds … complicated. How about you explain it to me sometime?”
“I’ll do that.”
“In little baby words that don’t make my head hurt.”
“I’ll try.”
We shared a laugh.
“So.” There was a shifting or repositioning on the other end of the line. “Maybe I could call you again? Say, tomorrow night?” Windsor’s hesitance was cute and so out of proportion with the broad-shouldered, powerful police chief I’d gotten to know those few weeks back in Jasper.
“I’d like that.”
“Me too.”
“I could bore you with my work some more.”
“You could.”
Another chuckle.
“Have a good night, Chief.”
“You too. It was nice to chat.”
We hung up, and I sat for a long time, absorbing. Of all the men who I’d come across in my life, it figured that it was