to ask questions, I’m sure your family will find out.”
“I know, I think that honesty is the only way to get through this. I want us to work together. You know how I feel about you, but we can take things slow.”
“I appreciate that.”
She took a deep breath. I knew that this was a lot for her. I didn’t want to move or speak, worried that I might scare her away. There had to be something I could offer her that might put her mind at ease. Meeting my parents was off the table. They would spook her away without question. The second my mother brought up anything legal, Stacy would be gone.
“What would you think about having dinner tomorrow night at my place with Hailey and my brother Jackson? It would be a good way for you to start meeting people.”
“I think that’s a great idea. Honestly, I’m picky about who I let into Harrison's life. No one that I haven’t met before is going to be spending time with him.”
“Great, it was actually Hailey’s idea, so I’ll let her know we are in. After that, we can talk about me meeting him for the first time. I have to agree, this is the perfect place for it. We could even do a picnic.”
“That sounds perfect. So, the dinner was Hailey’s idea, huh?” She asked. “I get the feeling that woman is trying to play matchmaker.”
I blushed. “Well, I have to say that I don’t mind her taste in women one bit. You know that I’d be more than happy to take you out on another date, right?”
“Easy their big boy, let’s just take this whole thing one step at a time. I need to know how your family is going to be with Harrison before I even think about anything like that.”
“I know,” I said.
We started to walk back to the parking area. It was peaceful just to be with her. Even though the questions swirled in my mind, I was content at that moment just to be at her side. It didn’t seem like the walk was long enough. Before long, the parking lot came into view, and my heart dropped a little. She was going to go back to her world, and I’d go back to mine.
“You know, I really enjoy seeing you,” I told her.
Stacy smiled. “I’ve had a good time too. I’m excited about tomorrow night too. What time should I come?”
“Six?” I offered. “But feel free to come earlier if you want. Honestly, you could come at six in the morning, and I’d be fine with it.”
“Well, that’s good to know,” Stacy said.
We slowed near her truck, my heart racing as she hesitated. It felt like she wanted to stay with me. The idea made my heart leap. There wasn’t much I could think of that was better than having Stacy with me. I’d have followed her to the edges of the earth, and she still barely trusted me. Sooner or later, I would have to tell her just how deep my feelings ran, but it was a conversation that could wait.
“How are you liking being a business owner? Didn’t you say you just bought that place?”
She hesitated. “Well, the location and actual site are wonderful. Dealing with the former owner’s son, that’s another story altogether. He’s kind of a creep.”
My hand clenched. “What is he doing?”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about. I shouldn’t have brought it up. He’s just always hitting on me, and I can’t seem to make him understand that I am not interested.”
“Well, now that you own the place, he shouldn’t have a reason to be around.”
“Right, except he has another three weeks to give me the deed to the property, and he’s made it very clear that he’s not going to just disappear or hand it over until then.”
“Is there anything that I can do?”
“No, but thank you. Neil is just a creepy jerk that I have to deal with. It just makes things more difficult. Feels like I’m living under a microscope at times. He even mentioned my date with you.”
“Yeah, I know just how you feel,” I said. “Everyone seems to know about our business.”
Silence filled the air between us. It was infuriating to know that a man was harassing her. It was just as upsetting knowing that Stacy would surely see it as overstepping and get angry with me if I did anything about it. Was there a point where I could claim concern