God's Gift - By Dee Henderson Page 0,45
were delicate, fragile, the bouquet a riot of color.
She accepted them, touched by the thought and the attention he had paid to the detail. Every color of a rainbow was present. “They are lovely, James.”
“They are flowers whose beauty will eventually fade, your beauty won’t.”
Flowers she had expected…the compliment she had not. “James…”
He grinned. “It took two days to come up with the line, but I haven’t had much practice in the last six years. My delivery still needs a little practice.”
She leaned against the doorjamb, grinned. “Oh, I don’t know. You did pretty well.”
He reached out and touched her hand. “Go find a vase for the flowers and let’s get this night underway.”
She joined him a few moments later, carrying a lace wrap should the night turn cool.
He locked the front door for her.
Rae walked with him down the drive, liking the attention as his hand touched the small of her back, the fact he matched his pace to hers. “Can I ask one question, if I then promise to drop the subject for the night?”
He opened the car door for her, smiled. “Somehow I think I would prefer to have you ask it now, than have this question in your mind for the evening,” he replied. He walked around the car, slipped behind the wheel, turned the key in the ignition. When the car was running, he rested his hands across the steering wheel and turned toward her. “What’s your question, Rae?”
“How bad is the pain today?”
He nodded, conceding it was a good question. “On a scale of one to ten, one being so bad I don’t want to move, ten being I no longer notice any symptoms, today is about a six.”
He pulled out of the drive and headed toward the restaurant. “Can I ask one question, if I promise to stay off the subject for the rest of the evening?”
Rae hesitated before nodding. “I suppose fair says you get at least one.”
He chuckled. “Tell me about work.”
“That’s a complex question. Anything specific you would like to know?” she asked, looking at him. She saw him nod.
“Do you still like your job?”
Rae leaned her head back against the headrest. “I love the challenge. I love the fact I am good at turning data into a concrete conclusion. There are times I even think I may learn to like the trading. But I hate the hours. There has been no time for the book lately, and I really hate that.”
“Tonight is taking time away that you could be using to write.”
Rae was grateful that he understood the cost she had paid when she said yes. “Yes. But I don’t regret my choice.”
“I’ll make the night worth it.”
Rae smiled. “It already is.”
They arrived at the restaurant.
Rae took her time looking over the menu. “Do you think baked trout would be safe?”
He grinned. “I would say that is a good choice.”
Rae liked the evening with him, sharing a meal. He told her stories about Africa, stories from the days working with Kevin building their business. He made her laugh and it made the stress of the workday fade.
They lingered at the restaurant for almost two hours, enjoying the chance to talk together. When James finally suggested they should consider leaving, she agreed, knowing she needed to call it a night before it got much later, but regretting the ending of a wonderful evening.
“Would you like to see someplace special?” James asked her as she fastened her seat belt.
She looked over at him, surprised. “Sure.”
He nodded. “It’s not far.”
He took them to an established neighborhood a couple miles from her own home, where the trees were ancient and the houses set back on large plots of land. He drew to a stop in front of a two-story house, put the car in park.
Rae looked around with interest.
“My new place,” James said quietly.
She turned to look at him. “Really?” He had bought a house? She looked back at the place. He had bought a place. A deep spot of uncertainty inside her dissolved. She had been afraid he might end up settling in a different city, with a different job. He had bought a house. This was good.
He smiled at her surprise. “Come on, I’ll show it to you,” he offered, turning off the engine.
Rae slipped out of the car.
It was a beautiful home. James had arranged to have the key and he opened the front door for her, gave her a guided tour, pointing out the structural changes he planned to