Home to Stay (The Long Road Home #2) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,25
if I’m lucky enough to have one.”
A flash of her being married slammed into his mind, and his breath caught in his throat, hating the idea of her with another man. How the hell can I be jealous? We’ve just met. But as soon as that thought hit him, he shook his head. No, that’s not true. We’ve been getting to know each other for the past eight months through the letters.
“Are you okay?” she asked, drawing his gaze back to her. “You seemed lost in thought.”
“Oh… I was just thinking of this place. Um… you seem to have several projects going on all at once.”
A wide grin brightened her already-beautiful face. “I started on the shutters because that seemed easy. But then I hated the drip in the bathroom sink, so I decided to stop on the shutters and work on that first. Of course, that was all after I’d started to work on the shelves close to the fireplace. I think, as a homeowner, I’m very distractible when it comes to my projects.”
His brows lifted. He wanted to offer to assist, but she’d already mentioned her family doing the same thing and she’d wanted to work on projects herself. Still… “Well, if you ever want someone to work with, just let me know. I’ve been doing projects on Gramps’ house.”
Her smile shot straight through his chest. Deciding to leave the subject of her house alone, he asked questions about her class, bringing an even brighter smile to her face. By the time they made it to double chocolate cake, he was more relaxed than he’d been in years.
Working side by side, they washed the dishes and put away the few leftovers. Grabbing two more beers, she led him on a tour of the house, excitedly detailing the improvements she wanted to make. It was hard not to catch her enthusiasm, and he chuckled at her many misadventure stories.
“I couldn’t believe I didn’t get stung when I found the hornet’s nest behind the shutter on the side window. And don’t even get me started on the attic. I know there’s room for storage up there, but I poked my head up there and immediately shut the door! I’m terrified of bats! I found a snakeskin in the shed and that’s why I haven’t been back out there. My dad told me to stay out until he had a chance to check it out.”
“Sounds like you’re really close to your family.”
They settled on the sofa, and she twisted her body so that she could face him with one leg tucked underneath her. Bright eyes sparkled as she talked about her cottage, her family, and her students. He loved hearing her voice, wanting to know everything about her, and fought the urge to reach over to take her hand or rest his fingers on her shoulder, anything to have a physical contact to match the emotional pull filling him.
She ducked her head and sighed. “I’ve talked so much that I’ve barely given you a chance to say anything.”
“I like listening.” Fascinated by her, he’d like to do more than listen. Staring at her lips that were so close, it would only take a short distance to be able to kiss her. Holding back, he wanted to take it slow. She’s not like the women hanging around the base looking to score. Blowing out a shallow breath, he hoped she would keep talking.
Her lips were still curved upward, but her eyes focused directly on his face. “I’d like to hear more about you. What you’re doing, what your plans are.”
Suddenly, the cold finger of self-consciousness moved over him, and he hesitated, lifting his hand to squeeze the back of his neck. “There’s not much to tell that you don’t already know. I joined the Army right after high school. Did sixteen years and flying shrapnel took away my career. So, right now, I’m out of a job, out of a career, living with my grandfather, and don’t have a clue what’s next.”
As the words left his mouth, he hated the sound of the pity party they created. But Lucy was a beautiful, educated woman. Fully employed as a teacher. Surrounded by a family that cared for her, offering her advice and assistance when needed. And she was fixing up a house all on her own, just by learning, doing, making mistakes, and finding successes beyond those mistakes. There’s not a goddamn thing I’ve got to offer her. Right now, I’m an unemployed