Love In Slow Motion (Love Beyond Measure #2) - E.M. Lindsey Page 0,5

wouldn’t give up his children for the world.

Fifty wasn’t thirty, but he wasn’t standing on death’s door, and he was going to be fine.

“Knock, knock.”

Fredric tried not to show that he was startled by the sound of a person in his doorway. The voice was light and airy, and though he wasn’t the best at being able to tell ages, he assumed the person was younger by the sound of it.

“Hey, sorry. I’m Agatha. I saw you come in, and I figured you were my new neighbor.”

Fredric wished he had his cane on him, but it was somewhere in the kitchen which was at least twenty steps away. And though he hadn’t been ashamed of being visibly blind in decades, he hated stumbling around in front of strangers. “It’s nice to meet you, Agatha.”

She made a soft noise, and when he raised his brows, she laughed. “It’s just, I super hate my name, but I kind of like the way you say it.”

He couldn’t help a soft chuckle. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

There was a beat of silence, then she made a soft aww noise, and he knew Bastian had come back into the room. “Can I pet him?”

“I think he’d love that. Sebastian, say hi,” Fredric said. He felt his pocket, then pulled out a treat and held it in her direction. “He’ll love you more if you give him this.”

He heard her feet squeak over the tiles—running shoes, probably, and he realized he didn’t miss the sound of sharp stilettos on the hard floors. “Does he know any tricks,” she asked, then stopped as she plucked the treat from his fingers. “Sorry, that was a dumb question. He’s a guide dog. He knows like, all of them, right?”

Fredric grinned. “Maybe not all, but he certainly knows enough. Just have him sit for you.”

She gave the command, and he heard Bastian’s impolite chewing a second later. “He’s gorgeous.”

“Mm. And he’s quite aware.” There was a moment of silence that settled, awkward in the way that meeting strangers always was. He could tell a lot by voice, but there were days he did wish that losing a sense super powered his others. He wished he didn’t have to wonder how old she was, or if there was a dangerous look in her eye, or if she was sizing him up to see if he was someone who could be taken advantage of.

And then he forced himself to remember he wasn’t in that world anymore. And he knew things weren’t black and white, and nothing would be miraculously and fundamentally good just because he’d escaped his former life, but one of the reasons he’d done this was to learn how to trust. Old habits would die hard, but he had to let them go.

“So,” Agatha said, saving him from trying to figure out what the hell to say, “when do you move in?”

“Right now,” he said, and he heard her suck in a breath.

“With…nothing?”

“With a massive moving truck full of things I don’t need,” he answered with a grin. “And four strapping young men who I’m sure will provide a nice view for anyone who can appreciate it.”

She laughed quietly. “I do love a little window dressing. Can I help with anything?”

Fredric’s smile softened. “Thank you, but no. I have a fairly strict system.”

“Fair.” She hesitated, and he could feel it charged between them. “Are you married?”

“Divorced.” The word felt foreign on his tongue, but in the best sort of way, like a person finally understanding a brand-new language.

“Am I sorry?”

Fredric laughed. “You are most definitely not.”

“Then, dinner at my place this week.”

Fredric shook his head in disbelief, and he put his hand on Bastian’s head when the dog nudged his thigh. “This feels like a hostage negotiation.”

Agatha cleared her throat. “Sorry. Sorry…I get…I’m not super great with social cues and…” She stopped abruptly.

“Dinner sounds lovely,” Fredric said after a beat, and just like that, the threads of tension snapped, and air flooded the space between them. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“I love cooking,” she said, and it sounded like maybe she was smiling. “My boyfriend is really terrible in the kitchen, and I’m actually better at baking, but I can throw together a mean casserole. Um. If you can eat that.”

“I can eat just about anything,” he said. “Why don’t you come by the day after tomorrow, and I can let you know how things are going.”

“Yes. Yeah, okay.” He heard the smile in her voice. “Can I pet