a second, unnerving me. “Have you ever thought about finishing your nursing degree?” His voice was soft, cautious even. He placed his coffee cup on the counter.
Just the thought sparked me with excitement. Had I thought of it? I’d dreamt about it. I knew I was going to eventually get my nursing degree because I wanted something of my own. I didn’t own a house or a car, but I wanted a degree. And when I did get it, no one could take that away from me.
“I want to,” I said vaguely.
At my response, his face lit up. “You should. You could take some classes at the local community college. You’ll have from after they leave till three to take classes. And I’m sure they offer online courses too.”
I gulped, touched by his kindness. He barely knew me, and he wanted good things for me. The sentiment was overly kind, and a rush of energy surged through me at the thought.
“Thank you.” I placed my hand on his forearm, grateful. With the raise that I’d received from watching Eleanor to now watching the girls and the fact that rent was free, I could afford the credits at a local community college.
His eyes flickered to where we were connected, and a moment later, he pressed a hand on top of mine. “You should really think about it. We can make it work around here.”
Our eyes locked for a few long seconds, and the natural, comfortable feeling I felt around him shifted into something else, something deeper, more intense. I had to turn away from him and place my own mug on the counter.
“Thank you,” I repeated. My heartbeat picked up in my chest, and my cheeks warmed.
To distract myself, I opened the fridge and got some eggs out, clearing my throat. “So, per Patty, Mary likes scrambled, and Sarah like her eggs sunny-side up. How do you like your eggs?”
“I don’t eat,” he deadpanned.
“At all?” I playfully widened my eyes. “How’d you gain all that muscle, then?”
The side of his mouth tipped upward. Goodness, was it cute. Why couldn’t I get a full-on smile? I was sure when his smile surfaced, it was wonderful, like the sun shining through the clouds after the rain.
“I mean”—he shrugged—“I don’t normally eat breakfast. If I do, it’s not a big one. I just grab another coffee when I’m near the office.”
I flicked my hair over my shoulder as I grabbed a bowl to scramble Mary’s eggs. “You should know that breakfast is the most important part of the day.”
I passed him the carton of eggs, and he placed it on the kitchen island. Then, I passed him the bacon. His fingers brushed mine as he took it and set it on the island.
“Did your mom tell you that? That’s something my mom always said when she was making us breakfast.”
I blinked up at him, my smile slipping. Any mention of my mom sent me to a place in my past that I didn’t like to go. My voice was low, almost hoarse. “My mom … yeah, I don’t like to think about her often.” The last time I had seen her was years ago. “She”—I went to the fridge again, getting out the orange juice—“wasn’t a very good mother.” I stared at the bowl of fruit, at the salad, at the milk and swallowed hard.
“Becky, I’m—”
I held up a hand and smiled that forced smile that always seemed to pop up as a coping mechanism. The one that said everything was okay when it really wasn’t.
“Don’t be sorry. My life is so much better now that she’s not in it.” I sucked in a hard breath and I flicked my hair over my shoulder as I grabbed a bowl to scramble Mary’s eggs. “I didn’t even check for the lunchmeat. Patty mentioned that Mary only eats ham,” I said, changing the subject so quick that I probably gave him whiplash.
I heard the fridge open, and a moment later, ham was on the kitchen island.
“Yeah, Mary is addicted to ham. We have to have it in the house at all times. She even likes it in her eggs.”
I chanced a glance at him and read curiosity in his eyes, but I was so thankful that he didn’t press me further. I didn’t have any friends for that very reason. They would want to know everything about me, which included my past and that was off-limits.
He moved to the other counter, grabbing a loaf of bread.