Nash Brothers Box Set - Carrie Aarons Page 0,213

dirty innuendo falls out of my mouth.

Forrest smacks a hand to his chest, his expression all faux offense. “Ms. Briggs, I don’t kiss on the first date.”

I play along. “Well, considering we’re way past that, I’m not sure this can even qualify as a first date.”

He pops another piece of sushi into his mouth, and I choose a new roll to try. We share a smile that waxes of mutual humor and secrets we know about each other in the bedroom.

“How’s work going?” Forrest asks.

“You really want to know that?” I find it amusing.

He shrugs. “We’ve never really talked about it before, and I read a book on dating one oh one that said to seem genuinely interested in your date’s career.”

“You did not read that book.” My tongue and lips tingle with an impending laugh.

A nod of his head, his dark hair ruffling with the motion. “Of course, I did.”

Now I snicker. “Forrest, you can’t be that lame. Or that socially inept. We’ve interacted at barbecues, events, even alone in your own home!”

His gaze is solemn. “That might be true, but I’ve never taken anyone on a date. I’ve never taken you on a date. I wanted to do it the right way.”

And underneath his clever, quick-witted conceit, I see it. The vulnerability of a man who has never felt fully himself with anyone. Except … maybe with me?

A shy smile spreads slowly on my lips. He’s probably expecting me to banter back at him, to tease him about this very personal admission he’s shared. But I won’t. Because I knew I’d be tripping over my awkwardness and fearful about jumping into the dating pool … but I didn’t realize the two hearts at this table would feel the same way.

“Work is good. Great, actually. Being a small-town school nurse is as unpredictable yet boring as it sounds, and I absolutely love it. Who knew dealing with teenage breakups and flu outbreaks would be part of a job description?”

Forrest blinks, probably surprised that I actually answered the question instead of delving into his first date confession.

“I can’t imagine dealing with that kind of drama every day. Or that many people.”

I shrug. “Yes, the students can exaggerate with the best of them. But they’re just trying to figure themselves out, some of them with very real daily ailments. I like to think I can prod them in the right direction while also helping them see that life won’t always be this rife with hormonal turmoil.”

A muscle in his jaw tenses, but his eyes shine with admiration. “You’re doing good work for those kids. Sometimes, I felt like high school would never end. It wasn’t as easy for me as it was for my brothers. But then my dad bought me my first computer, and I found I was passionate about something … it does get better. That’s such a cliché when guidance counselors say it, but it does.”

The butterflies that have been simmering, fluttering quietly all night in my gut, suddenly take flight. My opinion of Forrest has changed so many times in the last year, it’s a little bit like whiplash. Every time I think he’s going to be a pompous ass, he somehow surprises me. In this moment, I thought he’d brush off real emotion with some sardonic comment. Instead, the man shows me he has the maturity of someone twice his age. Admitting that he had a rough go of things until he found his interests … that’s big. Not every man would open up about being so unsure.

It makes me want to open up, too. “I think a lot of people assume that I peaked in high school.”

“Penelope …” Forrest’s voice is low but holds contempt, like he wants to argue that point.

I hold up a hand. “No, I know that’s what a lot of people in Fawn Hill say about me. Penelope Briggs, the prom queen widowed by her high school sweetheart. Raising three boys as a single mother. Never left town, tries to act younger than she is … I’ve heard all the gossip about me. Hell, I’ve probably spread some of it trying to save face. And it might be partially true, I did have some of my best years in high school. When I left, life rolled down hill for a while. I got pregnant way younger than I’d wanted to, my husband died, I had to make ends meet for my kids. But … people don’t realize that I’ve also prospered.