A New Hope - Robyn Carr Page 0,66
seemed to be making her happy, pleasing her. And when she said more! he laughed and seemed thrilled by it.
Ginger hadn’t had a lot of partners in her life. There were a couple of men before Mick when she was right around twenty, guys she knew immediately weren’t right for her. Then there was Mick who, to his credit, was very romantic when he felt like it, but their time together wasn’t a priority for him. And while it wouldn’t be ladylike to say so, Matt’s skill made Mick look like a bumbling lad.
She didn’t even want to know where he came by all this experience and skill. She was a little afraid of the answer.
Limp and satisfied once more, she lay in the bed while he went to get them coffee.
“I have to go to work,” she said. “We don’t open early on Saturdays and there’s no wedding today, but I’m needed in the shop.”
“When do you open it?”
“We’re open ten till four on Saturdays, unless it’s the day before a holiday like Valentine’s or Mother’s Day—then we stay open till six. Today is a short day. I might be able to sneak away early. But I really should shower and get down there. Will you go back to the farm? Is this the last possible moment now?”
“Hell, no, sweetheart! I’m hanging around unless you want me to leave. If I’d known your work schedule I’d have taken you out for breakfast.”
“I’ll grab a bowl of cereal or power bar.”
“Maybe you should have both. How about we plan a nice dinner out tonight,” he asked. “Maybe we’ll drive over to Bandon or Coos Bay. Just tell me what you’d like and I’ll find a nice restaurant for us.”
“If I let you stay, let you sleep with me, is there any chance something is going to go all wonky in your head and you’ll turn into Mad Matt again?”
“God, I hope not,” he said. “Here’s what I think we should do. We should talk, like we already do. We should spend time together. We should take it easy and slow and make sure we understand each other. Right? If there are things about me you don’t like, don’t want to be stuck with, you have to promise to speak up. And vice versa. I’m not going to try to change you, but I want to really know you. So far, you’d have trouble convincing me you’re not perfect.”
She laughed at him. “Well, I guarantee you, I’m not!”
“Let’s do it, Ginger. Let’s check this out—us. I’ve been alone over a year and no one ever shook me up like you. I’m not walking away without a real good reason. But if you tell me to go...” He shrugged. “Just be honest with me, that’s all. I’m sure I’ll make mistakes but I’m not going to force myself on a woman.”
“And yet, you packed an overnight bag,” she pointed out.
“I am the eternal optimist.”
“I’m going to get in the shower. What will you do today while I work?”
“Well, with your permission, I’m going to go see Peyton, tell her we’re together and ask her to butt out.”
“Oh, Matt,” she said.
“Seriously, she’s been hell to bear ever since she first saw the way I looked at you. I love my sister but she’s a bossy pain in the ass. Sisters should always be younger. She’s not the boss of me.”
Ginger laughed. “You be nice to her or I’ll dump you.”
“Sure. Right. So then I might check and see if I can bring you lunch. I’ll walk around town a little, maybe head down the beach if the weather holds. And there are some organic farms east of here. I like looking at farms, talking to farmers.” He lay back on the bed, lacing his fingers together behind his head. He crossed one long, hairy leg over the other. “Right now I’m going to watch you do your morning things. And enjoy it.”
She took her coffee into the bathroom. “No,” she said. “You’re not.” And she slammed the door.
* * *
“Well, good morning,” Grace chirped when Ginger came in the back door of the shop. Grace was making a centerpiece, and Ginger marveled at how fast her hands moved, how perfectly symmetrically every stem and blossom fell into place. “How was dinner last night?”
“Hilarious—Ashley and Eve joined us. They tell these riotous stories of college life, the older women get the vapors and we all laugh until we have to stop and take a