The Rebound - Noelle Adams Page 0,10
moon.
Madeline was thrilled with the view. Thrilled with the night air and fresh scent of trees and dirt. And thrilled with Ken’s relaxed companionship. He was easy and funny and thoughtful, and she felt safe with him even in the dark. When they got to the top, he pulled a blanket out of the backpack he’d been carrying and spread it out so they could sit down.
They lay on their backs and stared up, and Madeline felt for a few minutes like a happy child getting a special outing past her bedtime.
It was a silly thought, but she couldn’t shake it off until she turned to smile at Ken. Only to be hit with an intense wave of attraction at the sight of his big body, square jaw, and strong hands.
She didn’t feel much like a kid after that.
“Pretty nice, huh?” he said.
“It’s amazing. Do you come up here a lot?”
“Not as often as I’d like. Usually I’m too tired to go out at night.” He paused, his blue eyes glinting in the bright light of the moon. “I guess that makes me sound old.”
“No. It makes you sound like an adult. To tell you the truth, I go to bed pretty early myself.”
“Well, that’s not surprising. You’re basically doing two jobs, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.” She sighed and stared back up at the sky. “It’s a lot.”
“Why not quit the library? I can’t believe you really need that money since the flower shop has taken off the way it has.”
“Yeah. I mean, no. I don’t need the money. I just...”
“You just what?”
She glanced over and saw that he had his head turned to watch her. His eyes were steady, like he was really listening. Like he wanted to hear what she said. That gave her the push to admit, “Maybe it sounds weird, but I don’t trust it. The success. It happened so quickly. It was such a fluke. People work their whole lives with just as much skill and talent as we have, and they don’t find this kind of success. So I don’t trust it. I’m afraid it won’t last. So the library is like... like a safety net.”
“How long do you think you’ll need the safety net?”
“I don’t know.”
He turned slightly so he could stroke her cheek gently with his fingers. The touch was featherlight. Delicious. “Every time I see you, you seem more tired.”
“Really? Is it that obvious?”
“To most people? Probably not. I’ve just noticed.”
Her heart gave a funny little jump at the words, although they were spoken in such a casual tone that it was hard to take them too seriously. He probably hadn’t taken special notice of her. He was just an observant man.
“I thought maybe it was because of the breakup, but now I’m wondering if you’re really just tired.”
“I am tired. The breakup upset me, but not... not...” She flicked him a quick look before she continued, “Not as much as I would have expected.”
“That’s good then.”
“Is it? To tell you the truth, it makes me feel kind of guilty. Nine years of a relationship and I’m mostly just relieved that it’s over.”
“There’s nothing to feel guilty about. You did everything you could to make the relationship work. Even I could see how much you gave—and as far as I could tell, you didn’t get all that much back. Most people would have given up on it long before you did.” He shook his head and looked away, making it seem like the last words were spoken to himself. “I never did understand why the fool didn’t marry you. I mean, what the hell was he waiting for?”
A little laugh spilled out unexpectedly at his dry tone. She wasn’t sure why, but his words and disbelieving tone were making her feel better than anything had in a long time. “I never understood it either, but now I’m glad it didn’t happen. It was hard enough to end a long-term relationship. If it was a marriage, it would have been even messier. In the end, I’m glad I wasn’t... tied to him in that way.”
“Yeah. But still... I could never understand what his problem was. Sometimes I wondered if you were the one who wasn’t sure you wanted it. That made more sense to me.”
“Why?” She frowned, glancing over at him again. She’d been mostly staring up at the sky since it seemed safer somehow. Less intimate than holding his gaze. “Did you think I’m not into marriage or something?”
“No. Not at all. I