that wasn’t the memory I carried with me for the last twelve years.” If she could have bitten her tongue off, she would have. She’d all but said she’d pined after him all this time. “Not that, you know, I thought about it a lot.” Great, now she sounded defensive.
“I did.”
“I’m sure. I’ll just bet you’ve been celibate the last twelve years because of an aborted seduction by the creek.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but when I was lying in a hospital bed in Iraq, wondering if I’d live to see my father again, I had a lot of time to think. That was a memory I returned to over and over again. I think that’s part of the reason I ended up here in Dale. I could have gone anywhere when I got discharged. I came here.”
Nadya’s heart felt too big for her chest. Her emotions were so close to the surface, she was afraid of what would spill out of her mouth if she said anything. Finally, she couldn’t take the silence any longer.
“I’m glad you came back. I’m glad I did too.”
“I want you to stay.”
Chapter Fifteen
Nadya stared at J.T. and didn’t know what to say. Her heart was jumping up and down screaming, “Yes! Of course I’ll stay!” Her brain wanted to step back and consider all the angles.
“And do what? I have a job in New York. I have college loans to pay. I can’t just quit and work part-time at the store.” It seemed easier to focus on the practical concerns than on the emotional ones. Was he asking her to stay for him?
“I’m sure there are law firms in Canton. Hell, if you sell the property to the developer you won’t need to work.”
“Is that what you want me to do?”
“I don’t care if you sell the place, keep the place or burn the whole thing to the ground. I want you to do what makes you happy. I want you to be happy. Here with me.”
“I-I don’t know what to say. I’ve had a lot of shit thrown at me this week. I really don’t think I should be making any life decisions right now.”
J.T. took a step back and visibly collected himself. “I guess you’re right. I’ve only had to deal with seeing you again and surviving the gut punch it gave me. You’ve had pretty much your whole life turned upside down.”
“Seeing me gave you a gut punch?” The thought pleased her inordinately.
“Knocked the wind right out of me when you climbed out of that fancy car of yours.”
“You did a number on me when I realized the police officer sitting in front of my childhood home was my first love.” Ack! What was she saying? Had he slipped in truth serum with the ibuprofen?
“First love, huh?”
Of course he wouldn’t let that slide. “Puppy love. I was eighteen, for heaven’s sake.”
“Honey, eighteen or twenty-eight or a hundred and eight, I plan on being your only love. You can bet the farm on it.” He gave her a quick kiss and headed out of the room. “I’ll make you some soup. You shouldn’t have any more medicine on an empty stomach.”
Nadya collapsed onto the bed. Had he just told her he loved her in a roundabout way? She replayed the conversation in her head. No, he hadn’t admitted his feelings, just told her he’d make sure she loved him.
So if he wanted her to love him, that must mean he loved her, right? Argh. That man was turning her brain to mush. She needed to talk this out, get her head on straight.
She slowly wriggled into her shorts and slid her feet into her sandals before grabbing her cell phone and slipping out the back door. The setting sun painted the sky in shades of pink and orange. The full moon was already on the rise and was as red as a cherry. It would be another hot one tomorrow.
Funny, she didn’t feel the heat so badly anymore. It didn’t take long to get her Southern blood back, she guessed.
She dialed Sandra’s cell, hoping her friend would answer. Sandra would give it to her straight. She could be more objective than Mary Ellen, who was too close to the situation. And who was really pulling for Nadya to stay with J.T.
“Bubele! Where are you? Are you back in New York?”
“Hey, Sandra. No, I’m still in Georgia.”
“When are you coming back?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh, no, don’t tell