Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“Ada,” Jonathan said as I entered reception, his gaze travelling over my features as though trying to decide if I were about to tell him to leave. Did he think I was mad at him for being mad at me? Oh, what a mess. “I was hoping for a word.”
I glanced Sally’s way, and just like before, she was putting on her best performance of “being busy on her computer.”
“Of course, come back to my office.”
Jonathan nodded and followed me through the lounge where, thankfully, Jackie had the decorum not to wolf whistle again. There were, however, many whispered giggles and hushed murmurings. You’d swear they were a gaggle of fourteen-year-old girls in the presence of their favourite boyband. I caught Archie, one of the male residents, glance up and roll his eyes before returning his attention to the dog-eared novel he was reading.
“As you probably noted,” I began once we were enclosed in my office, away from prying eyes and ears. “Your appearance here tends to cause a bit of a stir, so perhaps next time, a phone call will suffice.”
Jonathan lifted one thick eyebrow—it was a few shades darker than his hair—his lips twitching in amusement. He seemed at ease, which in turn put me at ease. He’d be way more serious and stiffer if he’d come to sever all ties, right? “A stir? Really?”
“Don’t act like you didn’t notice them all giggling and whispering. There were even a few lewd remarks when they spotted your car pull up outside. The residents here might be elderly, but you’d be surprised by the number who are still … uh, never mind,” I finished, realising I definitely didn’t want to get into the specifics of our residents’ sex lives.
Jonathan’s lips pressed together, a hint of mirth sparkling in his eyes. “No, please finish.”
I folded my arms, my sober expression communicating my refusal to do so before I stated, “So, what did you wish to speak about?”
A flicker of vulnerability flashed in his eyes before it was gone and the amusement returned, “I’d rather you tell me one of the lewd remarks I missed out on. I could do with an ego boost.”
I blew out a breath and went to sit down at my desk, then rubbed at my temples while my cheeks began to heat. “Honestly, I doubt that, and I’d rather not.”
“Miss Rose, are you flushing?” He sounded far too amused.
I flashed him a serious look. “Can you please just tell me whatever you came to say? It must be important for you to drive all the way out here.”
Jonathan’s amusement faded, his expression turning more reflective as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and took a seat in front of my desk. What was it about the way he unbuttoned that jacket that had me feeling all peculiar?
“I came to apologise.”
“Right. Seems to be a running theme with us,” I muttered.
“How I behaved on Saturday was completely out of line.”
“You really don’t need to apologise, Jonathan. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left the spaghetti. It was a thoughtless act on my part.”
“You couldn’t have known how I’d react.” A hint of discomfort crossed his features. “It was the first time I …”
His words fell off, but I suspected the word he’d left out was “cried.” Just thinking about those two lone tears had me wanting to move across the office and cocoon him in a hug. He seemed not to know how to continue, so I spoke instead.
“Honestly, I completely forgot that recipe came from your mother. I’ve been making it for so long it just completely slipped my mind.” Standing from my seat, I went around to lean against the front of my desk where he sat. “I’m sorry if it brought up old memories for you.”
I stared down at him, and his pale blue gaze flicked up, making me suddenly aware of how close I stood. “It tasted so good, just like hers, and I just …” Again, he trailed off, looking away before his intense eyes lifted again. “I haven’t cried since I heard about her passing, but as soon as I ate one bite, it was like everything came flooding up. I took my anger out on you, which was completely uncalled for. You were only trying to do a nice thing.”
“I promise, next time, my efforts to be nice won’t be quite so thoughtless,” I said, reaching down to squeeze his hand. “And it’s good you finally cried. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Crying has been a regular occurrence for me since all this happened, so I’m not going to be one to judge.” Suddenly, something shifted in his gaze, something that had goosebumps rising on my arm.
Jonathan turned his hand in mine, catching my fingers and smoothing his thumb over my pulse point. The touch had me swallowing thickly as he murmured, “I’m also sorry for not checking in with you last night. I was still in a bad way, and I was too ashamed of how I behaved the previous night. I’ll resume checking on you tonight, though. I won’t break my promise again.”