Seb (7 page)

“That’s why you feel the need to stick it out with him, no matter how horrible he is to you?”

“He’s not horrible to me.” He was understandably depressed and miserable but rarely mean.

“But he’s not the man you remember.”

“He’s doing the best he can. None of us know how we’d react in his position.”

Mrs. Ryan sighed before nodding slowly. “I guess you’re right. It’s just so damn frustrating to see him like that, giving up instead of fighting like hell and appreciating every day he has.”

“It’s frustrating because you care so much.” I leaned forward, gripping her hand. “Can I ask you a personal question, and please feel free to tell me to mind my own business?”

She smiled while squeezing my hand. “I doubt I will, but go ahead.”

“Are you…” God, this was a lot harder than I’d thought it would be, but I had to know. “Are you in love with my uncle?”

Her lips thinned, her green eyes zeroing in on the old-fashioned calendar attached to the fridge. “I tried to deny it for a long time. I told myself I was crazy to develop feelings for a man who’d already given up on life. I’ve already lost one man I loved, and I sure don’t want to lose another.”

“But we can’t help how we feel, can we?” I thought about what had happened between Seb and me last night. The attraction had been intense, no matter how often I’d tried to tell myself it was a mistake to get carried away.

“No, we can’t.” She pressed her slim fingers against her trembling lips. “The more time I spend with him, the more I see glimpses of the old Charlie. Those reminders made me fall for him, I guess. I loved the man he used to be, but that man is slipping away from us.” Looking as desperate as I felt, she asked, “How can we get him back, Sky?”

“I think I might have an idea.” Putting so much pressure on Seb wasn’t fair, but he truly was our last hope for bringing my uncle out of his deep depression. “Seb is going to fix up Uncle Charlie’s old car as sort of a favor to me.”

“Wow,” she said, her eyes widening. “You must be pretty special to him. I can only imagine how busy he must be.”

“It’s not like that,” I said, not wanting to lead her to believe we were a couple. “I’m going to be helping out at his shop to pay for it. But Uncle Charlie can’t know anything about it. I want it to be a surprise. If he asks, I’m going to tell him we had the car moved to the underground lot to make more room in the visitor’s lot, okay?”

She shrugged. “Sure. But won’t this restoration cost a lot of money? I’ve watched a few of those shows with Charlie, and it seems those restorations cost a small fortune. You’ll be working for this young man for a long time to repay your debt.”

I thought of Seb’s refusal to charge me for labor and smiled. He really was a great guy.

“What?” Mrs. Ryan asked. “Why are you smiling? There’s something you aren’t telling me. Is there something between you and Mr. Steele?”

Trying to keep the details from her was pointless, so I said, “I met him a few days ago. I went to the shop to ask him if he would consider working on Uncle Charlie’s car, and last night I made dinner for him to thank him.”

“And tonight you’re having dinner with him again?” she asked, her lips curling.

“
We’re
having dinner with him,” I corrected. “You will come, won’t you?”

“Are you kidding?” She laughed. “I wouldn’t miss it. With the way you blush every time you mention this man’s name, I need to know whether he’s as smitten as you are.”

I covered the opening in my chambray shirt when I realized the heat was moving down my neck. “It’s not like that.”

“It’s exactly like that, and don’t you try to deny it.” She winked at me. “I may be a lot older than you, missy, but I haven’t forgotten what it’s like to get those butterflies in your tummy when you see your man.”

Seb wasn’t my man, and I wasn’t sure I wanted him to be. “He’s sworn off women. I don’t know why, but I get the feeling he was burned pretty badly.”

“He’ll tell you all about it when the time is right.”

I nodded, thinking about how much we’d opened up to each other last night. If that pattern continued, within a couple of weeks, I’d know Seb better than any other man I’d dated. “The timing sucks, meeting someone I’m interested in now. My focus should be on Uncle Charlie, not—”

“Nonsense.” Mrs. Ryan gave me a look that dared me to contradict her. “A distraction is exactly what you need right now. It’s not healthy for a vibrant young woman like you to be so fixated on doctors and medication, disease and death.”

I shuddered at the mention of death. That was the last thing I wanted to think about today, when I was feeling more alive and excited than I had in a long time. I checked my watch. “I should go. I have to meet a friend for coffee.”

“This friend wouldn’t happen to be—”

“It’s not Seb,” I said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “Actually, he was one of the first responders when you called for help the other day. He’s a police officer.”

“Two men?” She grinned. “My, my, aren’t we a lucky lady?”

“It’s not like that,” I said, rolling my eyes at her teasing. “I told him I’m only interested in being friends. I figure it can’t hurt me to get out a little more.”

“Amen to that,” Mrs. Ryan said, walking me to the door. “Do you want to take my van to dinner tonight?”

“Let’s see how Uncle Charlie is feeling. If he feels he can get away with the walker, we’ll use my car. If he needs the wheelchair, we can use your van.”

“Sounds good.”

“Thanks for the coffee and tea biscuit. You don’t need anything at the store?”

“No, I’m good, honey. Thanks for the offer though, and the dinner invitation. I’m looking forward to it.”

“My pleasure,” I said, walking toward the elevator with a wave over my shoulder. Truth be told, the pleasure would be in seeing Seb again. I was already counting down the hours.

***

Since I was little late getting to the café, Jarod was already waiting for me.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, slipping into the chair across from him. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

“No, I just got here a few minutes ago.” He grinned. “You look gorgeous, by the way.”

I hadn’t put much effort into my appearance that morning: a chambray shirt and white skinny jeans paired with my UGG flats. My hair was up in a messy bun, and I’d made do with a sweep of mascara and lip gloss, but I appreciated that he wasn’t hard to please. Not that I was trying to impress him. I’d save that for Seb.

“Thanks. You look nice too.”

He was dressed casually, in a pair of well-worn jeans and a T-shirt with loafers. Jarod was a nice-looking man. Not a head-turner like Seb, but the kind of man I was used to dating. Not so good-looking he was arrogant but not so plain he was insecure and needed constant reassurance.

“I’m glad you were able to make it.”

“Me too,” I said, smiling brightly. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Would you like a cup of coffee and a bite to eat, maybe?”

I hadn’t realized it was almost lunchtime. My chat with Mrs. Ryan had run a little longer than I’d planned, putting me behind schedule, but thanks to her tea biscuit and a big breakfast, I could delay lunch until I got home. “Just a green tea for me, but feel free to have lunch if you’re hungry.”

“I had a protein shake after my run, so I’m good for a while,” he said, standing. “Let me just grab your tea and maybe a coffee for myself.” I reached for my wallet, but he winked, waving me off. “My treat.”

I pulled my phone out of my purse when it buzzed, and I smiled when I saw Seb’s text letting me know it shouldn’t be too hard to get the parts he’d need for my uncle’s car.

My hero,
I texted back, grinning.

You know it,
he replied almost immediately.
What’s up?

I hesitated, my fingers hovering over my phone before I finally settled on
Coffee with a friend.

My cake?

I was amused that he was still thinking about that chocolate fudge cake I’d promised.
Don’t worry. You’ll get it. Btw, Mrs. R is in.

Cool. Later, sexy.

Sexy? I was still trying to decide how to respond when Jarod set my tea in front of me, forcing me to put my phone away. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

“You’re not working today?” I asked, peeling back the lid. I didn’t have a lot of time, but I didn’t want to bail on him until I’d at least finished the drink, so at the risk of burning my mouth, I took a tentative sip.

“Tonight,” he explained, adding cream and sugar to his coffee. “I know you said you work from home. What do you do exactly?”

“I’m a graphic designer. I do freelance work now, but since I sold my house to help care for my uncle, I don’t have a lot of extra expenses. Everything goes into the kitty to cover his care.”

“I think I said this before, but I really admire what you’re doing, taking care of your uncle like that.”

“Thanks.” I didn’t know why I couldn’t open up to him the way I had with Seb, but it just didn’t feel right. “But you know how it is. When you love someone, you’ll do anything you can to help them.”

“My wife didn’t get that,” he said, clenching his stir stick between his teeth. “That was a real bone of contention between us. She was pissed that I moved my mother in with us and—” He shook his head. “I’m not going to ruin our time together talking about her. I want to hear more about you.”

I wasn’t used to talking about myself, and it usually took some time for me to open up about myself. I was much more comfortable being labeled “the good listener.” I sipped my tea. “There’s not much to tell. I’m single, twenty-eight, never been married or engaged.”

“Why is that? A beautiful woman like you must get plenty of offers.”

“Truth is I liked living alone. I always figured if I met the right person, great. If I didn’t, I was okay with that too. I made a good living, had my own house. I was doing a pretty good job looking after myself, so I didn’t need someone to take care of me.” I realized that probably made me sound averse to a relationship, which I wasn’t. I was open to the possibility—when my life was more stable and my time was my own again. Not that I was looking forward to that day if it meant losing my uncle.

“But things don’t always work out the way we plan, right?” He regarded me carefully, leaning back in his seat. “I mean, what if you met the right person when you least expected it?”

I thought of Seb. The timing couldn’t have been any worse, but that didn’t diminish my attraction to him. “I guess I’d have to deal with it. I’d just hope that he understood I have other commitments. Family comes first with me, and my uncle needs me right now.”

He smiled. “I get that. I felt the same way about my mom. In fact, my ex actually threw that in my face when she walked out on me if you can believe it. She said if I hadn’t been so wrapped up in my mother’s illness, she wouldn’t have turned to another man.”

I winced. “Ouch, that’s just nasty.”

“I know, right?” He shook his head, his broad shoulders tense. “Damn it, I did it again, didn’t I?”

“Have you dated much since your divorce?”

“My friend’s wife talked me into using one of those online dating services,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“I assume it didn’t go well?”

“I only tried it a couple of times to be honest. Both girls were nice enough, but there was just no spark, ya know what I mean?”

“I do.” It was the difference between the way I’d felt with Seb last night and the way I felt with Jarod today. “Without a spark, there’s no point in pursuing it, unless you agree you’re not expecting anything to come from it.”

“Like us, you mean?” he asked, grinning.

“Uh, yeah, like us.” I didn’t want to offend him. I genuinely enjoyed his company and would have been open to seeing him again, but I couldn’t afford any misunderstandings, especially now that Seb was in the picture. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine,” he said, reaching across the table to grab my hand. “You didn’t offend me. I just like hanging out with you, Sky. You seem like a great girl, and I’d much rather go out to dinner or a movie with you than waste an evening with someone who’s planning our future by the time they serve the entrée.”

I giggled, wondering how many times he’d had an experience like that.

“I’m serious,” he said, leaning back. “There’s nothing worse than going out for a casual dinner with a girl you just met and having her grill you about how many kids you want to have and whether you would consider converting to a different religion if you met the right woman.”

“That does sound pretty bad,” I admitted. It was kind of sad I’d never been serious enough with a guy to want to plan our future. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to date.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to date,” he said. “I wouldn’t hesitate if I found someone who interested me. That’s why I asked you out, because I was intrigued. I got the feeling you’re different than most of the girls I’ve been out with.”

“How so?” I asked before draining my cup.

“I don’t know. I guess it’s like you said. You’re not looking for anything serious and could take or leave a relationship. I’m not gonna lie—that’s a real turn-on for most guys.”

I wondered if Seb felt the same way, not that I was interested in playing games with him. “I guess I’ve always thought most people put way too much pressure on themselves to find that one special person. We don’t give ourselves enough time to figure things out. When I was in college, most of my girlfriends were talking about marrying their boyfriends after graduation. I couldn’t imagine doing that.”

“Why not?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want to be tied down. I was looking forward to traveling, seeing a bit of the world.”

“Did you?”

“No, I got a great job offer right out of school, so I took it.”

“Any regrets?”

I’d often wondered if I should have done things differently and focused on having some fun before settling into adult responsibilities like a mortgage, but I assumed things worked out the way they were supposed to. If I hadn’t had equity in a home, I wouldn’t have been able to help my uncle when he needed it most.