Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 125936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
“Sorry. He’s my best friend in the world.” Van was entirely serious now. “We’ve basically been together our entire adult lives. I can be pretty sarcastic around him. As for whether or not this is the genuine Hale, he wouldn’t know how to be anything else. He’s probably on the spectrum but he doesn’t have a diagnosis, and all that means is his brain works a little differently and he can struggle with being incredibly literal. But he’s actually quite good at processing emotions. He doesn’t fight them the way some of us do. He’s an amazing guy, and I think I should bow out of this and let you two talk.”
He started to slide out of the booth, and there was the panic again. He wasn’t ready to lose Van. He was supposed to have another whole semester to fix the problem, and he suddenly knew if he pursued Elisa on his own, they would go their separate ways. This was a fork in the road, and they might not be moving in the same direction after the next few moments.
They would be friendly, but they wouldn’t have the deep friendship that almost made Van half of Hale.
Elisa reached out and put a hand over Van’s. “Please stay. I was surprised, but I can’t say I’m not open to the experience. Especially now that I know Hale’s not a player.”
“What would I be playing?” Hale asked. They hadn’t talked about any games. He was good at games, especially the ones with the complicated rules.
Van grinned at Elisa. “See what I mean? And I’m sorry. You are absolutely the most gorgeous woman to come through town since we’ve gotten here, and I didn’t want to lose the chance to spend some time with you.”
So that was not about game playing, or rather not the kind he’d been thinking of. It was the nasty kind of games, the one a man could play with a woman that hurt her. It was good she didn’t think he was a player.
She sat back and picked up the menu, seeming to relax. “Excellent. Then we’ll put all our cards on the table and be up front and honest. Hale, I’m glad you’re attracted to women because I’m attracted to you. But you should understand I thought you were interesting enough to be friends with, too. So, just to get it all out there, I’m divorced. I’ve been divorced for two years. I haven’t dated at all since then, so you will be my first flirtation since. I used to be in the military. Now I am unemployed, but I’m ready for a new challenge. I recently recovered from breast cancer, and I’m nervous about whether or not I’m still attractive.”
He could clear that up for her. “You are.”
She smiled again. “Thank you, but you haven’t seen the part I’m worried about. I guess what I’m trying to warn you about is I’m damaged and I’m working on it. I don’t know how long I’ll be in town, but if my dad has any interest in getting to know me, I might hang around for a while. So if you are looking for a quick lay with a tourist who you never have to see again, I might not be your girl.”
“I’m not looking for a quick hookup. I’d like to get to know you. I’m glad you might stay in town,” Hale replied without thinking about how eager he might look. He was eager. There was something about this woman that pulled at him. She didn’t seem bothered by how weird he could be.
“Then I have to be honest and let you know that while I’m not looking for a quick hookup, I also don’t know that I’m a good bet if you’re in the market for a boyfriend.” Van sat back and seemed a bit grim. “I’m about to start a new semester of college, and it’s my last. When the time comes, there’s a job waiting for me in Dallas. I have to concentrate on work.”
“We’re just having dinner tonight.” Hale didn’t like the way this was going. “Nothing more.”
“Yes, we are,” Elisa agreed. “But I appreciate the honesty. I don’t see why we can’t go with the flow for a while. I simply didn’t want you to think I’ll be gone in the morning.”
Wait. That sounded like a good thing. “I don’t want you gone in the morning.”
“I don’t think I’ll want you gone in the morning, either,” Van agreed. “So, we’re going to enjoy dinner and if you feel comfortable, we would like to invite you back to our place for a drink or whatever we choose. I have a ton of crazy stories about growing up in a motor home. Hale can do some weird things and entertain the hell out of you. You might find us charming enough to stay the night.”