Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64419 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64419 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
We had to hit the ground running. It was Monday, and a lot of the contractors who ordered their supplies from us were waiting for their deliveries. I had graduated to driving my own truck, and since my leg was cooperating, I could even help load and unload. I still had to take one of the other employees with me to help transfer the lumber to the customer’s stockpile. But that was standard practice. Even Danny and Henry took another guy with them occasionally to help with big jobs.
I had two runs lined up at the beginning of the day and finished both of them before noon. In the back of my mind, a constant joke—in which I had been the punchline—kept me smiling. Though I was still a bit unnerved by finding Aly gone from my bed last night.
At lunchtime, I went to the office. This time, I didn’t take any paperwork or make up an excuse to see her.. I found her hard at work, typing on her computer. She looked up and something like panic flashed across her face.
“I’m not angry,” I said quickly.
“I can explain,” she began.
“You don’t have to.” I smiled, touched that she wanted to smooth things over.
She frowned, letting her fingers drop from the keyboard. “I just…” She was having a hard time putting her feelings into words.
“Do you want to have lunch?” I asked abruptly.
She stared at me, unsure how to process the sudden turn of events. “What?”
“I forgot my lunch. I actually got some sleep last night after you left, and I forgot to set my alarm.” I watched her face for signs of pleasure, and I wasn’t disappointed.
She blushed. “I slept well too.”
“Awesome. So, would you like to have lunch with me, Aly?”
She drew in a deep breath before answering. “Sure. Why not?”
I went around the desk and offered her my hand.
“Now?” she asked.
I nodded. Aly turned her attention to the computer, typed in one last sentence, and hit save. Pulling out the bottom drawer, she removed her purse from the desk. Fitting her hand into mine, I helped her rise.
She tried to pull away once we were both standing, but I held on to her hand. After a moment of confrontation, she relaxed and let herself be led out the door. We walked hand in hand through the lumberyard to the employee parking lot. I didn’t care who saw. I liked Aly, and I knew she liked me. We were two adults just having fun together and it was no one’s business but our own. I had no interest in hiding and didn’t give a damn who knew.
We drew at least a dozen eyes from customers and employees alike. In a town this small, everybody knew I was back from the war, and now they knew that I was dating Aly. I was proud. She was beautiful, smart, and courageous. Why wouldn’t I want to be seen with her? I smiled at Danny as we passed, letting him know the real reason I had been able to sleep last night.
18
ALY
That was the beginning of my relationship with Linc. Over the next few days, we saw more and more of each other. I had been nervous in the beginning, thinking that he had only wanted a roll in the sheets. That turned out to be false. He wanted friendship and romance, and he took me seriously as a partner in crime.
The first time we walked through the lumberyard holding hands, I had tried not to meet the gaze of all the people who were watching. It was a declaration of our fondness for one another. I couldn’t say love because I wasn’t sure I was in love yet. But I cared about him, and he cared about me.
The last thing I wanted was for people to start talking, but if we wanted to take things any further, that was a bridge we would have to cross. Linc did it perfectly, head held high, not caring who saw.
We went to the diner, another place that was full of people who would gossip about us. We sat in a booth and ate burgers and fries, making eyes at each other over our sodas. He reached across the table to take my hand and I let him. It was crazy. He was laying it on thick, as if we were two lovestruck teenagers who couldn’t get enough of each other.
I felt the same way, so I enjoyed every bit of affection.
People noticed, and Porter was one of them.
He called me into his office the next day and asked me to sit down. “This is awkward,” he said, rubbing the back of his head.
I sat down, not wanting to guess at the reason I had been summoned.
“It’s about Linc,” Porter said, putting me out of my misery, erasing my concerns about job performance or budgetary cuts.