Hold Me Close (6 page)

A woman about his age stood in the doorway wearing skimpy shorts and a tank top. Obviously her sleep clothes since it was since barely twenty degrees outside. “Hi, I’m Janet.”

“Hi, Janet. I’m Shane. I just moved in.” He hitched a thumb over his shoulder to his apartment.

“I thought that apartment wasn’t ready.”

“It’s not. I’m doing the work while I live there.”

The corner of her mouth lifted. “So you’re a handy kind of guy.”

“I’m a carpenter.”

“Hmmm. I guess that means you don’t know what to do about the heat.”

Ahh. Now his tired brain clicked. She was having the same temperature issues he was. “No, sorry.”

“Okay. Thanks anyway. Good night.” She slipped back behind her door.

As he let himself into his apartment, he realized Maggie’s place had been totally comfortable. How the hell did that happen? He was too tired to focus. He’d deal with it tomorrow. He strode through the apartment, straight to his bed, tossing off clothes as he went. He cracked the bedroom window open a little to keep from getting sweaty.

All in all, it hadn’t been a bad day. He had gotten work done on his apartment and made up with Maggie. With any luck, tomorrow she’d go buy a big-ass TV so they could watch it while his place was under construction.

He fell back asleep feeling the imaginary press of Maggie’s body against him. The desire for that to become reality held just enough edge to annoy him. Waiting didn’t come easy.

CHAPTER 5

M
aggie was exhausted and the idea of canceling her coffee date tempted her, but it would’ve been unfair to Bill, Olivia’s coworker. Moira had insisted on going all over the city looking for furniture, and although Maggie had hated it, she was glad because she was done. She had a slew of deliveries all coming tomorrow.

Driving through the slush-covered streets, she looked for a place to park near the coffee shop. When a spot opened, she pulled in. She took a minute to check herself in the mirror. While she wasn’t fully made up for a night on the town, she still wanted to make a good impression. This guy might turn out to be great boyfriend material.

She swiped on some lip gloss and grabbed her purse. Inside the shop, she looked around, trying to see Bill. It wasn’t too crowded, but it had an odd configuration, so she couldn’t see the whole place from the door. Hopefully, Olivia had shown Bill a picture of her too, so he could keep an eye out for her.

At the counter, she ordered a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, and while she waited for her order she continued to look around. Grabbing her cup, she debated whether she should get a table or wait here, making her easy to spot.

From behind her, a deep voice said, “Maggie?”

She spun to see Bill standing beside her. “Yes.”

“Sorry I’m late. My shift at the hospital ran over a bit.” He looked at her cup. “I would’ve bought your drink.”

“That’s fine.”

“Let me order and we’ll grab a table.”

She waited while he placed his order. He was taller than her, but that wasn’t saying much. He was probably five-ten or so. As he paid for his coffee, she looked at his hands. Definitely not the big guy from her dreams.

She shook her head. Damn Moira. Maggie knew the guy didn’t actually exist; he was a figment of her overactive imagination. The guy in front of her deserved a real chance.

With his coffee in hand, he pointed to a free table. He waited for her to sit before taking the chair across from her.

“So Olivia tells me you’ve been traveling. Where have you been?”

“I went to London and then to France and Spain for a few weeks. But once I hit Ireland, I kind of settled in. I have cousins there, so it was a lot of fun to be with extended family.” She sipped her hot chocolate and hoped she wouldn’t get a whipped cream mustache to make her look ridiculous.

“I’ve always wanted to travel. It’s one of those things I keep telling myself I’ll do, but then I get caught up in the day-to-day stuff of life.”

“I know you work at the hospital with Olivia, but she didn’t tell me what you do.”

“I’m a nurse.” He paused like he was expecting her to make a comment.

The problem was, she had no idea what to say. “Cool.” That sounded lame as soon as it left her mouth. How could she be this out of practice for being on a date?

Bill smiled. “Sorry. I was expecting some of the usual comments like
A guy nurse?
Or
Why not a doctor?
I find that someone’s reaction to my job says a lot about them.”

And hers probably said she had the vocabulary of a sixth grader. “Did I pass?”

He let out a low chuckle. “Yeah.”

“Do you like being a nurse?”

He jerked his head back a little. “Why would I do it if I didn’t like it?”

“I don’t know. You know, a lot of people go into a career thinking it’s going to be one way, and then it’s not, but they’re already in it, so it’s hard to walk away. You have the degree, the experience, the job security, so you suck it up even if you don’t enjoy it.”

“Spoken like a woman who hates her job.”

She laughed. Her words probably did carry that message. “Nah. I’m waitressing right now for that exact reason. I’m not sure what I want to do, and I don’t want to land somewhere I’ll regret.”

“Makes sense.” He drank his coffee, but the expression on his face was a little too serious. “Any ideas?”

“For a career? Too many. I almost feel like a five year old. One minute I want to be a writer, then I want to be a social worker, then I think maybe just a regular office job, something that won’t ever have to come home with me.” She took a long drink, feeling like she was failing a test.

“What did you major in?”

“I never got around to declaring a major. When I started college, I thought I’d get into marketing, so I have a few business classes under my belt, but mostly I experimented.”

“So you haven’t graduated.” The statement could’ve been simple observation, but Maggie felt the judgment behind it.

She shook her head. Yeah, this date had taken a wrong turn. Who wanted to be out with a guy who’d make her feel like a failure? He didn’t follow with another question or comment, choosing to stare at his coffee instead. “You know, I have a shift at the bar tonight. I better get going. It was nice to meet you.”

Glad she had thought up the slight fib, she stood and looked around for a trash can for her cup. He stood. “It was nice to meet you.”

They were obviously on the same page, since he didn’t bother to ask for her number. “You too.” She gave him a quick wave and dashed out the door. First blind date failure? Check. She wasn’t sure she could stomach a long line of these before finding success.

The whole conversation with Bill had blindsided her. She’d been so concerned with appearing normal instead of like a victim that she hadn’t considered other ways she might be a turnoff. So the blind date failed because she was failing at life. It stung.

She drove back to her apartment with her few purchases and thought about her options for the evening. She almost wished she did have a shift at the bar. At least she’d have plans. After parking her car behind the bar, she grabbed her bags and ran up the stairs. As soon as she walked through the first door, Shane’s door opened.

He looked at the bags she carried. “None of those look big enough for a TV.”

“You know, for someone who’s so concerned about a TV, maybe you should just invest in one.”

“I have one. It’s in storage. I don’t want it to get ruined on this job site I’m living in. Besides, if I watch TV at your place, you might cook me dinner.”

“Fat chance. More like I’ll order food from downstairs.”

He pointed at her bags. “I thought you were buying furniture.”

“I did. It’s all being delivered tomorrow.”

“I would’ve picked it up for you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, why not?”

She thought about her lack of a TV. It would be nice to watch something bigger than her laptop. “Are you free now?”

He looked down at his dusty jeans and sweaty T-shirt. “Yeah.”

“A TV was one thing I didn’t buy today. I was busy picking out a bed and mattress and stuff like that. Will you go with me to get one?”

“Give me a few minutes to clean up.”

“Thanks. You’re the best.” She went on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. She tasted his salty sweat and dust. There was something to be said for the scent of a hardworking guy. “Then will you be so kind as to hook it up when we get back? I’ll buy you dinner.”

She winked at him. So dinner wouldn’t actually cost her anything if she got it downstairs. Shane wouldn’t care.

“I’ll be ready in ten.”

“Okay.”

Somehow, shopping with Shane was less crazy than shopping with Moira. Of course, they only had one purchase to make and Maggie pretty much let Shane pick out the TV. As the guy from the store helped Shane load the flat screen into his truck, she asked, “How are we gonna get this into my apartment?”

“I’ll get one of the guys in the bar to help. Maybe Ryan or Colin will be around.”

“I doubt it.”

“We’ll figure it out. Have you met any of our neighbors yet?”

“No, but I haven’t been looking either.”

“There’s Janet across the hall from me. I was hoping a guy might be across from you.”

Maggie shrugged. “No idea.”

As they drove home, Maggie asked, “Do you think it’s weird that I don’t have a career picked out yet?”

Shane was quiet, but then he usually did get quiet while in thought. He was not a speak-before-you-think kind of guy. She should take lessons. “Not weird. A little unusual, maybe. Why do you ask?”

“I went on a date this afternoon, and the guy seemed put off by the fact that I hadn’t finished college and I’m taking my time figuring out my life.”

“A date?”

She asked about her career and he homes in on the date. Such a guy. “Coffee. A blind date. Olivia fixed me up with a guy from work. A nurse.”

Shane snorted.

“What was that for?”

“A nurse?”

“What’s wrong with a guy being a nurse?”

“It’s girly.”

“It is not. Not like it matters, though. We won’t be seeing each other again.” Back to the drawing board. Maybe she should ask Ryan to do a speed dating thing again. He’d done it once for Quinn.

“Uh-oh. You have that scheming look again.”

“I do not. I’m just thinking about ways to find decent dates. You know anyone who would be good for me?”

“No.” His answer was quick and sharp.

“Something wrong?”

“No.”

She let it drop. Maybe she was being overly sensitive after her messed-up date. When they got back to the bar, Maggie offered to help carry the TV, but Shane didn’t think she could handle it, so he knocked on a neighbor’s door. A tall guy came out, and Shane introduced them and asked for help. His name was Alex, and between them it took less than five minutes to carry it upstairs.

“Thanks, Alex. Can I offer you a beer?” she asked once they set the box in her living room.

“No, thanks. I’m actually on my way to work. I’m a night shift security guard.”

“Interesting.”

He shook his head. “Not really, but I get some studying done because it’s quiet. Then I have classes during the day when I’m not asleep.”

“Busy. So I guess we won’t be seeing much of each other.”

“Probably not, but it was nice to meet you.”

After Alex left, she helped Shane unpackage the TV and he set about hooking it up.

“Are you sure you can tap into the cable for the bar?”

“I did it when I lived here before.”

“Don’t they have satellite now?”

“Crap. I figured I’d piggyback like last time.” She should’ve talked to Ryan first. Maybe he could get her added to the bar’s access. “I can use the Internet to at least stream some stuff until I figure it out.” She didn’t need Shane’s help for that.

He’d gone to the kitchen and helped himself to one of the beers Moira brought. Looked like Moira was right. She should be able to offer guests a drink.

She played with the remote to her Blu-ray player to access the Internet.

Shane asked, “What’s this?”

“What?” She glanced over her shoulder where he was scrolling through pictures on her laptop. “Pictures I took.”

“They’re good. Since when are you a photographer?”

“I’m not really. I play around with it as a hobby.” Although if she were being honest, she’d admit that she enjoyed being behind the camera more than almost anything.

“When did this start?”

“When I was in Europe. I took a free class and bought a camera. I wanted to document my journey with more than some blurry, rushed shots.”

He didn’t comment but continued to scroll through her computer, so she returned her attention to the TV. She figured it out without too much trouble and then asked what he wanted for dinner.

“Are you cooking?”

“If by cooking you mean going to the kitchen downstairs, then yes.”

“A burger will be good.”

“Be back in a few. Pick out something to watch.”

Shane settled back on Maggie’s couch. He began to wonder what else he didn’t know about her. Their too brief visits over the holidays had been about catching up and having fun. Their phone calls while she was away were about connection and missing each other. Discovering that she had a hobby he knew nothing about, one she was clearly good at, felt strange. Worse was hearing her talk about trying to find dates.

Part of him had become accustomed to Maggie being a homebody after her rape. She’d started going out again and seeing friends, but she hadn’t really dated since. At least not until she’d gone halfway around the world. He should’ve expected her to continue once she got home.

But he wanted a chance with her. He just didn’t know when or if to make a move. She hadn’t given him any indication she felt the same, and he didn’t want to risk making their friendship awkward.

So he sat in her living room, drinking her beer, and watching TV like he would with any other friend.

But she would never be just a friend.

She’d always be special.

He set his beer on the table and focused on the photos on her laptop. He didn’t know what he was searching for. But then he found it. A picture of Maggie, smiling as she looked out to the water. He had no idea who had taken the photo, but it was perfect. Her face was lit with enjoyment—Maggie always loved being near water—but a shadow still hovered over her. That was what she wanted to shake off.