Chapter 17

17

LINCOLN

I dried myself off and wrapped the towel around my waist. It was late, and I thought I might be able to sleep. Maybe Aly was already asleep and I could climb into bed beside her. I wasn't sure how I felt about sharing the bed with another person, but with her, I would try.

Walking out of the bathroom, I went straight for the bedroom, expecting to find Aly waiting for me. I hadn't been in the shower for very long, but when I returned to the bed, I found it empty. I checked the living room and it was also empty. Aly had hit it and quit it.

I found myself laughing. It was usually the other way around, wasn't it? The guy in the situation was the one to duck out. Finding myself the brunt of a booty-call joke, I had to laugh. She was sly. I never imagined that she would sneak away, that her interest in me would evaporate after one fuck. The laughter died quickly though as an empty feeling settled in my gut. I realized I wanted more than just that one encounter.

I put on some new clothes and my boots and returned to bed. I was able to get a few hours of sleep before morning.

I overslept. I hadn't set an alarm because sleeping was so rare. When I next opened my eyes, the sun was streaming through the narrow basement window. I checked my phone and saw that Danny was due to arrive any minute. Luckily, I was fully dressed. I ran to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and hurried out to the curb.

Danny was waiting for me, just about to give my phone a buzz if I didn't appear. "Did you sleep?" he asked, because I had told him about my insomnia.

"Yeah." I buckled my seatbelt.

"Was it the tea?" As soon as I mentioned I was having trouble sleeping, everyone wanted to give me their guaranteed home remedy. Danny's had been Sleepytime tea.

"No, it wasn't the tea," I said, leaving it at that.

Danny glanced at me out of the corner of his eye but let the matter drop. We pulled into the employee parking lot and got out. I realized I had forgotten to pack a lunch. Usually if that was the case, I skipped lunch or ordered pizza delivery. Today, I had something else in mind.

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.