“Do you like Colorado better than Michigan? Or did you want to be closer to family?”
I wanted to be closer to you.
“A little bit of both. I think I knew that if I didn’t move back here, your beard would never get trimmed.”
“Ha ha …”
I stole a tiny glance into his eyes before resuming the beard trim. “I do love it here. And I missed my mom. We no sooner reunited after five years of separation while in prison, and she left for California. Not long after she returned, I went to Thailand. Then Michigan.”
“It’s crazy that I remember Rory but I don’t remember her going to California.”
“Well…” I used my finger to tip his chin up “…if you remembered her going to California, then you would remember me.”
“True. What did you do in Thailand?”
I missed you. Developed feelings for another man. Gave away my virginity. Found my calling in life. And missed you some more.
“Mission trip. Originally, it was just going to be for six months. But the friend who convinced me to go, he wanted to stay for another six months. Best decision ever. I assisted a midwife. And that’s where I fell in love with midwifery. So I went back to Texas after Thailand, just long enough to have my grandparents help me get my tuition paid.”
“So you owe this guy, your friend, a big thanks for convincing you to go to Thailand.”
“I suppose I do.”
And Fisher. I owed him a thank-you for helping me see just how terrible the timing was for us.
“That’s pretty cool,” Fisher said. “I like when fate does its thing. Had a friend of my dad’s not given me a summer job with his construction company, I probably would have gone to college just to play sports. Who knows how that would have ended?” Fisher shrugged a shoulder. “Angie said she wanted me to play baseball in college. She thinks I would have gone pro.” He chuckled. “Apparently, I’ve known her since we were six. Our moms had our wedding planned before we left elementary school.”
“So … you remember that you love construction, but you don’t remember owning a construction company? And you remember your family, but you don’t remember the girl you met when you were six? The woman who you proposed … well, said ‘yes’ to?”
“Maybe it’s a sign.”
“A sign?” I tilted my head.
“Maybe it’s a sign we need more time.”
“Oof … I hope you haven’t said that to her.” I turned off the trimmer, removed the guard, and blew on the blades before returning the guard to its place and setting it on the counter.
Fisher ran his hand over his closely trimmed beard. “What if I don’t remember her? What if I don’t …” He rubbed his lips together, his gaze averted to the floor.
“What if you don’t what?” I took the towel from his lap and shook the whiskers into the trash.
“What if I don’t fall in love with her again?”
I coughed a laugh. “Um … you had sex with her last night.” I couldn’t look at him. I wasn’t eighteen, but I also wasn’t immune to the bathroom we were in or talking about sex with the naked fisherman.
He jerked his head back as if my statement made no sense. “Sex isn’t love.”
“It might be to your fiancée.”
“She wanted it. And you suggested my dick might not be working properly, so I did it. Now she’s happy. And Nurse Capshaw is satisfied too.”
I shook my head and cleared my throat while tossing the towel in the hamper. “Please don’t have sex with … anyone to satisfy me. I’m just an old employee, your friend’s daughter who you can’t remember. And …” I held up my arm to look at my watch, being very dramatic about it so he would drop the topic. “I need to run errands now.”
“Where are you going?” He followed me out of the bathroom.
“I just said I’m running errands.”
“Yeah, I’m not deaf. I meant, what errands?”
“Target and the uniform store to get some new scrubs.”
“You should invite me.”
As I reached his front door, I turned. “You think so?”
He shrugged, looking so handsome it made me want to cry. Stupid life timing. What I wouldn’t have given for him to have stepped closer, to have made me melt with one look.
Are you going to kiss me?
I’m thinking about it.
“Give me thirty minutes to get home and make my list. Then I’ll pick you up.”
A slow grin worked its way up his face, warming my skin and forcing my heart to do some silly beat skipping.
Chapter Eight
“Never thought I’d see this day,” I said as Fisher climbed into my vehicle.
“What day is that?” He fastened his seat belt.
“The day you jumped at a chance to go to Target and a uniform store because you’re so bored.”