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Alexander knocked on her door at five twenty-seven. She snatched her coat from the closet and opened the door, ready to leave. But before she could cross the threshold, he stepped forward, pushing her back into the foyer, and shut the door behind him. He gripped her waist with both hands and jerked her closer. Her heart pounded in her chest as his lips found hers and she melted against him, letting her tongue tangle with his.
Alexander rested his forehead against hers, but didn’t let her go. “That’s better.”
She hummed. “Did you have a bad day again today?”
“No. Actually, it went well.” He didn’t seem surprised that she’d picked up on his mood the day before. “I even got a job offer.”
“Really? Where?” Maybe it should have seemed odd that they were standing in her foyer, foreheads still pressed together, having this conversation, but it didn’t feel awkward.
“Same company I work for now.” He brushed his mouth against her forehead and let his arms fall down to his sides. She didn’t miss that he still had his cane. Nor had she missed how much he’d leaned on it that morning. “But my position was always meant to be temporary, until my license came through and I could open my own practice.”
She knew how important starting his own practice was to him. They’d talked about it a lot over the last two months. “What are you going to do?”
He picked her coat up off the floor and helped her into it. “I don’t know. The money’s good. Benefits. Vacation. 401K.”
“But it isn’t what you want.” She could hear it in his voice.
“Shuffling papers around isn’t exactly how I saw my future.” He opened the door for her and followed her outside. “Then again, up until a year ago I figured I’d be spending at least another ten years in the military.”
She nodded, not feeling as if words were needed. Plans changed. Circumstances changed. They both knew that.
Over dinner Grace told him about her sister’s visit. “If you needed to take care of your sister tonight, all you had to do was let me know.”
“Thanks.” Knowing that made her feel a bit better. They were still feeling things out, especially the relationship part. “Her relationship with Jax has always been complicated. The chemistry was always there, but I think she was looking for something more permanent than he was.”
“And now?” he asked, swiping a fry from her plate and popping it into his mouth.
Grace shrugged. “I don’t know. He seems to be more invested in Taylor, wanting to spend time with her... be her dad. But I’m not sure Gabby’s willing to open herself up again. He really broke her heart when he took off the first time.”
“Hopefully they’ll be able to figure it out. It’s never easy when kids are involved. Too often they get stuck in the middle.” The way he said it made her think he was speaking from personal experience, but as far as she knew his parents had a happy marriage. He seemed to know where her thoughts were going. “My best friend in junior high. In the two years I was there, his parents had split, gotten back together, and then split again. Last I heard, he was living with his mom and spending weekends with his dad. It was hard on him.”
“I’m sorry.”
Alexander stole another fry. “It was a long time ago.”
They finished their dinner and walked hand in hand down the block to a jewelry store. Grace had passed by it several times, but she’d never been inside. She’d never had reason to.
He held the door open and gestured for her to go first. “After you.”
***
A woman behind the counter looked up as they entered. She smiled. “Welcome. Anything particular I can help you find today?”
Alexander placed a hand on the small of Grace’s back and guided her forward. “We’d like to look at your selection of necklaces.”
“Right over here.”
She directed them to a long glass case full of necklaces. Most of them he immediately discarded. They were too flashy. He wanted something she could wear every day and to the club.
“I’ll give you a few minutes to look. Just holler if you need anything,” the woman said before walking to the other side of the store to help another customer.
He moved closer to Grace, his chest pressed against her back as he peered over her shoulder. “See anything you like?” Alexander could feel her hesitation. “I want it to be something you’re comfortable wearing.”
She glanced up at him, and then back to the case. “I like these two.”
The two necklaces she pointed out were in line with what he was looking for, but neither was quite right. One had two circles, one inside the other. The other had a single circle with a small jewel hanging from the center.
Then he spotted something a little farther down. It was almost hidden because it was at the end of the row, next to the bracelets. He moved them closer to get a better look.
