Page 54 of Finding Forever

Ordinary things.

For some reason, they made him want to stay.

Beth closed the door. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine.” Dave unzipped his jacket. “I wanted to tell you about the faucets.”

Her expression immediately changed. “Did you talk to the plumbing store?”

“I did. They made a mistake with the order.”

That much, at least, was true now. Dave had spent twenty minutes on the phone with the store manager earlier that afternoon, untangling the paperwork he’d helped create.

“They sent the upgraded faucets instead of the ones on the original order,” he continued. “Because it was their mistake, they’re leaving them where they are. They’ll send you a new invoice for the price of the faucets you originally chose.”

Beth stared at him. “We can keep them?”

“You can keep them,” Dave confirmed.

“And we don’t have to pay the extra eighteen hundred dollars?”

“No.”

Relief swept across her face. “Oh, thank goodness.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “I’ve been worrying about that invoice.”

“I told you I’d sort it out.”

“I know, but eighteen hundred dollars is a lot of money.”

Dave knew that better than she realized.

Beth smiled. “I suppose knowing everyone in town has its advantages.”

He nodded, hoping she changed the subject soon because he felt bad about keeping the truth from her. “It occasionally comes in handy.”

Beth studied him for a moment, amusement dancing in her eyes. “And here I thought you’d only stopped by because you missed me.”

The words were teasing, but the second they were out, something changed in her expression.

Dave’s heart gave one hard beat. “I did.”

Beth went still.

He could have softened it. Made a joke. Instead, he remembered Hank telling him to stop hiding behind work every time he wanted to spend time with Beth.

“I missed you,” he said again, holding her gaze.

A flush warmed Beth’s cheeks. “Oh.”

Dave smiled. “That wasn’t the reaction I was hoping for.”

She laughed softly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I wasn’t prepared.”

“Neither was I.” For a moment, they simply looked at each other. Then Dave remembered why he’d taken the four-mile detour in the first place.

“Have you eaten?” he asked.

Beth shook her head. “I was going to make soup.”