Page 26 of Reckless (Adventures in Love 3)
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“Yeah?” she asks, her eyes lighting up.
“Yeah, even as scared as I am, I know I’ll regret it if we don’t do this.”
“So we can call Gene and tell him that we’re ready to take over the lease?” she asks, sounding excited.
“Yes,” I say, and she squeals as she starts to jump around, making Claire giggle.
“I’m so darn excited. This is going to be amazing.”
“I think it is too,” I agree, ignoring the worry in the center of my chest because I know in my gut this is the right thing, even if it is really scary to think about failing again.
“As soon as I get Claire cleaned up, I’ll call Gene and tell him the good news.”
“What’s the good news?” Tanner asks, coming into the kitchen.
“We just agreed to open the shop,” she tells him, and with one look from him, I can tell just how proud he is of his wife and how excited he is for her. God, I love that for her, but I really want that for myself too. Someone to share things big and small with, someone to look at me like he looks at her.
“That’s great news, Sunshine.” He gives her a kiss, then looks at me. “I’m happy for you both.”
“You might not be so happy when your wife tells you about all the work she has planned for you to do there.”
“The guys and I have a lot of free time right now. It will give us something to do,” he says easily, and I laugh. Of course he doesn’t have an issue with doing anything his wife needs. Really, sometimes I wonder what planet Tanner is from, because he is so different from most men I know. I couldn’t even get my ex to help me clean up after I cooked dinner, and I wasn’t even asking him to do it all himself.
“We also need to figure out how to get all of your books and stuff here from your store sooner than later,” she says, talking about all the stuff I had in my shop minus the toys I kept in the back room, since I sold those off online so that I would have a little money to hold me over while I settled in here.
“I’m sure if I call Dad, he would drive all my stuff up here if I asked him to. And you know Mom wouldn’t complain about coming to spend time with Claire.”
“That’s true.” She takes Claire out of her seat and sets her on the counter while holding her so that she can wipe Claire’s face. “Oh.” She looks at me over her shoulder. “Did you call the guy who gave you his number?”
“No.” I shake my head.
“Why not?” She hands Claire off to Tanner when she starts to reach for him.
“I don’t know . . . dating seems like a lot of work right now. I just don’t know that I’m ready for that.”
“You don’t have to date him,” Tanner says, and Cybil’s nose scrunches. “You could just go out for a drink. It might be good for you to meet some new people. You know, make some friends.”
“I don’t think the guy is looking for a friend, honey,” she tells him, and he drops his gaze to hers for a moment, then looks at me.
“Right, on that note I’m going to take my daughter and watch good ol’ wholesome cartoons,” he mutters and walks out of the kitchen while Cybil and I share a smile.
“I still think that you should call him. I mean, the worst that could happen is you find out that you two have nothing in common and you don’t see him again.”
“You’re not going to drop this, are you?”
“I’m not.” She comes over and leans against the counter in front of me. “I want you to find what I have.” Her face goes soft. “Your person is out there somewhere, but you won’t find him unless you’re willing to put yourself out there again.”
“You do realize that what you have is rare, right?” I ask, then add, “I’ve dated a lot, taken chances on men who I thought could be the one, and still have never found what you have. I love that you want me to have what you do, but I don’t know that that is ever going to happen.”
“Weren’t you the one who told me that my Prince Charming was out there and that I would find love when I least expected it?”
“You’re you. Of course I knew that you would find a guy who would sweep you off your feet and fall in love with you the moment he met you.”
“You don’t know how amazing you are.” She pushes off the counter and comes around to me. “Your guy is out there.” She wraps her arms around me. “I don’t know if he’s the cop who pulled you over, but I do know that you won’t know that unless you give it a shot and go out with him.”
