Page 10

Sydney hadn’t told Adam the truth, but sharing meant opening herself up in a way she wasn’t sure she was ready for. She also didn’t want to be judged by her bank statement. She didn’t think he was like that, but she was just getting to know him.

She took another sip of her soda. “I just mean I don’t know what I want to do yet and I have some cushion, so I’m not desperate or anything like that.”

He sat back. “Your life. Not my business.”

“I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just … complicated.”

“Life tends to be that way.”

She needed to change the subject. “You look great in that suit, by the way.”

“Thanks.” His tone had changed. Gone cool.

She liked him enough that she made a quick decision to address things before they devolved further. “What did I say to upset you?”

“I’m not upset.”

“But something’s changed. What did I do?”

He stared at the table. “I don’t know. I reacted because…” He sighed. “It’s not you. I’m sorry. I just got out of a long relationship, and the breakup hit me hard. I didn’t see it coming, and I’m still a little raw from it.”

He looked away, the emotions on his face surprising.

“I’m really sorry,” Sydney said softly, impressed with his honesty. “That sucks. But also, she must have been an idiot to let you go.”

He snorted out a short laugh. “Maybe she was right. I might be a terrible person with no goals and no plan.”

“Um, a terrible person doesn’t help the stranger next door move without being asked.”

He shot a quick look at her. “Anyone would have done that.”

“I’m not even going to pretend that’s true. Why would she think you don’t have goals or a plan?” It was a bold question, but sidestepping this wasn’t going to get them anywhere.

“Because I was a bouncer at a club, and while it wasn’t my life’s dream, it was honest work, but she thought it was beneath me. I wanted to start my own personal security company, which at first, she liked the idea of. Then she started in on how much of my time that would take.”

Sydney narrowed her eyes. “You mean as in bodyguarding?”

He nodded. “I did it for a few years after I got out of the Army. It’s how I met Veronika, which is ironically why I stopped.

At first, she was happy. Then she said it took up too much of my time and I traveled too much, but I had to do something to pay the bills.

Ended up working at this club, and she was all right with that for a while.

Then she wasn’t and went back to me starting my own security company, saying she had no idea why I hadn’t done that already. ”

“Thank you for your service, by the way. The military is an admirable choice. Veronika still sounds like a manipulative idiot, if that’s possible.”

This time, he laughed out loud. “Thanks.”

“Is there a reason why you didn’t want to start your own security company?”

He paused like he was gathering his thoughts. “Because I knew, at some point, probably when the business started to get successful, she’d just complain again that I was traveling too much or spending too much time away from home.”

“Sounds like she was never happy, at least not for long.”

“Partially true. She was happy when all the focus was on her.” He tipped his head slightly. “It’s refreshing you don’t seem to be that way.”

“Why would I be?”

“Because you’re beautiful. And beautiful women are a different breed.”

“I take it Veronika is beautiful?”

“On the outside. On the inside, not so much. Just took me a while to see that. I think I let our plans for the future get in the way.”

“What were your plans?”

“Get married. Start a family. Buy a house somewhere. You know. Standard stuff, I guess.”

She smiled, and something inside her felt like it had woken up. “Yeah, I do know.”

Before she could say more, their pizza arrived, a meat-, cheese- and veggie-covered extravaganza that looked and smelled like everything Sydney had ever dreamed pizza could be.

She just stared. “That looks fantastic.”

Their server set it on their table. “Can I get you guys anything else?”

Sydney looked at Adam and shook her head.

“We’re good for now,” Adam said. As their server left, he used the triangular spatula to heft out a slice. “Hold up your plate.”

She did as he asked, and he filled it with the first piece, then put one on his own plate.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

They ate for a few minutes without saying anything except how good the pizza was, but as Sydney reached for her drink, she realized she wanted to know more about Adam. “You have a job in town already?”

He nodded, still chewing. “I work for the town in maintenance. Takes a lot to keep this place going.”

“I bet.” She didn’t know what that meant, that he was working maintenance, but he didn’t seem like he wanted to say more.

He went for another slice. “Were you really a model?”

“I was. That’s how I got to see Rome. Although I didn’t see much of it. Worked most of the time.”

“That must be a crazy life.”

“It is. Crazy and unreal. You can lose yourself in it if you’re not careful.

You start to think you really are something special.

That you deserve all the attention and adulation.

That you’re someone just because of the way you look, which is insane, honestly, because no one has any control over their genetics. ”

His eyes narrowed. “So you didn’t like being a model?”

“No, I did. I won’t lie about that. It’s heady. Unrealistic but heady. I just always knew it was a means to an end. To get me the life I really wanted.”

“And that is?”

She looked around. “This.”

“Lunch at a pizza place?”

She laughed. “I mean … real life. I want to—” She stopped herself before she blurted out the truth about wanting to get married and have kids and be a wife and mother.

Just because Adam had dreamed about the same sort of future didn’t mean he’d take kindly to her repeating that back at him.

“Just be a regular person who’s part of a community where people look out for each other. ”

“What about your parents?”

“My parents are divorced. My dad manages a big rock band, and I guess that lifestyle made it hard for him to be faithful. My mom lives in Ohio, near my sister and her family. Dakota’s got twin boys. My mom helps out with them sometimes.”

“Sorry about your dad.”

“Thanks. What about your parents?”

“They spend half the year in Michigan and the other half in Florida. They’re snowbirds.”

“Sounds like a nice life.” She went to reach for another slice, and he quickly served her.

“Yeah, they enjoy it.”

“I know you’ve only been here a couple weeks, but do you know anyone who has a yard service? I’m going to need to hire someone to cut my grass.”

He shrugged. “I can do it.”

“Adam, that’s very nice of you, but only if you let me pay you.”

“No.”

“Adam.”

He grinned. “You can try all you want, but it’s not going to happen. I’m not going to take money for something I’m doing for myself anyway.”

“But you’re using gas and … whatever else mowers use. Not to mention your time.”

“You can make me some more soup. Just without the stone in it this time.”

She froze. “What?”

“There was a little pebble in the soup.”

A sense of dread washed through her. “There was a pebble in the soup?” She could feel her face getting warm from embarrassment. “How on earth could that be possible?”

He looked at her like he wasn’t sure what to think. “Well, lentils are notorious for having small stones in the bag.”

“They are? I didn’t know that.” She put her hands over her face. “I’m so sorry. I feel like a fool.” She peeked between her fingers. “Please tell me you didn’t chip a tooth.”

Grinning, he shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“I am never making lentil soup again.”

He reached over and grabbed her hand. “Hey, the soup was good. Don’t let something like that stop you. Life is a learning experience, right?”

His hand was warm and rough and undeniably strong. “Right,” she whispered. “I’m still really sorry. I’m trying to teach myself to cook and obviously not doing a very good job of it. The recipe didn’t say anything about looking through the lentils. At least not that I remember.”

He let go of her. “It’s okay. It was really nice of you to go to all the work to make me something.”

“Even if it did nearly kill you.”

He laughed. “It did not nearly kill me.”

“I’m still embarrassed.”

And he was smiling. “Don’t be.”

“Are there stones in any other food that I need to know about?”

“Most dried beans could use a quick look-through, but that’s about all I can think of right now.”

“Maybe I’ll stick to bread. That’s the next thing I want to learn to make.”

“Yeah?” His eyes lit up. “I make bread all the time.”

Was he poking fun at her? Didn’t seem like it. “Are you being serious?”

“Why? I don’t look like a guy who bakes?”

“Um, to be honest, no.”

“Well, I do. I’ll teach you to make bread. If you want.”

“You mean that?”

“I wouldn’t have offered otherwise.”

And just like that, Sydney started to think Adam might be her type after all.