Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“A little over a year.”
“It seems like you’re doing well. I mean, you do a great job here, and from what Rita said it sounds like you have a lot of clients.”
Connor nodded. “We’re holding our own.”
Silence descended again until I came up with another question. “How did you decide to go into this business? I mean….” I wasn’t sure what else to say that didn’t sound insulting or at least stereotypical.
“You want to know how a Marine can be okay with cleaning other people’s houses?”
“Not exactly, I’m… Okay, I’m curious. It’s unexpected.”
Connor looked more amused than annoyed.
“Are you going to tell me?” I prompted.
“After eight years of being a damn good Marine, I couldn’t do it anymore.”
I nodded. I had no idea what to say because I couldn’t imagine how hard life had been for Connor in the Marines.
“Mario, Sabrina’s brother, and I were close. Best friends. We met in boot camp, and he was the first person I ever felt understood me. I lost him over there.”
A lump formed in my throat hearing those words. I wished I could do something to comfort Connor.
“Sabrina and I had been emailing a lot, and when I told her I was getting out, Asheville seemed as good a place as any, so I took up her offer to crash on her couch for a few months. I wasn’t qualified to do much of anything, but between the Marines and my stepfather’s demands, I was damn good at cleaning and doing it fast. I never meant to start my own business, but I kept getting more and more clients, and it just happened.”
“That makes sense.”
Connor nodded.
More silence. “What happened to Sabrina’s brother?” The words were out before I could stop them, the need to know more about Connor overpowering my good judgment. I looked down and fiddled with my teacup. “I’m sorry. Ignore me.”
Connor didn’t say anything for a while. I summoned the courage to look at him. The anger I’d expected to see wasn’t there. Instead, he looked lost.
“I made it sound like he’s dead.” Connor’s words surprised me. I waited patiently to see if Connor would continue. Eventually, he did. “His body isn’t, anyway, but on the inside… I don’t know what’s left. We were on a mission. We’d been sent into a village and… After that, he was never the same. It’s like he’s just going through the motions of living, like he’s a machine. What we went through made him turn all his emotions off. I tried to get him to come back to the States with me, but he re-upped. He said he wasn’t fit to be around regular people, that people who killed for a living were the only ones who could tolerate him now.”
Connor had been leaning against the counter, but he sank onto one of the stools at the bar as he finished speaking. He looked at the floor, and I watched his chest expand as he took two slow, deep breaths. I longed to comfort him but had no idea how. What could I possibly say? That I understood? I didn’t, not really. I’d lost my mom, but it hadn’t been anything like that. She’d been herself until the end. And I couldn’t begin to imagine the hell Connor and his teammates had gone through.
I walked toward Connor, wondering if touching him would be wrong. Would Connor see it as a come-on? I hadn’t exactly succeeded in hiding my attraction to him. Fuck it. He looked so despondent, I had to try something. I laid a hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” The words sounded hollow and insignificant compared to Connor’s obvious grief.
Connor put his hand over mine, and I froze, trapped by the warm pressure of his fingers and my own desire. Connor was thanking me for the comfort. That was all. I needed to remember that. But how could I when Connor looked up at me, his eyes damp with unshed tears? Connor allowed me to see his vulnerability; he didn’t try to shake it off like I would’ve expected. Connor trusted me, and that thought made my chest tight. I worried I would suffocate from repressed emotion if I kept standing there, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t moving until Connor wanted me to.
Connor studied me like I was a puzzle, a being he didn’t understand, but not one he found repulsive. Something about me held him mesmerized. After a few seconds, he lifted his other hand and cupped my cheek. I didn’t dare move and spoil the moment.
I’d tried to convince myself the hungry looks Connor had given me were all in my imagination. Now I wasn’t sure.
Connor’s thumb slid back and forth over my cheekbone. I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t get any words out. There were none to describe the feelings Connor’s touch gave me.