Page 24 of Pride

“Kind of. I mean, this whole thing has been hard to believe.” She chuckled, and almost choked on it. “I hopped on the back of a motorcycle with a man I didn’t know, and rode across the United States with him. I still can’t believe it.”

“Do you regret it?”

“No.”

“Let’s start over.” I took a step back and extended my hand. “Hi. My name’s Fisher Knox. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She smiled. “Anna. Anna Marie Mc Cay. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m looking for a place to live and a roommate who knows how to cook. Can you cook?”

She nodded eagerly. “I can cook anything. I’m so serious right now. I’m not good at much, but I’ve been told I cook well.”

“So, you’re interested?”

She smiled. “Very.”

In attitude and in appearance, she was an adorable woman. “What else are you good at?” I asked playfully.

She glanced over each shoulder and then leaned toward me. “We’d be arrested if I showed you here,” she whispered.

“Sounds like it’s time to leave.”

She took one last look at the ocean and then met my gaze. “I’m ready.”

“I thought you wanted to spend some time here.”

She reached for my hand. “I’d rather spend some time cooking, and, well, the other thing.”

I had an idea what the other thing was, but I wanted to find out for sure. So, hand in hand, we walked up the beach and toward my motorcycle.

“I’ve got commitment issues,” I said as we reached the bike.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“If I have sex with someone, we’ve got to agree first that we’re committed to one another. I don’t do one-night stands. Everything’s got to be in place, and my feet have to be firmly planted on the ground first.”

She laughed, but it seemed forced. “You’re thinking the other thing was sex?”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

She shook her head. “It’s sewing. I’m good at cooking and sewing,” she said straight-faced. “I can fashion a shirt from scratch.”

I turned off the bike’s alarm and then switched on the ignition. Acting indifferent regarding her response, I mumbled a comment over my shoulder. “That’s a damned shame.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I’m really good in bed.” I looked at her. “I thought if that’s what you were talking about, we’d be a good match.”

“Get your feet planted firmly, and I suppose we can find out,” she said dryly.

“So, you’re planning on sticking around?”

She grinned. “As long as you’ll let me.”

The thought of having someone in my life on a permanent basis was exciting. I lost my parents, graduated high school, joined the Marines, went to war, and then spent seven years in prison.

Other than learning a few lessons, I’d made no progress since graduating high school.

“First things first,” I said. “We need to sell this gold and find a place to live.”

She leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “Let me know when we get there. I’ll cook dinner.”

That was one meal I couldn’t wait to eat.