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“You mean my offer to treat you like a queen, spoil you rotten and rock your world in the bedroom?”
She narrowed her gaze while fighting a smile that once again tugged at the corners of her lips. She was charmed by me, and I felt a whoosh of pleasure at that. “As far as I can remember, you wanted to date me?”
“And all that dating entails,” I added, sitting forward, not dropping her gaze.
She appeared to grow flustered and glanced away. “Well, I still haven’t made a decision.”
I tilted my head. “No?”
“No.”
“Erin.”
Her eyes flicked up, and my expression gentled. “I told you to take your time. It’s barely been a day. However long you need to think about this, there’s no rush. Like I said, I’m not going anywhere.”
Some of the tension in her shoulders softened. “I appreciate that.”
“Can I ask a personal question?”
“Um,” she hesitated, biting her lip before continuing. “Okay, then.”
“Have you ever spoken to a therapist or a counsellor about all this?”
“All this?”
“Your past relationship and the decisions you made after it ended.”
“Oh, I see, um, yes, I did. I actually had a therapist for over a year while me and Zach were still together. She helped me figure out a lot of things, as well as assisting me in coming to the decision to end my relationship.”
Well, that was something. At least she’d had some professional guidance on the matter. “And afterwards? Did you keep seeing her?”
“For about six months. She wanted to help me progress into dating again, but it just wasn’t something I was interested in at the time. In the end, she agreed that the decision I’d made to stay single was right for me.”
“What do you think she’d say now?”
She sat back, fiddling with the pen while releasing a pent-up breath. “I have no idea. She’d probably tell me I was letting myself be ruled by my fears. That there’s a comfort in the predictable, but that it also stops you from moving into the future.” She fell into a short silence before continuing, “I think she was always against singledom as a lifelong strategy. She saw it as a helpful short-term solution, but I kind of never managed to progress.”
“Do you want to?”
“I …” She trailed off, frowning as she worried her lip again. “I still haven’t figured that part out, but I do like you, Tristan. I like you a lot.”
Her response made me hopeful, her admission making my chest tighten with some unknown emotion. My voice was soft when I said, “I like you too a lot, and I’m here if you ever want to talk, about anything. I’m always happy to see your face.”
“That’s very kind of you,” she replied just as there was a knock on the office door. Becky pocked her head in before waiting for me to respond that she could enter. It was a bad habit of hers that I’d pointed out several times, yet she just kept doing it. If she wasn’t such a reliable assistant, I’d have reprimanded her more harshly. I was just glad that Erin and I were sitting on opposite sides of the desk and that I hadn’t given in to my urge to close the distance between us.
“Oh, sorry for interrupting. Mr Kiernan is in reception waiting for you.”
Right, the estate agent. I’d had Becky book an appointment with him because I needed somewhere to rent in town for the next few months. Once the hotel was open, I couldn’t continue sleeping in the room I’d been occupying, and the commute from my apartment in Dublin was far too long, especially during morning traffic. So I’d made the decision to seek a short-term rental.
“I won’t keep you,” Erin said, gathering her things before standing.
Becky was leaving when I reached out instinctively, catching Erin’s wrist in my hand. Her gaze rose to meet mine. I swallowed thickly. “I meant what I said. I understand this is a complicated decision for you, so if you want to talk it out, day or night, just call me. I’ll always answer.”
She nodded, her gaze searching mine before I released her hand, and she went. I watched her go, hating every step of distance between us, but knowing it was necessary to let her make the decision that was right for her.
The estate agent showed me around a couple of places, most of which weren’t great, but my choices were limited. Another option would be to stay at the cottage, but that would mean cancelling the bookings that had already been made, and I just couldn’t justify that, not when we’d already spent so much money on the renovation. So, for now, my living situation was up in the air.
Erin
