Until Arden

I stand with her and brush the hair away from her face. “If you need anything, you still have my number, right?”

“Yeah. And don’t worry, I already got the oil situation taken care of.” She gives me a strained smile, before calling for Holden.

He protests for a moment, but I think he’s successfully worn himself out. We walk back toward the parking lot in silence. I feel like she needs the solitude, so I don’t push any further, but after she gets Holden settled in the car, she grabs my elbow. “Still not scared away?”

“No, just waiting for the right opportunity to ask you out.”

She leans back against the passenger door, crossing her arms. She shakes her head, but a smile has already appeared on her lips. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.” I step closer, pulling her arms free and taking her hands in mine. “But I’ll take your lead.”

She rolls her bottom lip between her teeth. “Do you get a lunch break?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s law.” I chuckle as she rolls her eyes at me.

“I mean, long enough to maybe meet up for lunch. I’m off on Mondays, but I still send Holden to day care, mainly so I can get things done around the house, but—”

“I can make that work. I won’t know the exact time until we get into what needs done at the site, so if you want to send me a message so I have your number, I can let you know.”

“Okay.” Arden nods, but I’m still not sure she’s convinced herself to go through with this.

I tug on her hands and gently squeeze her fingers. “And if you need anything else, you can call me. I mean it.”

“I will.” Her words are soft, broken, yet she pulls her hands from mine.

She stays there, her back against the car door and her eyes focused on the ground, as if she’s afraid to face whatever is happening between us. I want to tell her that it’s okay. That it’s normal to feel off balance, but I don’t want her to think I’m trying to push her into something she’s unsure of. So, I stay quiet.

After a few minutes of silence, Arden releases a breath and pushes off the door. “I’ll call you.”