The Best Next Thing

His words tumbled to an awkward halt and Charity waited, expecting him to continue. But when nothing else was forthcoming, she gave him a gentle prod. “And now you know you can trust them? Your friend and your brother, I mean?”

“Yes.”

First a deluge of information and now this…monosyllabic tumbleweed.

Perhaps expecting more from him after three months of silence was pushing too hard. She had contacted him because she was ready to explore the possibilities between them. Charity had had time to think, process, plan…but Miles was playing catch-up.

“I’ve decided to open my practice in Riversend.”

“What?”

Oh. A roar. Uncharacteristic.

She liked it.

“They don’t have a chiropractor in town, they have to drive into Knysna, or farther, for treatment.”

“But what about your family? I thought you wanted to live closer to home.”

She laughed softly, and sighed. “Turns out, Riversend is home. For three years I believed I could live on the outskirts of society, avoid people, and friendships…Be a solitary, self-sufficient island. I was so mistaken. I made connections without even recognizing them. And not just during those last few weeks with you. I found myself constantly wondering if the cheese festival was a success. Everybody in town had been so excited about it. They had been planning parades and raffles and exhibitions. I didn’t know that I’d actually been looking forward to it until I missed it.”

“And you have friends there,” he supplied quietly.

“I do. I reconnected with some of my former friends. The ones from before my marriage…but it’s not the same. We have so little in common now.”

“What about your family?”

“We talk more. All the time in fact. I’ve come to realize that it isn’t proximity that’s important. I can be close to them without being close to them. Know what I mean?”

“Yes.”

“And this time it’s different…I’m not hiding. I’m not running. I’m settling down, carving my own niche in this world. And they fully support me.”

“Where are you staying?”

“I’m renting a cottage on the edge of town. It’s owned by Lia’s youngest sister. It’s small but I like it.”

“You can…” he stopped speaking, and she held the phone closer to her ear. She could what? He cleared his throat again.

And the silly delay tactic irritated her.

“You should see someone for that,” she said pointedly.

“What?”

“That scratch in your throat. It could be a cold. Or allergies. Or…”

“I’m nervous.”

Why did he have to be so vulnerable in his honesty? It did painful, clenching things to her already fragile heart.

“I am too.” No point in denying it. And if he could be honest, so should she.

“I was going to say, you could stay in my house…”

God, she loved this man. She smiled and shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her. “Thank you. That’s very generous of you. But…I’m okay for now.”

Because the next time she set foot in that house, it would be with him by her side.

“Are you seeing anyone? Dating, I mean?” His hoarse question surprised her. He had seemed so intent on keeping things more or less impersonal, this seemed to come out of left field.

“I’ve been on several dates. My therapist said it would be good for me to get out with members of the opposite sex. Most of them were setups, y’know? Men my family and friends know. Nice guys that they could personally vouch for. Then again, Blaine was a so-called nice guy. So, there’s that. But they all seemed decent. I even went on a few repeat dates with some of them.”

The silence on the other end of the line was so thunderous it almost deafened her.

“And you?”

“What about me?”

“Have you been seeing anyone?”

“No.”

Her lips stretched into a grin so wide, it physically hurt. “Oh? Then how do you intend to meet this future wife you spoke of earlier?”

He ignored her question in favor of one of his own, “Are you still seeing any of those guys?”

“Well, I’m moving. So there’s no point really. Lia says she has a few guys she’d like me to meet, but Riversend and surrounds have a much smaller dating pool.”

“So you’re actively seeking men to date right now?”

“I wouldn’t say actively…They’re just kind of being referred to me by everybody else. To be honest, I had no idea there were still so many single guys in my age group. Some of them were younger than my thirty years, but most of them are in their thirties. They’re not even divorced or widowed. Just never been married. That’s interesting, right?”

“Not particularly.” Charity was sure she could hear him gritting his teeth. It sounded painful. Her grin widened. “I mean, I’ve never been married.”

“Why not?”

“Work. And I’ve never met anyone with whom I wanted to spend my life…” She could practically hear the ellipsis in that statement. He had more to add but, of course, he stopped talking abruptly.

“Ever?”

“Are you toying with me, Charity?” The question was cold and curt and startled her. God, she didn’t want him to think this was some kind of game.