More Than This: Contemporary Christian Romance Novel by Staci Stallings Page B

of making him feel like she was invading his space, and although that should have felt terrifying, it was anything but. “So, you said you work on the docks. I’m assuming in some kind of warehouse?”
    “Yeah. We move the merchandise that comes in on the ships into the warehouse long enough to move it back out when the trucks come. It’s all very technical and highly state-of-the art.” He looked at her to assess how much of that she was buying. Then he laughed. “No, mostly it’s boring and monotonous, but it’s work.”
    “Have you lived in New York long?”
    “My whole life. Grew up not too far from here. My dad was a cop. Mom taught school.”
    “So you’re close with your parents then?”
    How to answer that? “No, not really. I kind of drifted away after high school. That whole being on your own thing, nobody telling you what time to be in. It got kind of addictive.”
    “And now?”
    He shifted in his chair. “Now. I don’t know. It’s not so bad most of the time. I can come and go as I please, do what I want when I want.”
    “Like going out to get coffee in the middle of the night?”
    The smile came automatically. “Yeah, like that.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Mostly I’m just trying to make it through in one piece, you know? Keep my head down and my record clean.”
    The word record went through her eyes. He really needed to choose his words more carefully.
    “Not that there was ever a record.” He put out his hands to stop her from running. “I was just making a joke.”
    “Oh.” She relaxed again.
    “So what about you? Graduate school. Wow. You must be really smart.”
    “Smart? I wouldn’t know about that.” She wound her finger through a lock of hair. “I like school, not sure what I want to do when I get out. I’ve thought about teaching, but little kids scare me and I don’t know if I could deal with the older ones.”
    “Little kids scare you, huh?”
    “Well, not like BOO, but like… they have so much energy, and I really prefer to discuss things like Shakespeare and Whitman rather than Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too. Not that there’s anything wrong with Winnie the Pooh. He’s just not how I want to spend my life.”
    Jake nodded, and she glanced back at the clock. Instantly he knew he was keeping her longer than he should have. “I should let you go.”
    However, her gaze came back to his, and there was a touch of panic in them. “Are you leaving?”
    He tried to surmise the right answer and finally gave up. “Do you want me to?”
    Her gaze fell to the table between them. “No.”
    That was the answer he was hoping to hear. “Then I’ll stay.”
     
    “So?” Mia asked when Liz made it back to the counter. “Did he propose yet?”
    “Shh.” The warning was nearly loud enough for him to hear. Liz leveled her gaze on her friend. “Don’t you dare do anything to scare him off, you hear me?”
    “Scare him off?” Mia’s face drew into a smile. “Wait. You really like this one, don’t you?”
    But Liz waved that off. “It’s not about that.” She pulled Mia to the side. “Listen to me. I’ve finally gotten him talking. I don’t want to mess this up. Got it?”
    “Gotcha. So are you going home with him, or is he going home with you?”
    What was the point? Liz rolled her eyes. “It’s not like that, okay? He’s a friend. A very good friend, and I want to keep it that way.”
    “Yeah, well, nothing says he can’t be a friend with benefits.” Mia looked back to where he was sitting in the corner. “Mm. Mm. Mm. That boy is hotter than a lifted car on the sales floor.”
    “Mi-a!” This was getting ridiculous. Not that Liz hadn’t noticed how hot he was. It had crossed her mind a time or two more than a million, but it was becoming clearer and clearer that he didn’t need someone to go to bed with, he really needed a friend, and she wanted to be that for him. Besides, she wasn’t into the whole sleeping together thing anyway. “Now