She bit her lip, trying to make a choice, when Jaque had appeared at her shoulder, as if by magic.
"What do you have there?"
"Oh!" she yelped, spinning around. For some reason, she felt the urge to hide the books behind her back. "There you are. You walk around like a cat."
"The point has been made before," he said with a grin, but to her dismay, he wasn't deterred. "What are you looking at?"
She handed him the books, wondering if he would help her make a choice, but Jaque was nodding decisively.
"These are both good," he said. "The sailing book especially, but if you are going to read that, you should pick up this as well, which came before it, and the history of Athens is much better reading when you can compare and contrast it to Sparta and some of the other city states of the day."
She watched, mute and appalled, as he pulled more books from the shelves to set them on the table beside her. In her head, she could see the numbers go up, up, and up even further. Finally, he paused with a tall stack of books on the table, and a slightly abashed look on his face.
"I mean, you may not want all of those books," he said with a slight grin. "Just because I think they're good …"
"That's not it," she said, her voice small. "I just don't think I could buy so many …"
She could see the moment when Jaque realized what she meant. He shook his head, pulling her into a sweet hug. "Oh, sweetheart, no. These are yours. You get to have these."
Over her weak protests, he carried the books to the counter where he paid for all of them on his card. The proprietor was delighted to make such a good sale, and she gave them three cloth bags that they could use to haul out Heidi's new books.
Back on the much quieter street, Heidi hugged her bag of books to her chest, fighting sudden tears. Jaque looked down at her anxiously, reaching out to touch her face with a gentle finger.
"Heidi? Are you all right?"
She nodded, swallowing hard. "I am," she said, looking up. "I'm just … so very, very happy I know you."
He smiled, relieved. When they deposited her new library in the trunk of his car, he turned to wrap her in his arms.
"You know, you are one of those people who should always get precisely what it is they want."
She grinned up at him. "Truly?"
"Truly."
At this point, however, there was only one more thing she wanted, but first she had to be brave enough to bring it up with him.
They hadn't made love since that first night on the barge. Neither of them had mentioned it, but it hung in the air between them. They kissed, they touched, and when things started to get steamy, Heidi pulled back. Jaque had been the picture of understanding, which somehow had made Heidi feel even worse.
She didn't know what she was waiting for, or at least, she didn't know until he hugged her at his car that night, her new books snug in his trunk. She had been waiting to feel as if she really knew him, and after that, she felt as if she did. He was a kind man who wanted to give her the things that made her happy, and that was when she had started to plan.
*
The next Friday, she had texted him early on, asking if they could spend the evening at her apartment. He had told her that of course they could, and he even offered to bring her favorite takeout from the Ethiopian place that she liked so much.
Heidi grinned to think that he thought that this would be like so many of the nights that they had spent together. Her own surprise for the evening was currently in a glittery little bag under her bed. It had been a daring purchase for her to say the least.
As the day went on, however, she was growing increasingly nervous. Perhaps she was rushing into things. Perhaps she had misread the situation entirely. They had had a wonderful thing going for weeks now, and with all of the work for the fully green yacht finally getting underway, they were both working so hard. Could she really say that they were ready for this?
What she could say, however, was that
"What do you have there?"
"Oh!" she yelped, spinning around. For some reason, she felt the urge to hide the books behind her back. "There you are. You walk around like a cat."
"The point has been made before," he said with a grin, but to her dismay, he wasn't deterred. "What are you looking at?"
She handed him the books, wondering if he would help her make a choice, but Jaque was nodding decisively.
"These are both good," he said. "The sailing book especially, but if you are going to read that, you should pick up this as well, which came before it, and the history of Athens is much better reading when you can compare and contrast it to Sparta and some of the other city states of the day."
She watched, mute and appalled, as he pulled more books from the shelves to set them on the table beside her. In her head, she could see the numbers go up, up, and up even further. Finally, he paused with a tall stack of books on the table, and a slightly abashed look on his face.
"I mean, you may not want all of those books," he said with a slight grin. "Just because I think they're good …"
"That's not it," she said, her voice small. "I just don't think I could buy so many …"
She could see the moment when Jaque realized what she meant. He shook his head, pulling her into a sweet hug. "Oh, sweetheart, no. These are yours. You get to have these."
Over her weak protests, he carried the books to the counter where he paid for all of them on his card. The proprietor was delighted to make such a good sale, and she gave them three cloth bags that they could use to haul out Heidi's new books.
Back on the much quieter street, Heidi hugged her bag of books to her chest, fighting sudden tears. Jaque looked down at her anxiously, reaching out to touch her face with a gentle finger.
"Heidi? Are you all right?"
She nodded, swallowing hard. "I am," she said, looking up. "I'm just … so very, very happy I know you."
He smiled, relieved. When they deposited her new library in the trunk of his car, he turned to wrap her in his arms.
"You know, you are one of those people who should always get precisely what it is they want."
She grinned up at him. "Truly?"
"Truly."
At this point, however, there was only one more thing she wanted, but first she had to be brave enough to bring it up with him.
They hadn't made love since that first night on the barge. Neither of them had mentioned it, but it hung in the air between them. They kissed, they touched, and when things started to get steamy, Heidi pulled back. Jaque had been the picture of understanding, which somehow had made Heidi feel even worse.
She didn't know what she was waiting for, or at least, she didn't know until he hugged her at his car that night, her new books snug in his trunk. She had been waiting to feel as if she really knew him, and after that, she felt as if she did. He was a kind man who wanted to give her the things that made her happy, and that was when she had started to plan.
*
The next Friday, she had texted him early on, asking if they could spend the evening at her apartment. He had told her that of course they could, and he even offered to bring her favorite takeout from the Ethiopian place that she liked so much.
Heidi grinned to think that he thought that this would be like so many of the nights that they had spent together. Her own surprise for the evening was currently in a glittery little bag under her bed. It had been a daring purchase for her to say the least.
As the day went on, however, she was growing increasingly nervous. Perhaps she was rushing into things. Perhaps she had misread the situation entirely. They had had a wonderful thing going for weeks now, and with all of the work for the fully green yacht finally getting underway, they were both working so hard. Could she really say that they were ready for this?
What she could say, however, was that
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