Free His Favorite Mistake (Baby Its Cold Out) by Mary Eason Page A

let’s eat. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
                  Reyna let him take her hand as they walked into the kitchen. She couldn’t say a word. Her mind was trying to understand the sweet endearment he’d used when he spoke to her. It came so easily for him, so naturally, but it sent shivers through her each time he spoke to her in that tender way. He’d never called her that before.
                  They ate Chinese food from paper cartons and she listened as he told her about his day.
                  Apparently, the meeting that had run late tonight, ended without anything being resolved. Later, as they sat drinking coffee in the living room watching Reyna’s movie, Brody told her that he had to fly to Florida on Sunday.
                  “I’m sorry. I really hate to leave you right now, but unless we can get the problems with this contract worked out soon, and to both party’s satisfaction, we stand to lose the client. This is a major account for us. I can’t allow that to happen. I should only be gone for three, possibly four days at the most. Reyna forced a smile to her lips. She didn’t want Brody to see the sadness she felt. The thought of being apart from him for those days hurt. And that frightened her. She didn’t want Brody to be this important to her. Someday, she would have to leave. She couldn’t let her heart be broken.
                  Some of her hurt must have been reflected in her eyes since he watched her expression closely.
                  “Reyna, you know if there were any other way out of this, I would do it. The last thing I want to do right now is leave you, don’t you?”
                  “I know that Brody and its okay. Don’t worry about me I’ll be fine. I’ll just miss watching old movies with you, and…” She stopped when her voice began to tremble. She looked away and tried to think of something to change the subject. She remembered the job offer.
                  “Oh, Brody, there is something I want to ask you, to get your opinion on, that is. One of the interviews I went on last week made me an offer.” She told him the details of the job, including the salary she would be earning. She could tell by his expression that he wasn’t impressed.
                  “I know it isn’t very much, but they are willing to work with me as far as my hours go, so I could leave early two days a week, which would allow me to finish my degree. I only need two classes to finish.” When he didn’t say anything, Reyna rushed on. “And, I’ve checked with the university and they offer the classes I need in the afternoons, so I could finish my teaching degree in one semester.” Reyna looked at Brody sitting close to her. She could see the exhaustion in his eyes and she wished she could take back her words. He didn’t need to take on her problems any more than he already had. “I’m sorry. I really don’t have the right to ask you this. I’m sorry, forget I said anything. I’ll decide what’s best.”
    * * * *
                  He turned to her, his hand going up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear, effectively killing whatever else she might have considered saying. Brody smiled. He saw the way his touch affected her. She was comfortable with him in the boundaries of friendship, but when he touched her in this tender way, or when he had deliberately used an endearment, she didn’t understand him. He had grayed the boundaries on their friendship; he had crossed over those lines into something she wasn’t sure how to define.
                  “No, I’m glad you asked actually, because there’s something I’ve been tossing around in my head for days. You see, I need your help with something, but I wasn’t sure just how to ask for it until this moment.”
                  “What is it, Brody? Surely, you know I would do