My heart sped a little as I took in the black jeans, clinging to his thighs. “I need to lock up the shop, could you…would you…help me?” I mean...t it to be much smoother, and in my head it was. Something about him seemed to inhibit my ability to think straight. “Sure, no problem.” I was shocked he had even agreed and was still in a sort of daze as we went over to the front windows and closed the blinds. I turned the sign on the door around and when I turned back, he was right behind me. His arms. I’m kind of tired and want to lie down.”“Thanks for having lunch with me. I appreciate it. A lot,” I said.“Thanks for seeing me, Steve. And thanks again for the bear,” she said.Kara turned and walked up the stairs and I went into the living room to talk to her mom. Mrs. Blanchard offered me a cup of coffee which I gratefully accepted.“She needs professional help, Mrs. Blanchard,” I said.“You know what, Steve, please call me Nancy. It just seems stilted for you to keep calling me ‘Mrs.. I had become used to this nice little house, though I never gathered enough nerve to ask whether I could move in. Our anniversary was rapidly approaching, and it stayed in the forefront of my mind. What would we do to celebrate our year of being together? To be honest, I was surprised that he had lasted so long. Most men with me hadn’t been able to even make it past the six-week mark, and many made it a shorter time than that. Though I thought these things quite often, I didn’t say anything. He remembered the meeting, almost a year ago. He paled.Just when Bobby thought that he had seen the worst, Paris added the coup de grace. "That's just a sample. I've got others. Well hidden. And if anything happens to us, these go out. Think of it as a life insurance policy."Without waiting for Bobby's reply, Paris climbed out of the darkened cabin and on to his own boat. Untying the boat lines, Paris yelled, "I'll be in touch. But don't wait too long. We can only hold another few days. And if.