Claiming Sarah (Ace Security #5)(12)

“Yeah?” he said, encouraging her to continue.

“Yeah. Mike always said that it was easy to be mean. To talk down about someone. To make fun of them. To be an asshole. That it showed a lack of couth and compassion. Being nice is a choice. One that’s sometimes hard as hell. And if you think about it, being mean often exacerbates a situation. It puts someone else on guard, and everything can escalate in a heartbeat. But simply saying I’m sorry or My mistake can calm everything down.”

“That’s true,” Cole said.

His thumb was now brushing back and forth over the back of Sarah’s hand, and she forced herself to continue talking. Rather than throwing herself against him, knocking him to his back, and kissing the hell out of him.

“I’ve seen firsthand how much a smile can mean to someone who’s having a bad day. Or taking the time to help someone put their groceries in their car at the store. Or paying for someone’s coffee or meal at a restaurant. Or just sitting down and listening to someone talk. Being nice doesn’t have to cost money, and I think the fact that people are so surprised by nice gestures says a lot about society today. How messed up it is. Everyone is concerned about themselves and less about how others feel. So when I do something simple, like offer to hold someone’s baby in the waiting room while they fill out the required forms, and they cry when they thank me, it’s almost sad. Does that make sense?”

“Totally. And you learned this from your dads?”

“Yeah. They were always the first ones to offer to babysit for free, or to donate food and clothes to a family who lost everything in a fire, or to simply hold someone’s hand when they were having a bad day. Some of my best moments at work have been when I simply sat by someone’s hospital bed and held their hand while we watched television. I think that human connection is missing in today’s world. We’re all so busy posting shit on social media and trying to show everyone how perfect our lives are, or binge-watching shows on television, or trying to one-up our neighbors, that we forget what it’s like to do something for someone else with no expectation of getting anything in return.”

Falling silent, Sarah mentally winced. She’d been going on and on and probably sounded like the biggest goody two-shoes ever. But she’d been honest. It was way easier to be nice than to be a bitch.

She raised her eyes to Cole’s and waited for him to say something. Anything.

He stared at her for a long moment . . . until she actually began to get nervous. She tugged at her hand, but he tightened his hold and covered their clasped hands with his free one.

“You amaze me, Sarah.”

She shook her head. “I’m just me. I’m nobody special.”

“You’re wrong. You’re so much more. You could be bitter about everything that’s happened to you, but somehow you aren’t. Do you know how rare that is?”

Sarah could only stare into his green eyes and shake her head.

“It is.”

“One of the doctors at work told me that she thought my positive attitude was annoying.”

“Fuck her.”

Sarah smothered a laugh. “You haven’t been around me long enough to know if I’m annoying or not.”

“I guarantee I won’t ever think you’re annoying,” Cole said in a serious tone that made goose bumps rise on Sarah’s arms. “I bet you’ve already forgiven that asshole who killed your dads, haven’t you?”

Sarah dropped her gaze from his and stared at their clasped hands resting on his knee. She shrugged. “It’s not his fault his parents raised him to be intolerant of those different from him.”

“Look at me,” Cole ordered.

She took a deep breath and raised her eyes back to his.

“Don’t ever change. You’re right, the world needs more people like you in it. I’m one of those assholes who always swears at people who drive too slow or fast. I get irritated in the grocery store when someone decides to pay with an actual check instead of a debit card. And I’ve never offered to help someone load groceries in their car, partly because I hadn’t thought about it, but also because a man like me approaching a woman in a parking lot isn’t a good idea. But I—”

“A man like you?” Sarah asked, interrupting him.

He grinned. “Yeah. Big. Tattoos. Beard. Some women would scream their heads off if I got close.”

Sarah chuckled. “They might scream, but not for the reason you might think.” The words just popped out, and her cheeks flamed as soon as they did.

Cole smiled, and if she had been standing, Sarah knew her knees would’ve gone weak at the sight. “Right. Anyway, that’s the kind of man I am. I see danger behind every nook and cranny. I always believe people have the worst motives in mind. But that’s good too.”

He paused, and Sarah asked, “It is?”

“Yeah. Because there needs to be men like me in the world to protect women like you.”

Sarah swore her heart was going to beat out of her chest at his words.

He went on. “I probably would’ve loved your dads, simply because they made you into the woman you are today. They protected you when you needed it the most and gave you the love you deserved. They provided for you after their death, allowing you to do what you enjoy without having to worry about money.