Page 132 of Hidden Nature

“I’ve given the matter some thought, and evaluation. My conclusion? That’s the most organized coat closet in my experience with coat closets.”

“I like to know where things are, which means they need to be where they’re supposed to be.”

She took off her gun, put it in its holder on the top shelf.

“I’m having a drink. Do you want a drink?”

“Not when I’m working.”

Whoosh-bang.

He measured for the next piece, then came down from the ladder to cut it.

She waited until the saw went quiet.

“How’d the counter install go?”

“Like my nanny used to say, like butter.”

“You had a nanny.” She saw him stiffen, just a tad. Then shrug.

“Sure, doesn’t everybody? I started on the backsplash. Just wantedto see how it would look. I wanted a pop there because we went with white, minimal graining, on the counters.”

He measured for the next, turned. Stopped.

She stood in front of her ugly kitchen, holding a wineglass. She’d loosened her tie.

“What?”

“You loosened your tie. It’s a look. It’s a good look.”

Since he went back, measured again, she smiled.

She could read signals, and she’d caught a few from him. But this one was the clearest.

The buzz absolutely wasn’t just on her end.

“Why don’t you have a date?” she asked him.

“Because I’m trimming this window. Why don’t you?”

“Because I drove to Uniontown after work to talk to a guy.”

“That sounds like a date.”

“No.”

“What then?”

She started to brush that off, then changed her mind.

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet. I’ll mic something when I finish here.”

“I’m not going to cook, even if it wasn’t nearly eight. But I have a frozen pepperoni pizza I’m willing to share.”

He glanced back at her. “Like a date?”

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