Page 110 of Almost Love

I think you should take a closer look tonight to make sure you got all the details right.

Oakley

I definitely should do that.

Clementine

I’ll make her nice and lush for you.

Oakley

Shame that I can’t get out of here right now. I’d love to be staring at all that lushness.

Clementine

Few more hours, Oak. You can be patient.

Oakley

But I don’t want to be.

Clementine

Good boys get rewarded.

Oakley

Yes, chef.

She spent a few hours at the MacArthur house, drinking iced coffee and listening to Indigo talk about their day. Her phone hadn’t buzzed again, so she figured that Oakley was occupied, but she missed his filthy texts. At least Dig had found a way to distract her. They were on a mission to convince Mack they needed a dog and her best friend just stared at his kid like they were speaking in tongues. Which, understandably, annoyedIndigo to the point of stomping out of the room in frustration. After she’d managed to get the two of them calmed down and talking about anything but dogs, Clementine headed out.

Her first stop was her house to grab some clothes. Just like she’d made room for Oakley in her closet, he’d done the same for her. So far, most of her work clothes had shifted into his apartment, and everything else still lived in her own space. She intended to spend the weekend with him, so Clementine grabbed a few dresses and some of her favorite pieces of lingerie.

Then she swung by the grocery store to grab supplies to make dinner. Oakley’s kitchen was filling up with utensils and dishes and she kept his fridge stocked whenever she had the time. Her plan for that evening was to make spaghetti and meatballs, with a twist. When she let herself into his apartment not too long after, she was greeted by an excitable Gracie and a young woman she figured was Deana, the dog sitter.

“Hey, I’m Clementine.”

“You’re the one filling up the fridge.”

“Guilty as charged.” She smiled and squatted to give a hyper Gracie some attention. “I know you weren’t expecting me, but I hope it’s okay that I’m here.”

“Hey, this is more your place than mine. Oakley’s mentioned you, so I’m not worried you’re gonna steal the golden fluff.”

Looking at the fluff in question, Clementine smiled and kissed the top of Gracie’s head. “Don’t think I’d get very far even if I did.”

“She’s pretty attached to him. Do you want me to take her out before I leave?”

“I’ll do that. Thanks, Deana,” she told the other woman and then bid her goodbye. With Gracie hovering close by, Clementine unloaded her groceries. Then she grabbed the leash and they went for a walk.

The whole time, she thought about what Rhiannon had said during her session. She might still fear saying the words out loud, but she was damn good at showing her affections. While she had no idea if she was displaying them regularly, Clementine liked to think that she was doing it in the little things.

Some would laugh if she said that food was her love language. She didn’t like most people or have patience to deal with them, but when they were important to her, Clementine would cook. What she did at the bakery wasn’t her way of expressing love, that was her job. Cooking for Mack and Indigo was love, though they always got the words too. Making pizza, donuts, cupcakes and cakes for Oakley? That was affection growing into love. Whipping out her special recipes and feeding him was just the small ways in which she could declare her feelings.

When Gracie started to lag and whine, tired of her walk, they returned to the apartment. Clementine filled up the water and food bowls then started on dinner.

CHAPTER 30

Despite his best intentions, every session with Kristof included a conversation about Clementine. His therapist wasn’t happy about it and brought up replacement addictions, which then made Oakley irritable. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before, but it still annoyed him.

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