Page 42 of I Still Do

“Yep.” It was clear she’d obviously accepted Jen for who she was.

“And you two are friends because…”

“We balance each other out, I guess.” Cora shrugged. “I’m trying to convince her to see things differently. And she keeps me from spending all of my free time reading books in my apartment.”

That took him back to when they were in school, and it concerned him. “You’re doing okay, right?” She gave him a funny look, so he elaborated. “I mean, you’re happy. Content with your life.”

Her eyes narrowed a little. “Where is that question coming from?”

“I just remember how you’d hide out in your room when school or your parents got overwhelming. I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t a defense mechanism for you now.”

“A lot has changed, Grey. Just because I’m reading in my apartment instead of bar hopping doesn’t mean I’m unhappy.” There was an irritated tone to her voice.

“That’s not what I meant…”

Someone rang the doorbell. Cora jumped to her feet as though eager to end their conversation. “I’ll bet that’s the pizza. You want me to chip in?”

“Nah, I’ve got it.” He paid the delivery driver, tipped him, and set the two boxes on the kitchen table. “We’ve got Italian sausage with black olives for the lady, and supreme for me.” He pointed to a cabinet. “Plates are up there if you want to grab a couple for us. I’ll get the napkins.”

They sat down on opposite sides of his little table, their knees not quite touching each other beneath. After Grey said a prayer for the food and for getting them all home safely again after last weekend, they began to eat.

“I didn’t mean to offend you with my question earlier.” He paused, trying to formulate his thoughts into words. “I guess, after last weekend, I’ve found it difficult not to think about you. I just wanted to make sure you have a support system in place. We all need that.”

Her features softened. “I have a few friends. People that would help me if I asked, and that goes both ways. I’ll admit I probably focus more on my work than I should.”

“You’re doing a lot of good for a lot of people. That’s something to be proud of.” He meant every word.

“I appreciate that.” She picked a piece of sausage off her pizza and popped it into her mouth. “For the record? You may have entered my thoughts a few times since the trip, too.”

Grey nodded slowly and hid his smile with another bite.

They ate and talked mostly about the previous weekend. Comparing notes about things that people had said and done was interesting since they didn’t have a whole lot of time to talk openly about it at the cabin.

Once they’d finished their pizza, Grey stood again. “Do you have room for dessert?”

She gave him a look as though she couldn’t believe the question. “Of course!”

He closed the boxes of pizza before putting them in the fridge. Then he got two bowls out of the cabinet and retrieved the carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream he’d purchased earlier that day. When he held it up for Cora to see, her face brightened, just like he’d hoped it would.

“You remembered.”

Remembered that this was her favorite ice cream? He’d never forgotten. Over the years, he’d alternated between avoiding it because it reminded him of her, and eating some to relive those good memories. He didn’t tell her any of that, though. Grey simply smiled and scooped some ice cream into both bowls before storing the carton in the freezer again. After placing a spoon in each, he handed a bowl to Cora.

“Thank you.” She took a bite and nodded her approval. “So good.” Then she laughed. “Do you remember that time we finished the ice cream at your house, and Dare got so mad at us?”

Grey grinned. “He was furious. An hour or two after you went home, the ice cream truck came through the neighborhood, and Dare hounded me until I went out and bought him something. I’ve never seen someone love sweets like that guy.”

Cora shook her head, a wide smile on her face. “Okay, did you know he’s quite the matchmaker?”

His eyes widened. “How’s that?” He knew Dare had spoken to him at length but had no idea his brother had done the same with Cora. Grey took a bite of his own ice cream.

“Oh, he was somewhat subtle, but he pretty much insinuated that you and I were a good team, and that he hoped he’d be seeing me again soon.”

She was still chuckling, and he joined her, but he really wanted to know what she thought about that. He happened to agree with Dare, but did Cora? “I don’t think he’s wrong.”

“True. We can be a pretty hard team to beat.”

“When we stopped working together and watching each other’s back is where we messed up.”

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