Page 64 of Your Every Wish
I start to askThen what do you do, and stop myself. Clearly, it’s a sore subject or he would’ve volunteered that information by now, especially because I’d skirted the topic with him once before.
“How are the sets coming along for the Halloween potluck?” I ask instead.
“Almost done. The amount of work these people put into this party . . . you’d think it was a Broadway play.”
I grin because it’s true. This potluck is clearly the event of the year for the residents of Cedar Pines. “It’s sweet.”
He cocks his brows. “It’s something. I doubt ‘sweet’ is the word I’d use to describe it.”
“It’s nice of you to put in all this time and effort into building stuff for the event. It’s not like you don’t have enough to do,” I say, giving him another opportunity to spell it out for me. But all he does is take another sip of his coffee.
“How’s the advice business going?”
Ah-ha, I see what he’s doing by turning the conversation to me. “Not bad. If you ever need any, don’t hesitate, I owe ya.”
“I’m good for now. But thanks.”
The bacon is nearly done, so I start the eggs. “Is scrambled okay?”
“I’ll eat ’em still in the shell if they’re home-cooked.”
“Don’t get a lot of homemade meals, huh?” Not that bacon and eggs are much of a homemade meal.
“I’m proficient with a microwave. Anything else and . . . Unless you like burnt toast, I’m really good at burning toast.”
I grab a loaf of bread from the pantry and stick a few slices in the toaster oven, then retrieve the butter from the fridge. “I’ve got you covered. No burnt toast.”
He tucks into his breakfast like a starving man. “This is great. ”
“I’ll make you dinner sometime. Something more elaborate than bacon and eggs.”
“Yeah?” His eyes light up and I notice they’re a nice shade of brown. And the little crinkles around the edges kill me. “I’d love that.”
“Dex is coming this weekend. But maybe next,” I say.
“Dex? The boyfriend?”
The corner of my mouth tips up at the way he says “the boyfriend”—a skosh contemptuously, then he winks to imply he’s teasing.
“Yes, the boyfriend.”
Kennedy wanders in, sweaty and out of breath. “Hey, Liam.” She pours herself a glass of water and gulps it down.
“Hey, Kennedy.”
“You want bacon and eggs?” I ask.
“I’m good. Gonna grab a shower, then we can go to town.”
I’ve agreed to meet with a real estate agent in the interest of “gathering information.” Kennedy’s words, not mine. I figure there is no harm in hearing what an expert has to say. But I’ve made it clear that this is strictly a research project. I need more time before deciding anything definitive.
Kennedy refills her glass and takes it with her down the hall.
Liam takes his plate to the sink, washes it, and rests it on the drying rack. “If the boyfriend happens to stand you up, I’m available for that dinner.”
“Noted,” I say. “But he won’t.” Dex and I haven’t seen each other since Kennedy’s and my trip to San Francisco. Mark my words, Dex is anticipating this weekend as much as I am.
“Thanks again for looking at our heater.” I walk Liam out.
