Page 16 of A Magnolia Move-In
Spencer’s deep voice startled me, causing me to yelp and toss the food into the air. Like I was trying to get rid of the evidence. As soon as the packages plopped on the ground, my entire body heated from embarrassment.
I glanced over at him sheepishly. “I, um…” Why couldn’t I speak?
Spencer ran his gaze over me and then shifted to the food. He walked over and picked it up before I could get my mouth to cooperate and speak.
“We should set up kitchen boundaries,” he said as he set the cheese and ham down on the counter.
I felt like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I moved to help put the items back, but he didn’t step out of my way. Instead, he pulled a loaf of bread from the breadbox on the counter and pulled out two slices.
“I was hungry,” I whispered as I watched him make me a sandwich.
He grunted as he moved to the fridge to pull out a jar of mayo. “I figured that.”
I leaned against the counter. “Why did you scare me, then?”
He glanced over at me. “I just asked you what you were doing. You were the one throwing my food on the ground.”
“I didn’t…mean to throw them on the ground,” I stammered.
“Well, if you were hungry, you should have just told me.”
I glanced down the side hallway that I could only assume he’d come down. “I wasn’t sure where you went or if you wanted me to bother you.” I turned to see him cutting the sandwich in half. “I really could have done that myself.”
He set the sandwich on a plate and handed it to me. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
I wasn’t sure what was happening, but my hunger took over as I brought the plate over to the table.
“Coffee?”
“Water,” I said over my shoulder.
I’d just picked up my sandwich when Spencer appeared with a water bottle. I thanked him and started eating. From the corner of my eye, I saw Spencer standing a few feet away, as if he wasn’t sure what to do.
Not wanting my stay here to be awkward, I motioned toward the seat across from me. “You can join me if you want,” I said.
Spencer flicked his gaze over to the seat and hesitated. Just when I thought he was going to refuse, he crossed the room and sat down.
We were quiet as I ate. Spencer just leaned back in his chair with his hand on the table, his gaze focused on the window to the right. I tried not to stare at him, but there was so much I wanted to know, and I wasn’t sure how to ask him any of it.
“How long have you been in the landlord business?” I finally asked. I was going crazy from the silence.
“I had one roommate before you.”
I chewed as I thought about what he said. “What happened?” I asked after I swallowed.
He sighed. “He got a job in Florida and moved on.”
He.Hmm. That made me wonder about Spencer’s past.
He glanced in my direction as if he could read my thoughts. “He was an old friend. Nothing more. He just got me used to an income that I wanted to keep.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand as if he were trying to rub stress away.
“I wasn’t assuming anything,” I said as I took another bite.
Spencer scoffed. “Yeah. Sure. I hear what this town says about me.”
I felt confused. “What does the town say about you?”
He looked at me. “You don’t know?”
