Page 21 of The Weight Of It All
Reed let out a heavy sigh. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. That was out of line.”
“No it wasn’t. It was perfectly fine. Apart from your ex being a cheating piece of shit. That’s not fine at all.”
Now he laughed. “It was six months ago. I’m over it. But yes, you’re right. He was a cheating piece of shit.”
“And a complete idiot to ruin a relationship with you,” I added.
His smile turned kinda shy. “Thanks.”
I stopped stretching my shoulder and shook out my arm. “I think I might’ve overdone it today. Just imagine how buff I’ll be if this anger phase lasts for a while.”
Reed laughed at that. “I bet you feel better though.”
I took a second to assess myself. Sure, my body hurt, but my mind was surprisingly clear. “I do.”
Reed clapped my shoulder. “Good.”
I gathered my water bottle and gym bag and groaned when I stood upright. “My plan for the rest of the day is to do some menu planning for the week, maybe some groceries, then to plant my arse in front of the television and catch up onGame of Thrones.”
Reed sighed. “Sounds perfect. I’m doing much the same. Though there’s a farmers market in the park at Drummoyne today. I was gonna head over and see what’s on offer.”
“Oh, I’ve seen that sometimes when I’ve driven past but never called in.”
“First Sunday of every month,” Reed said. “They havesome great stuff. Fresh, locally grown, some organic. They have some gourmet sauces you might like. All homemade.”
“Sounds good,” I agreed. “I was going to try a new salmon recipe. And I found a grilled pork fillet with apple and chili recipe. It looked good too.”
He brightened. “Oh my God, I made this calamari with lime and chili the other night. It was so good.”
“You’ll have to give me the recipe. I love trying new things.”
“Me too! I’ll bring it in for you. Or I can text it to you.”
“Sounds good.” Then I thought of something. I’d only seen him walking or riding a pushbike, which I didn’t see out the front today, which meant he must’ve walked to work. “Will you walk or ride your bike to the market?”
“Yeah, I’ll ride. It’s not far. I wear a backpack to carry stuff, so it’s no big deal.”
“Did you want a lift? What time do you finish up here?”
“Oh, not for another hour.” He hesitated. “It’s fine, thanks anyway.”
“By the time I get home and showered, grab my menu planner, it’ll be an hour. Believe me, my arms will be so sore it’ll take me twenty minutes to put socks on. And I literally drive past the gym on my way.”
He fought a smile. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then that’d be great.”
“Okay, I’ll be back in an hour. I’ll just wait out front.”
His smile was warm and wide. “Sure thing.”
An hour later, at ten o’clock exactly, I pulled back into the gym car park, and whether or not he was watching for me, I had no clue, but Reed walked out with a gym bag in his hand. He smiled as he opened the door and got into the front seat. He slid in easily, despite his size, and again I was reminded ofhis fridge-like frame as he filled his half of the front of my sports car.
“Thanks again for doing this,” he said, stuffing his bag under his feet. “And when we get to the markets, we might wanna put my gym bag in the boot. I mean, there’s nothing disgusting in there, but no gym bag smells great.”
I pulled the car back onto the road into the always-steady stream of traffic. “No problem. Actually, thank you for reminding me about the markets. I’ve always been meaning to go but just never got there.”
