Page 13 of Dove
I slid to the left, popping two of them into the toaster.
I supposed I could eat them for breakfast every day now if I wished. There was no one around to chastise me any longer for my poor eating habits. Forcing the thought away before I teared up, I placed the box back in the freezer. I hesitated for a fraction of a second, wondering if I should offer some to Josh…
I slammed the door closed a little too forcefully.
Tough shit. He could find his own breakfast. He’d been doing it for the past three years just fine. More than fine, considering how built he was.
I peeked through my lashes at him as I waited for my waffles to heat, taking in the size of his biceps. They hadn’t been that big when he’d left, and he’d worked on a farm all his life.
What had he been doing while he was away?
Questions tickled at the back of my throat, begging to be voiced, but I swallowed them down.
I didn’t want to know.I didn’t.
Startling slightly as my waffles popped up, I grabbed at them with a napkin, snatching them up in one hand. I swiped my coffee off the counter with the other as I made my way to the mudroom just off the kitchen.
Mr. Local News could sit there and get caught up with Haven all he wanted. There was plenty of work for the rest of us to get done around here.
My steps faltered.
Me, I mentally corrected myself. Plenty of work formeto get done around here. Suddenly the reality of how much extra work was on my plate hit me.
“Dove,” his deep voice called, still a little scratchy from sleep. “Wait.”
I ignored him, taking a bite out of one of the waffles as I trudged over to the line of shoes arranged just beside the doorway. Setting my coffee on the washer, I slipped my feet into my old farming boots.
He exhaled a sigh of annoyance, and out of the corner of my eye, I watched as he leaned against the doorframe.
“You can’t do all the work yourself,” he pointed out.
My lips twisted.Watch me.
Putting the waffles in my mouth to hold, I bent to tie my frayed laces.
“Would you stop acting like a brat?” he griped irritably. “You’ve never been one, don’t start now.”
I closed my eyes and released a sharp exhale through my nose.
He was riling me up on purpose because my lack of response was getting to him. He was hoping for one, even if it was in anger. We’d lived together for eight years. As much as he knew me, and he knew me well, he forgot that went both ways.
I wasn’t going to feed into his game.
Maybe it was fueled by my anger, but I wanted him to feel a fraction of all that I’d felt in the past three years. Ignoring him was just the beginning.
I grabbed the waffles out of my mouth as I stood up, flipping my hair out of my face. I leaned over to push the door open before grabbing my coffee and stepping out into the morning air.
The grass was dewy from the rain the night before, the humidity passing with the break of the storm. The temperature was a touch cooler than normal because of it, and I was thankful for the few mild hours I’d get before the sun rose. By noon, the sun’s rays would be beating down brutally, and I’d be sweating profusely, no doubt. I’d enjoy the chill in the air while I could.
The door creaked behind me as Josh followed, but I continued to ignore him, turning to make my way down the steps to start my day.
“Are you planning on ignoring me forever?”
His question hit a nerve in me that had me lashing out, vulnerable and hurt.
“You went three years ignoring me,” I reminded him harshly, still refusing to look in his direction.
I practically stomped down the steps. It wasn’t until my boots hit the ground that I wheeled around to face him. He stood at the top of the porch, his feet bare against the worn wood, his expression uneasy. Had he not expected my anger? Or had he hoped I’d just be so happy to see him I’d forget he left at all?
