Page 21 of Tinder Embrace
"Gre-at," I said, my voice catching mid-syllable.
I needed to work on my resting teacher face and responses if I was going to fantasize about Davis in the middle of a conversation. Desperately, I grasped for a topic change to cool my over-heated imagination.
"How do you feel about tacos for dinner? I noticed you had most of the ingredients in the fridge at home."
"Tacos are for Tuesdays." He said it with such finality, I didn't argue. After all, I was still essentially an intruder in his life.
"And what are Mondays for?" I asked, curious.
"Meatless meals."
"Like… grilled cheese?"
He nodded. "For instance."
"Okay, I can work with that. What are the other days of the week?" I asked, intrigued by this peek into Davis's life. Maybe I should have guessed he'd be this disciplined. After all, his hops were always arranged in neat rows. It wasn't a stretch that he was just as particular in his personal life as he was with his crops.
"Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Wish Wednesday, Tryout Thursday, Fish Friday, Soup or Sandwich Saturday, and Noodle Sunday."
Fascinated by his habits, I had to ask, "How did you get started with this dinner planning method?"
He shrugged. "My dad. After my mom left, he said he had his hands full with us and the farm and needed one less thing to think about."
"Your parents are divorced, right?"
"Since I was twelve." He said it easily, like it didn't matter anymore, and I guess after twenty-odd years, it didn't.
"Did you see your mom much growing up?"
"Nope."
Again, with the matter-of-fact delivery, I squinted at him, looking for any signs of discomfort. I'd had some idea of their background from comments Jo had made, but I hadn't realized their mom basically left her kids when she left their dad.
"I'msorry," I said, placing one tentative hand on Davis's elbow.
He cast a quick glance at me before turning his eyes to the road. "It was a long time ago."
"Yeah, but it still sucks."
"That's pretty much my life thesis. Life sucks… and then you die."
I shook my head, saddened. "And on that cheery note, I'm going to make you a grilled cheese tonight," I promised.
"Because…"
"Cheese makes everything better."
Davis grunted, but he didn't disagree. I marked it in the win column and followed him into the house, putting the ice pack he'd brought me back in the freezer. I elevated my foot on the coffee table and turned on the TV in the background while I graded papers.
He appeared a few minutes later, hovering at the foot of the couch, watching me.
"What's up?" I asked.
"I thought you were done for the day," he said.
I grinned. "Davis, honey, you are cute. A teacher's job, like a farmer's, is never done."
He flushed and rubbed the back of his neck before grumbling. "I'll be in my office."
