Page 13 of Gwen's Delta
Gwen thought about how she should answer him. She was so bad at small talk. Should she tell him she’s happy he likes his purchase? Ugh, no, that was way too formal. As she stared at the blinking cursor, sighed, and typed back to him.
Gwen:Wow, long day. I’m sure you’ll love the book. It’s an exceptional story. I’m reading, too.
Hitting send before she changed her mind, she waited for his response. Grams would be laughing at how riled up she was over texting with him. So would Belle.
Luke:I know I will. I’ve read pieces of it online, and it’s been one of my unicorns to own. What are you reading?
Did she want to tell him? He’d told her it was his favorite. Would he think she was trying to play up to him? God, she’d have to call Belle and figure out this small talk stuff.
Gwen:It’s great you can find pieces from old works online. But there’s nothing like holding the original. I’m glad we had it for you.
She sounded like a total dork. Grabbing a pillow from the end of the couch, she buried her face. She was so stupid. Ugh.
Luke:I was, too. It was like fate finding it after all these years.
Gwen:Are there others you are trying to find? If you give me a list, I’ll see if I can get them for you if we don’t already have them.
Luke:Thank you, I’ll make one up. So, do you bring home books to read?
Gwen:Sometimes. But since I adopted my cat, I’m careful about which books come home with me.
Luke:You’re brave bringing any home if you have a cat. They can be little terrorists.
She giggled. “See, Galahad, even without meeting you, he already knows what you’re like.”
Hearing his name, he strutted into the room and jumped onto the windowsill. He swished his orange-striped tail as he stared out the window.
Gwen:Do you have cats?
Luke:No, but my sister and mother do. I move around too much to have a pet.
Did he like them or just tolerate them? Did it matter? With him traveling so much, he wouldn’t be around Galahad much anyway.
Gwen:My cat’s name is Sir Galahad. He’s a fluffy, orange-and-white tabby with “cattitude.” He purrs so loudly I can hear him in the next room.
Luke:I bet it’s great having someone waiting for you when you get home.
It was hard to read into his words or between them since it was just a text, but his answer gave her the impression he was lonely.
Gwen:Most of the time.
Thank goodness, he was good at small talk. If it were up to her, the conversation would have been over after her second response.
Luke:Can I call you? My fat-finger typing is making me crazy. Talking would be better.
As she read his message, she could almost hear his voice, smooth like whiskey. As much as she wanted to talk, the pressure to maintain a real conversation made her palms sweat. For a moment, she contemplated saying no, but Belle would laugh her ass off and tell her to pull up her big girl panties and stop being a wimp.
Luke:It’s no problem. We can keep texting.
Gwen:No, it’s fine. You can call.
Taking a gulp of wine, she stared at the phone, waiting for it to ring. When it rang, she still jumped and almost dropped it. Was she fifteen or almost thirty? She needed to get over herself.
“Hi, Luke.”
“Thanks for letting me call. This is so much better. I hate texting. My guys are used to my shitty typing, but I didn’t want you to think I couldn’t spell.”
“My dad is the same way. Sometimes his emails are so bad I feel like I need a cipher.” Gwen laughed and groaned at the same time. A cipher?
