“They all live in the top drawer of my nightstand.”
“You save them?”
“Yes, silly. Come with me.” I walk back past him, grabbing his hand and tugging him into the room where my furniture is. Opening the top drawer of my nightstand, I reveal every doodle and note he’s ever left me.
“I can’t believe you saved them all,” he says.
“Of course I did. They’re one of my favorite things—the story of you and me.”
He spins me around and kisses me. “Tanner!” I giggle. “We have to go, and I still need coffee.”
“You’re killing me,” he says, checking his watch. “We may have time for a quickie if we hurry.”
“I promise I’ll make the wait worth your while, but we have to go. My parents are waiting for us to arrive.”
“Fine,” he pouts, kissing my nose.
We head back into the kitchen, and I prepare my coffee in a to-go cup. At eight thirty, we make our way down to his car and get across town to pick up the moving truck Tanner rented.
“I figured you could drive my car, and I’ll drive the truck,” he says.
“That’s fine with me. Oh, I forgot to tell you Gwen called yesterday, and the adjustable tablesshipped, so pending they don’t go swimming in the middle of the ocean like my mattress, they should be here soon.”
“That’s awesome, babe.”
I squeeze his hand, smiling that I’m one step closer to my dream becoming a reality. “Do you know when you close on the bar?”
“The lawyer emailed me this morning. A month from tomorrow. If all goes according to plan, the bar will re-open at the end of January, and then we will break ground on the pickleball courts at the end of February.”
“You don’t want to do it all at the same time?”
“I’m hiring all of the current staff, so I’m trying to minimize the time I’m having to cover salaries when they aren’t working.”
“I’m sure they appreciate it.”
“It’s a win-win. I get to keep Jerry’s team, and they get paid and the holidays off.”
He turns into the rent-a-truck parking lot, and I switch into the driver’s seat of his car. “Do you want me to wait?” I ask, kissing him through the window
“No, you go ahead,” he says, opening the back door, pulling out a little bag.
“What’s that?”
“You’ll see,” he smirks. “Go, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He kisses me again and then begins to walk toward the office door, and I finish the short drive to my mom and dad’s.
_____
“Hey, everybody,” I yell, walking through my parents' front door.
“Hey, sweetheart,” my mom says. “Where’s Tanner?”
“Just a little bit behind me. I dropped him at the rent-a-truck place. He shouldn’t be long. Cody doing okay?”
“Your brother is fine,” she says. “He’s watching some movie with your dad.”
We walk further into the house, and I greet my dad and brother.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” Cody asks, using his speech device.
