Chapter Eleven
It turned outthat Landen was extremely helpful when it came to laundry. He watched me fold a couple of towels and jumped right in, using the exact same technique. He also seemed a little disappointed when I carried my basket of socks, underwear, and pajamas into my bedroom rather than folding them all while he was helping.
Once the laundry was done, Landen looked at me. “What do you want to do now?”
After the week I had, I answered honestly. “Nothing. I want to sit on the couch like a piece of mold and watch television. Though I might be interested in food in a few hours if you wanna stick around.”
Landen studied me for a long moment and I could practically hear the gears turning in his head. “I haven’t done that in a long time.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” he replied. “I don’t think I’ve taken a day to sit around and watch TV or read a book in a few years. Maybe since college.”
I blinked at him. “But you graduated college ten years ago,” I pointed out.
“Then it’s probably been ten years.”
I gaped at him. “Oh, we’re definitely doing this. Go sit on that couch and take off your shoes. Do you want something to drink?”
He shrugged. “Sure. What do you have?”
I moved over to the fridge and peered inside. “Let’s see. OJ, milk, water, wine, and Dr. Pepper.”
“Dr. Pepper sounds good,” he answered, his voice muffled from where he bent down to untie his shoes and slip them off his feet.
I grabbed myself a can of Dr. Pepper as well and carried them both into the living room. I opened the drinks, set them down on the coffee table, and picked up the remote.
When I settled on the couch, Landen put his arm around me and pulled me into his side. I curled up next to him and turned on the TV.
“What do you like to watch?” I asked, tilting my head back to gaze up at him. I tried to ignore the tingles that raced up my spine as his hand stroked my arm.
“Did you miss the part where I said that I haven’t taken a day to watch television in a decade?”
I grinned at his dry delivery. “Fine, then I’ll pick.”
“Fine by me,” he murmured, his hand still stroking my arm.
I turned on my television, laughing when he sat up straighter.
“You have a smart TV?” he asked.
“Yep. I don’t use cable anymore. I watch everything through streaming apps.”
I quickly moved through the menu and pulled up all the digital movies I owned. “Do you like action movies?” I asked as I scrolled through the list.
“As long as you don’t make me watchThe Notebook, I don’t really care.”
I chuckled again. “I’m not crazy about those kinds of movies either,” I commented. “I want to watch stuff that makes me laugh or where the bad guys get their due. Especially if there are huge explosions. I don’t like tearjerkers.” I paused. “Except forHomicide Hunter. Lieutenant Joe Kenda is the man.”
“So you said before. I’m not sure I agree.”
I gaped at him. “Okay, you have to watch it before you say that. He’s a homicide detective in Colorado Springs and he talks about all the cases he’s had over the past few decades. He’s smart, tenacious, and doesn’t bullshit. Plus the actor who plays the younger version of him in the re-enactments is hot.”
Landen squinted at me as though he didn’t believe what I was saying. I shrugged. “What? He is!”
“Okay, if it gets you that excited, I guess I’ll watch.”
Still grinning, I squirmed a bit closer until my entire side was up against his and I rapidly clicked through the seasons until I got to the first one. “We’ll start from the beginning.”
