“Love you, bro, and keep answering your damn phone.” He laughed.
“Love you, too.” I smiled. “Remember that the next time you’re leaving a message.” I laughed too and hung up.
I pulled up to an industrial building with glass windows surrounding it. Rita stood outside in a cute pair of jeans and a thigh-length jacket. The temperature had dropped quite a bit from last week when we were playing basketball. Today was definitely an indoors kind of day.
I got out with a jacket on myself and smiled as I walked toward her. She was biting her nails and looked so anxious. Was she worried I wouldn’t show up? I might not want to keep doing therapy, but I would never stand someone up. If I wasn’t going to be here, I would have called.
“Hi.” I hoped my smile put her more at ease.
“Hi.” She didn’t smile back.
“What is this place?”
“The best kept secret in Ridgeway.” That earned a tiny smile. “You don’t have any allergies, do you?”
I shrugged. “Coconut.” Were we going to lunch? I liked that idea.
“We should be good then.” She turned and reached for the door, but I beat her to the handle.
“After you.” I held it open for her.
She walked past me, and I had to tighten my hold on the knob. She smelled amazing. It was like she took a bath in raindrops and sunshine. How was that possible? I also noticed she was much taller than I originally thought. The top of her hair actually grazed the bottom of my chin. I so wanted to reach out and put my hand on her back. Maybe let it slide around her waist and draw her into my chest. I had a feeling she would feel perfect next to me.
The inside was far different from what I’d been expecting. It was very bright and cheerful, and not just because of the sun coming through the windows. They literally had a sun painted on the wall that took up so much room it reached the ceiling. There were plush pillows thrown around on the floor and a few seats that looked as if they were made for kids. Each of the walls were painted with different bright colors, and the whole place felt as if it was surrounded in light.
“What is your beef with real chairs?” I leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“No beef.” She gave me a genuine smile. “They just don’t always fit the vibe.”
“Do you at least have normal chairs in your home?” I could imagine her sitting on the floor when we talked the other night.
“Yes.” She laughed. “I have normal chairs and a couch and all the regular furniture you would expect a house to have.”
“Good.” I really wanted to see her house now. I wondered what her style was like.
“Rita.” A short, round woman called out, drawing my attention back to where we were standing. She gave her a huge hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She pulled back. “We have some newbies that I know are going to steal your heart.”
“That sounds perfect.” Rita smiled and looked my way. “Jas, this is Major Harris.” It was the proper way to introduce me,but I would have liked it better if she had called me Stewart. I was becoming obsessed with getting her to say my name. I really want to hear it from her lips.
“Ma’am.” I dipped my head in Jas’s direction.
“None of that. Not here.” She held her arms open as if waiting for me to hug her.
I looked at Rita, and she subtly nodded her head. I shrugged and embraced the woman. Her hug was stronger than I would have thought, and it reminded me of my mom. She always told us to hug people like we really meant it, and she took her own words to heart.
She let go, and I glanced back at Rita to see her really smiling. “What is this place?” I whispered my question again.
“You’ll see.” Did she just wink at me?
“Well, come on back, you two.” Jas waved for us to follow behind her. I let Rita go first, and I followed, still unsure what we were doing.
Jas led us down a long hallway with nothing but doors. I could hear faint scratching and what sounded like a whine, which piqued my curiosity even more.
“Are you going with door one or two today?”
Rita looked me up and down. “I think we will go with door number one.” I raised my eyebrows. What was the difference?
“Good choice.” Jas smiled. “Let me know when you’re done.” She walked off down the hallway leaving us alone.
