“With all the headaches that entails.”
We share a conspiratorial laugh as Hailey looks crossways at us. “Grownups are weird,” she says before going back to playing with the unicorn.
“Omelets will be ready in a few minutes. Do you like anything with yours?”
“Do you have any salsa?”
“Sure.” He disappears back into the kitchen. “I hope you like it hot!”
I bite back a smartass comment that might make Hailey uncomfortable. She probably doesn’t want to know how hot her neighbor thinks her dad is.
Minutes later, Micah returns with three steaming plates. He hands the small one to Hailey, then gives me one of the other two. The omelet on my plate is enormous, and I worry I won’t be able to finish it. I inhale the aroma, and my eyes close in ecstasy at the scent. “This smells amazing, Micah. Thanks for making it, and for inviting me over.”
He shrugs one shoulder and picks up his fork. “It’s no problem, really. I’ve been meaning to have you over sometime, anyway. It’s nice to have an adult to talk to. I can only hold so many conversations about cartoons before I start to go a little crazy.”
I’m flattered, but I try not to read too much into it. He’s probably just being nice. “Well, there are a bunch of adults in the neighborhood for you to talk to.”
Micah raises a brow. “You mean Karen and Co.?”
“Well …”
“No offense to them, but you’re more down-to-earth. Those ladies all have their noses so far up their asses I’m surprised if they smell anything besides their own bullshit.”
My eyes flit over to where Hailey sits eating her omelet, but she doesn’t react to the curse.
Micah laughs. “Don’t worry. She’s heard it all before. Lisa and I stopped censoring ourselves around her a long time ago.”
I allow myself to relax a bit and take my first bite.
“Mm …Mm!” My eyes roll back in my head as I taste heaven on a fork.
“Should I leave you two alone?”
“Huh?” I blink blankly at him.
He gestures to my omelet. “You and your new boyfriend there. Those sounds you’re making are obscene.”
I grin as I wipe salsa off the corner of my mouth. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ll take it as a compliment.” He starts in on his own omelet and continues the conversation between bites. “So how did you end up in this ritzy place? I’m here for the schools, but I haven’t seen any kids at your house.”
“I’ve always wanted a nice, big house. I figured why wait for the spouse and kids when I can get it on my own?”
“Good point.”
There’s a long pause while we eat. Then …
“So … No spouse?”
I almost choke on my bite. After an embarrassing coughing fit and a few sips of coffee to wash it down, I finally recover enough to answer. “No.Ahem. No spouse.”
“Cool.”
That’s all he says on the matter, but it’s enough to get my mind going a mile a minute. Micah seems like a really nice guy, and it's been a while since anyone’s been interested. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I also don’t want to miss out. Is he just reaching for stuff to talk about, or is he really curious?
The silence stretches on a bit too long for my comfort. I go back to my food and promptly dribble a large dollop of salsa on my chest. Right. On. My. White. Shirt.
“Shit!”
