Thursday when they’d finished cleaning Arik’s house, they’d ordered pizza because the thought of going out or making anything didn’t appeal to either of them.
“How long have you been up?”
He was showered and had a cup of coffee in his hand. Not one he made in the room but had gone down to the lobby to get. She hadn’t heard him leave.
“About an hour. I thought for sure you’d be up when the door closed. I was getting worried.”
She threw the covers back. “Sorry about that. We were on the go yesterday, added to a long week.”
They’d arrived in Boston early Friday morning, could check into their hotel thanks to her name and staying in a Bond-owned business.
They got an Uber and were on their way to Fenway two hours before the game started. Traffic was so bad, they were dropped off a few blocks before and walked. It was such a nice day, it hadn’t mattered.
The game went into extra innings; they walked a few more blocks to a restaurant and then called an Uber to bring them back.
She hated driving around the city and they were less than a mile to Quincy Market, just over the bridge. Today would be another day on her feet moving around, but she was looking forward to it.
“Another busy day. We can find a bench to sit on and enjoy some downtime.”
“No way,” she said. “I don’t get here often and want to take advantage of it. I mean it.”
“If you say so. Your coffee is on the counter.”
“Thanks.” She picked it up and took a healthy sip, it hitting the spot. “This will give me a shot of energy to get through the day.”
“I’ll order breakfast if you want or we can go find a cafe to eat at.”
“I’d rather do that. No plans today. Let’s go where our feet take us.”
“Now you’re sounding like me.”
“We are rubbing off on each other.”
She closed the bathroom door after getting her clothes for the day.
Twenty minutes later, she was out of the bathroom and reaching for her coffee. She could take it with them while they found a quiet breakfast spot out of the way.
“Did you decide about Don?” she asked.
She knew he hadn’t wanted to tell her about that. After the condition of his house, the embarrassment kept him quiet. Or so she thought that was the reason.
She had to admit, hearing him open up thrilled her. He was seriously considering the consultant position, unsure how to make it work, and he wanted her opinion. That meant something.
To her, and hopefully to him, it meant they were a team. A partnership.
He wasn’t deciding like a man who could pick up and leave, but one who wanted to assure he had time to devote to her.
To them and their relationship.
That was her dream man. The one who cared enough to even try.
“I don’t know,” he said. “What do you think?”
“I think you know what your limits are.”
“Obviously not if I let the house get the way I did in five days.”
She laughed, unable to help herself at the chagrined expression twisting his face.
