“Thanks, Garrett,” she said. Her chest was filled with warmth and emotion, the kind that made her think that sometime soon, she might consider using a certain special word to describe her feelings. They were taking things gradually, since Eleanor hadn’t been divorced for that long when they met, but still. She cared about him a lot.
“Okay,” Diana said when Eleanor hung up the phone for a second time. “I’m coming with you.”
“Are you sure?” Eleanor asked. “I don’t think it’s going to be super fun or anything.”
Diana shrugged. “I’m invested now. Road trip!”
“Garrett?” Diana asked, popping a Sour Patch Kid in her mouth. She was on her second bag. The sugar was the only thing keeping her awake. She had not been thinking about her overall energy levels when she had agreed to come on this trip.
“Yeah, Diana?”
Diana didn’t know Eleanor’s boyfriend all that well. He was reserved, a little grumpy. But he was great to Eleanor, which was the only thing that mattered to Diana.
Still, she hoped he didn’t take this the wrong way.
“Why does your truck smell like Doritos and energy drinks?”
He met her eye through the rearview mirror.
“Because of all the Doritos and energy drinks I eat in here,” he replied, completely deadpan.
And Diana had absolutely no idea if he was kidding.
“Do you really ‘eat’ an energy drink?” Eleanor mused. This did not help Diana on the ‘is this a joke’ factor. Not in the least.
“I suppose not,” Garrett said, shooting his girlfriend a fond look.
Interesting. So very, very interesting.
“You’re an enigma, Wilder, do you know that?” she commented.
Hehmphed.
In the rearview mirror, she caught a glimpse of Eleanor’s indulgent, fond smile, and Diana couldn’t resist letting out a little smile of her own, no matter her exhaustion… or her own lackluster love life. Eleanor and Garrett were clearly destined for one another, and it was unspeakably charming to see them interact.
When they got to the warehouse, they found it supervised by a half-asleep worker who couldn’t have been older than twenty years old.
“Oh, hi,” the kid said, rubbing his eyes. “Are you the lady with the thing?”
Garrett crossed his arms in a way that wasn’t precisely menacing but did distinctly encourage the kid to develop some manners quickly.
“Right.” The worker pulled a rubber-encased cell phone out of his pocket. “You’re, um, Mrs. Ridley? With the bookshelf?”
“Ms. Ridley, but yes,” Eleanor said with a smile. “Can you help us load it up?”
The kid rubbed the back of his neck, looking like he wanted to refuse, but Garrett cleared his throat.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said quickly. “Of course, ma’am. Right away, ma’am.”
He scrambled to unlock the warehouse.
“Is this how you choose to use your powers, Garrett?” Diana teased. “Terrorizing youth?”
“I’m a man of many skills,” Garrett replied without hesitation.
Diana was delighted. Also, the sugar from the two packs of Sour Patch Kids was making her a little loopy.
“Was that a joke?” she asked happily. “Do you have a secret sense of humor?”
