“I don’t know. I can’t remember the last time I took a bath.”
“Then read a book in bed. Just go get some rest.”
Lauren brushed her hair back from her face and ignored the way her body grew warm under Zach’s care. “Okay. Just don’t burn the house down this time.”
Zach dried his hands on a towel and tossed it onto the dish drying rack. “I won’t burn anything this time. Scout’s honor.”
Lauren paused her escape and turned back to him. “You were a scout?”
“No way, but my word doesn’t mean anything. I figure I can use someone else’s in this case.”
She hid a chuckle as she slipped off to her bedroom. A cozy mystery had been sitting on her nightstand for weeks, and she’d yet to read page one. After a glorious fall onto the comfortable bed, she slid under the blanket and grabbed the book.
Ten pages later, she couldn’t remember a single thing she’d read. The man in the other room consumed all of her thoughts.
They’d fallen into a casual routine. They worked during the day, met up at either her house or his to work in the evenings, and ended the night watching either a movie or a show together.
It was nice. They didn’t argue. They didn’t push each other. She looked forward to coming home in the afternoons, and the remodeling they did together didn’t seem like work.
It was more than nice. It was great. She was stressed over work, but the pressure didn’t cripple her. And now Zach was making her dinner.
She slid further into the safety of the covers. How easy would it be to fall for him? They were completely different, but so in sync.
She couldn’t. At least, not yet. Was it foolish to hold out hope that he would one day accept her invitation to church or understand when she talked about God?
If it was, then she’d be a fool. She wasn’t giving up on him because the more she got to know him, the more she cared about his salvation, and she wasn’t the type to give up on anything or anyone.
25
Zach
Zach stared at the loaf of goo he’d put in the oven almost an hour ago. It still looked similar to the way it had started. He propped his hands on the edge of the counter and hung his head. If he’d ruined dinner again, he’d never hear the end of it.
Why couldn’t anything he did turn out right? What was the point in trying if he was destined to fail?
“Hey.”
Zach straightened as Lauren walked into the kitchen. She’d changed into the gray sweatpants she always favored and a T-shirt with flowy letters that read “Created with a purpose.” She’d pulled her long hair into a ponytail on top of her head and removed her makeup.
This was how he liked her best. Casual, relaxed, and looking at him with a smile that could light the night sky.
“Hey.” He pointed to the oven. “It’s almost ready. I think.”
She leaned down to peer through the oven window, then checked the timer. “Looks great, and it smells delicious.” When she stood, she pushed her shoulders back in a stretch. “I was thinking I’d make something to go with it.”
“What do you have?”
She opened the pantry and scanned the shelves. “Green beans, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes. Pretty much anything that comes in a box or a can.”
“Green beans,” Zach said. “You feeling better?”
There he went again, worrying about her when he had no business even thinking about her.
“Much better. Thanks for reminding me to chill. I always forget to do that, then I wonder why I feel drained all the time.”
“Have you been sleeping okay?” he asked, both curious and wary of her answer.
She pulled the can of green beans out of the pantry and set it on the counter. “Sort of. I mean, I’m getting plenty of hours of sleep, just not always restful.”
