I fell back asleep a few minutes later, dreaming of talking knives and purring dolphins.
***
“Did you just put chocolate in the cutlery drawer?” Malena asked, startling me.
I slammed the drawer in question shut and whipped around to face her. “Don’t sneak up on me like that or your key privileges will be revoked.”
She handed me a coffee she’d picked up on the way over. “Are you hiding chocolate from your kids again?”
I cradled my coffee; I was grateful she’d stopped at Sweet Dreams on her way over. “Maybe. Desperate times and all that. They’re not supposed to eat that much chocolate anyway. I’m keeping them sugar free by sacrificing myself and eating it.”
“Of course you are.”
“Hey, no judging.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” She snickered and looked around. “Where’s your new roomie?”
I’d told her about Sebastian when she called last night to tell me she’d drop in this morning. I’d put off telling her as long as I could but had to fess up. To say she was intrigued would be an understatement.
“On the phone.”
He was on the phone a lot. The thing rang constantly.
“How are things going?” she asked.
“Splendid.”
“Interesting choice of words.”
“Shut up.”
She raised her perfect brows. “Is that all you got?”
I stuck my tongue out at her, and she chuckled.
“Did you message that Peter guy back?”
I groaned from where I was sitting on the counter, one of my favorite places. “Why would I? We both know it would never go anywhere.”
“I think you should give him a chance. He sounded nice.”
“So did Clive.”
We both sipped our coffee in silence, remembering the mess I’d gotten myself into. Clive was the first guy I’d dated after Jim, and he’d turned out to be a deranged stalker. And while Peter looked good on paper, I had no intention of messaging him.
He was one of the single dads at Luca’s preschool and had asked me out a few times. He messaged me again a few days ago, and I was running out of excuses not to catch up with him. I thought he’d give up, but apparently he just thought I was playing hard to get.
“Maybe I’ll go out with him tonight,” I said, surprising not only Malena but myself.
“Really? Don’t tease me like that, because that would just be cruel.”
I laughed and jumped off the counter when Luca and Lena came running back into the kitchen, Luca wearing his sweatshirt inside out.
And that’s how it would remain since I didn’t have the energy to get him to put it the right way around.
“Five minutes, buddy. Then we have to go.”
“I don’t wanna goes,” he complained, not looking up.
