“You okay?” I asked.
He lifted his shoulder in a shrug. “Eh. My prosthetic is wonky. I have to get it checked out.”
I had completely forgotten he had a prosthetic leg. “Ugh, that has to suck. Will you be able to get it looked at soon?”
He huffed a laugh. “If the colonel has anything to say about it, I will. He gets pretty adamant when it comes to taking care of me.”
“I’ll bet he does,” I said with a smile.
I turned to leave, but Tommy stopped me. “I almost forgot,” he began. “We’re open half-days on Saturday. I know you work at the hotel, but we all alternate working on Saturdays so nobody works every Saturday. We only take easy jobs or walk-ins that don’t require much.”
I nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll work it out with Mr. O’Neil. I can’t work next Saturday because I’m down at the joint base for training.”
He waved it away. “No worries. We have April and early May covered. We’ll figure out the rest of May when you return from training.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “I’ll see you on Monday.” I held up the paper he gave me. “I’ll have made my decision by then.”
My drive home took all of five minutes. It took me longer to find a parking space than to get to Ocean Grove. I decided right then that I would walk most days unless it was raining—at least until I got my bike. I was practically vibrating by the time I walked into our apartment building. I couldn’t wait until Miguel got home so I could talk to him about the motorcycle.
A delicious aroma hit my nostrils as soon as I opened our door. I heard music playing and the sound of Miguel singing along. I checked the time on my phone to make sure I hadn’t somehow lost two hours. Nope, it was only five-fifteen. I followed the sound into the kitchen, where I found Miguel putting a pot on the stove. He had changed out of his work clothes into black lounge pants and a gray T-shirt. His hair was still neatly coiffed. Even in casual clothes, he looked put together.
He turned when he heard me come in. “Hey, baby.”
I went to him and kissed him. “Hey, beautiful. What are you doing home so early?”
“I wanted to surprise you and make you a special dinner to celebrate your first week at your new job.”
I hugged him tightly. “Thanks, babe. That’s so sweet of you. What are you making?”
“Chicken marsala with roasted potatoes and broccoli.”
My stomach rumbled. “That sounds great.”
He laughed and patted my belly. “Go shower. Everything should be ready by the time you get out.”
I took my time in the shower, making sure I was extra clean everywhere. I had plans for the evening that I hoped Miguel would be on board with. I put on a pair of soft lounge pants—no underwear—and a black T-shirt that was just a little too tight.
When I returned to the kitchen, the lights were low, and the table was set for two. Two lit candles were set in the middle of the table and soft music played through the Bluetooth speaker. Miguel was just setting a bottle of white wine on the table when I walked in. When he saw me standing there, his eyes scanned my body, and a lascivious grin curved his lips. “Hey there, hot stuff.” He came over to me and put his arms around my neck. “You look fantastic.”
We shared a long, deep kiss while his hands slid over my chest and around to my backside. He ran his hands farther down and looked up in surprise. “Are you commando?”
I booped his nose and said, “Could be. You’ll have to wait until after dinner to find out.”
He pouted. “Mean.” My stomach rumbled again, and he laughed. “Come on. Let’s get you fed.”
Dinner tasted delicious. “You’re a really good cook,” I told him.
“Thanks,” he replied with a shy smile. “I got the recipe from Chef Joanna. Along with a whole lot of teasing.”
“They’re getting a lot of mileage out of us getting together,” I commented.
“No kidding.”
I took another sip from my glass of wine and said, “Tommy told me I could buy a motorcycle at wholesale from the shop.”
Miguel’s eyes widened. “No way! That’s great. I know how much you want one.”
“I’m really excited about it,” I replied. “And now I have the money to buy one and the salary to support having a second vehicle.”
