“Hey,” I say.
And the woman tips her head up, smiling. A smile that could drop me. “Look at this.” She holds up her phone. “I got up early. I’ve been out here since first light.”
I take her phone and look at the photo. “The skunk family,” I say.
“Yes! They came by this morning. The mom and two pups. They’re the cutest things I’ve ever seen, Roman.”
I grin down at her. “Here, I brought you this,” I say, handing her the mug.
“Ooo, thank you. Scroll through my phone, I took a dozen pictures of them.” She takes one sip of her coffee—with sugarand milk—before gazing back out at the open woods. There’s snow on the ground now, and it gives it a new luster.
I scroll past two more skunk photos when I accidentally end up in another open tab—Stella’s texts. There’s a group message between her, Fran, and Rosalie, and maybe I shouldn’t, but I read only what’s on the page.
She’s told them she isn’t working right now. But she’s got the space and the time.
“Do you think skunk photos is a skill? Like, say I need to report something I’m great at to someone, could I say skunk photography?”
“Ah—” I glance up from the phone, trying to make sense of her words. “Yeah. These are great.”
“Perfect.” She holds out a hand for her phone, and I make sure I’m on a skunk photo before passing it back to her.
“Did you go to college, Stell?”
“I did. California College of Arts. I have a bachelor’s degree in ceramics.” Her brows lift as if to say it isn’t doing her any good.
I grin, though—nothing forced about it. “That’s perfect. I wondered. I always hoped.”
She twists in her seat on the floor to face me better. “You hoped?”
“Yeah. I always wanted you to make it.”
She snuffs out a laugh, her own pleasant expression falling. “I haven’t exactly made it.”
“You will,” I tell her.
She shakes her head, but she’s grinning. “Always so confident.”
“So,” I say, plopping onto the ground next to her, “did we date while you were in college, or was this a whirlwindromance?” I’m truly not trying to tick off my wife. I’m simply trying to stay out of jail.
“Roman!” she snaps, her brows pulling together, all pleasantries gone. “Why can’t we just talk about skunks?” She thrusts out a hand to the window and the open woods.
Aren’t I supposed to be the grumpy one in this relationship?
I shrug. “We have to start at some point. You said you’d download the paperwork this week, right?”
“Gah! You have a one-track mind, Roman Graves.” She pushes herself up and starts toward the door to the kitchen. “Green card this.” She throws her hands in the air. “Green card that. Get a new hobby, already!”
I’m fairly practiced in giving the grump back. Sure, I’m not normally a grouch with Stella—but she’s pushing every grumpy button she can.
“Someone has to think about it!” I say, following her down the hall. “I’d rather not go to jail, Stella!”
“So dramatic!” she yells back.
“Does this count as our first fight?” I say, a snark in my tone. “Just taking notes for our upcoming test.”
Her head tilts, and she claps her hands together, slow and deliberate. “Good one.”
I growl out a sigh. “You’re giving me no other choice, Stella. I have to do something.”
