“Thanks. Wasn’t sure if you liked mushrooms, but since I found a can in the back of the pantry, I thought… maybe?” He raised a brow in question. “You do, right?”
“They’re fine. I just don’t use them a lot.” I stole another taste with my finger, earning a huge grin from Alex.
“You’ve got… never mind.” He laughed before leaning in and swiping the corner of my mouth with his tongue. “There.”
“Mmm. I can think of a few other places you can lick the sauce off if you want.”
His returning smile was one I was beginning to recognize, full of promise for things to come. Still, I wasn’t sure if it had been my imagination that made it seem like Alex had lingered a little longer then necessary when he leaned in to kiss me, or if my hopeful heart had made it into something it wasn’t. But then he set the pan down, pulled me in and deepened the kiss for several long seconds. I snaked my arms around his neck, but before we could get too lost in each other, Alex pulled back and gave me a beautiful, relaxed smile.
“Grab us drinks?” he asked in a husky voice as he reached for a bag of rolls on the counter.
“Sure.”
I went to the fridge, then noticed the opened bottle of wine on the counter. “What’s this for?” I asked.
“Oh, I used that in the sauce.”
“But you’re done with it?”
“Yeah.”
Reaching into the cupboard, I pulled out two wine glasses, and filled them with the remaining liquid. Butterflies danced in my belly, knowing that by sharing a bottle of wine we were turning this into something more than just a need to eat: we were having dinner together, like a couple. But hadn’t that been what Alex was hinting at too? That there was something real between us?
Just as I was about to carry them to the table, I saw a piece of a paper on the counter carefully tucked off to the side so not to get dirty. The logo on the top was one I recognized immediately.
“Ruby Red Landscaping?” I asked, lifting it to see what it was about. Was this a bill I didn’t know about?
My stomach dropped when I realized it was a job application.
“Oh, yeah. Um, John dropped that off for me this afternoon.”
John was the owner of the landscaping business and had been one of the two clients waiting for me when I stepped out of my house on Tuesday. It shouldn’t have surprised me that he’d noticed such a dramatic change in my property when he himself had offered to help on more than one occasion.
It only made sense that he’d offered Alex a job after seeing what he could do. But for some reason, it stung.
So far, the application hadn’t been filled out, but that could’ve just been because Alex hadn’t had time. And I should want this for him, right? Hadn’t I even hoped that something like this would come around for him so he could stay? Deep down, I was happy for him, and I knew he would be great at it, just based on everything he’d done around here. But my mind seemed to latch on to one thing and one thing only.
Soon, he won’t have a reason to stay.
“Are you going to apply?” I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral.
“I don’t know. I haven’t really had time to think about it.”
I sat down next to Alex at the table, willing my racing heart to slow down. I needed to trust that whatever this was between us wasn’t only one-sided.
Midway through the meal, Alex reached for my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You okay? You’re quiet.”
I swiped the last piece of meat in the sauce before chewing. “Just tired,” I lied. “Think I’ll take a shower after this.” I hesitated before adding, “You’re welcome to join me if you want.”Please join me. I really need you to.
Alex’s lips curved into a small smile, but I knew even before he pulled his hand away that he was going to turn me down. I tried not to be disappointed. Hell, we’d barely been able to keep our hands off each other ever since he started to stay over, falling asleep blissfully happy after sex. I knew I had a tendency to push things too fast and too hard when it came to relationships, wanting things to move forward too soon. I really didn’t want to do that this time. Alex was too special, and I didn’t want to ruin what we had with my impatience.
Alex kissed my cheek as he stood, chuckling. “I promise I’ll make up for it later. I just need to settle my mind.”
I wanted to argue that having a little playtime in the shower would do just that but bit my tongue and made my way down the hall alone. The hot water soothed my aching muscles, doing its best to melt away the worry and stress of the last few hours. When I stepped out, I heard a familiar noise coming from down the hall that made my heart start to dance all over again.
Alex’s tempo on the harmonica faltered as I made my way toward the living room, and he stopped playing seconds before I reached the end. I heard him laugh and Roxy growl.
“Roxy! Hey!” She barked once, and Alex laughed again. “I said stop!” When Roxy grunted, I smiled, picturing her tail uncurling as she pouted up at him. That dog had more expressions than I knew what to do with.
