“Chicken and rice.”
“Smells delicious.”
“Eat up. It’s cold out there. I don’t want you freezing.”
He shakes his head, laughing at me as he takes a piece of bread and dunks it into a bowl. “You’re the only one that thinks thirty degrees is cold, Ol.”
“I am not,” I huff. “It’s below freezing.”
“Trust me, when you’re outside cutting down trees when it’s two degrees, you like thirty.”
I shudder. “No, thank you. I like my office job.”
“How’s the library planning going?”
“Great. I found a way we can put a slide in around the reading tree for the kids. It’ll be great.”
“I can’t wait to see it once it’s all done.”
I pull my bowl of soup to me and take a large spoonful. “Don’t worry, I’ll drag you along once it’s finished.”
“Do I get to see the 3-D plans once they’re done?”
“You know it’s not like a computer game with little people moving around.”
“It would be cooler.” He points his spoon at me before taking another bite.
“That’s outside my skillset, Hunter. I don’t have a computer design degree.”
“Why do I think you could do anything you wanted?”
I stand, stepping between his legs. “Like date you?”
“I was an easy target.”
“More like we needed each other.” I press a kiss to the tip of his nose.
“I’m glad we did,” he confesses. “This has been one of the best holiday seasons I’ve had in a long time.”
“Me too. For once, I’m not sad that I’m missing out on Christmas with my family.”
“Even though it means hanging out with me and my mom?”
“It’ll make it an even better day.”
With the exception of the fact that it’s going to be the last time we’re together. Though any reasons we can’t stay together aren’t coming to mind right now.
It was always supposed to be fake, with an easy breakup we tell people about after the holidays, though it turned into something real until Christmas.
Everything with Hunter has been good. So damn good, I don’t want to stop.
“Look, I know you’re busy. I don’t want to keep you.”
I put the lid on my soup, no longer hungry, and stick it back in the cooler. I don’t need to weigh Hunter down with these wayward thoughts. He’s too busy tonight.
“Hey.” Hunter stops me before I can leave, helping me into my coat. “Thank you, Ollie. I would have gone all night without more than a handful of cookies.”
“I’m glad I can keep you fed.”
