“On that sweet note, I’m going to get off of here so I can order a greasy cheeseburger and some fries. Then, I’m going to go home, shower, and veg out on the couch for the rest of the night.”
She could hear his smile again. “All right. I’ll try not to wake you up when I get home.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and be able to have a decent dinner together tomorrow night.”
“Fingers crossed. Plus, if we get this fixed before the owner gets back from his business trip in L.A., there’s a fat bonus in it for us. Sure would come in handy when I go lookin’ for property to buy.”
This surprised her. “You aren’t going to rebuild on the same lot?”
“Nope.”
“Where are you thinking?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe I’d look for somethin’ with a little more land. Maybe...” He paused, his voice going a bit quieter. “Maybe somewhere big enough for two. Or, more. You know, eventually.”
She loved that, even in the midst of all the chaos, he was still thinking about their future together.
“Sounds like a wonderful plan to me.”
She’d already been thinking about them moving in together when her lease was up.
“I’d better get back to it, then. Remember, do not answer the door for anyone. I have the key you gave me, and there’s no reason for anyone else to be there.”
“I won’t. Promise.”
“Love ya, darlin’.”
Charlie’s heart swelled. “Love you, too. Stay safe.”
By the time she’d scarfed down the mediocre meal, Charlie was pulling into her parking spot. As planned, Mac cleared her apartment before saying goodbye and heading out.
After taking a quick shower, Charlie plopped down on the couch to watch some T.V. When she could no longer keep her eyes open, she shuffled back to her bedroom and fell asleep for the night. Her last thought was a prayer that Derek would come home safely.
A few hours later, she awoke suddenly. Lying there, surrounded by nothing but a sliver of moonlight peeking through her curtains, Charlie tried to determine what had interrupted her sleep.
At first, she thought maybe Derek had come home but soon realized that wasn’t the case. Her apartment was dead silent, and Charlie was certain she was alone.
Unable to settle her nerves, she got out of bed and headed for the kitchen. Her initial intention was to get a glass of water, but at the last minute, she decided to make some hot chocolate.
Odd for this time of night, but she was chilled and thought maybe the warm liquid would help her get back to sleep.
Opening her pantry door, Charlie’s sleepy eyes struggled to bring the dry good labels into focus in the dark. With a sigh, she went over to the room’s entrance and flipped on the lights.
Making her way back to the open pantry, she began searching for the canister of cocoa mix when her heart stopped dead in her chest.
Oh, my God.
Everything in the pantry had been rearranged. Each can was neatly stacked, their labels facing forward. The boxes were lined up perfectly on their own shelf.
And it had all been placed in alphabetical order.
