“Menus?”
“I told you. I don’t cook.”
“Oh. Yeah.” I nodded.
I unpacked everything. It was bizarre to have so much stuff. My parents had been somewhat poor. I had all I needed but nothing more. Here, I had so many clothes. I didn’t realize we’d gotten so much until I remembered Malin ordering the clothes and shoes I liked in “every color.”
By the time I finished putting all the things away, the closet was half full. That was saying a lot because it was a big closet. I’d also discovered things I didn’t remember buying. Two wallets. Toothbrushes and deodorant. Shampoo and soap. A shaving kit. A nail care kit. A small wooden jewelry box with intricate leafy carvings.
My new tablet and phone gleamed at me from the bedspread. I set the jewelry box on the bedside table. I had already put my extra watchband in it.
I did a full circle turn, looking at everything including the open closet. A shiver came over me. The room didn’t quite feel like mine yet; it would be slow. Baby steps.
I went downstairs, bringing my tablet and phone with me. I needed to know information from Malin to have them set up.
The lights were on everywhere. The dining room next to the game room glowed. Malin was out of sight. I walked to the game room and there he was, messing around with the pool table. He looked up as I took a step into the room.
“Ready to eat?”
I liked that he didn’t make small talk. He always got straight to the point. “Yes.”
There was a stack of menus on the table. He handed me half and we both sat looking through them. It was so much to look at, too many choices.
“I think I’ll go for pasta tonight,” he said.
“Okay.”
He looked up at me. “You don’t have to eat what I eat. We can order from two different places.”
“I like pasta. I haven’t had spaghetti and meatballs in over a year.”
He brought out his phone and punched in our order. “I’m getting an order of garlic bread. Do you like that?”
Yum. “Yes.”
“And two small salads.”
I nodded.
“Affogato for dessert.”
“What’s that?”
“Gelato drowned in hot espresso. They deliver it in ice wraps with the espresso on the side in a microwaveable cup so it won’t all be melted by the time it gets here.”
“I never had it, but it sounds amazing.”
He’d been spoiling me all day. I should have been elated. In some ways, I was. But the shock was taking its time to drain from my system. When I’d first arrived at the ranch, I’d walked around in a daze for weeks. The others did what they could to help me through the adjustment period.
Here, there wasn’t anyone else but Malin.
As we waited for our food to come, I focused on him trying not to make the silence noticeable. He was playing with his phone, not looking up. Dark hair and dark eyes, a strong chin, cheekbones showing. He looked at home in his fancy clothes. Everything perfect. Everything like a mask.
“I can set up my phone now,” I said. “But I need to know the carrier. And your Wi-Fi password for it and the tablet.”
“Not a problem.”
It gave us something to focus on. Everything I needed was on his phone. He made a mirror of mine and the tablet and I watched him set everything up.
