Page 66 of My Favorite Hero

I made coffee downstairs, filling Barney’s bowls with fresh food and water, being sure to add lots of ice. He always loved to lick the ice and enjoyed his water cold. I peered in the hall, the door between our places shut. Why I had hoped it would be open in a silent invitation, I didn’t know.

I took my coffee, sitting outside on the deck. I looked around at the yard and wondered if I needed Thorne’s permission to work in the garden. I wasn’t sure of those boundaries and decided I would ask him.

I could hear him next door in his kitchen. Smell the scent of coffee and bacon as he made himself a late breakfast. Idly, I wondered if he’d gone home and back to bed, finally able to stretch his legs and sleep properly, or if he’d been busy since he left. Part of me wanted to stroll over with some bread and offer to add toast and hope he’d invite me in, but then I recalled our agreement and decided it was too pushy.

I’d let him come to me.

Unless he didn’t.

I finished my coffee, threw in some laundry, and sat down at the computer, determined to work for a few hours. It was already past lunch, and I’d accomplished nothing. I slid on my headphones and got to work, concentrating on the lines of code that needed to be written.

Ignoring the thoughts of Jesse that kept popping into my head became the hardest part to handle, but I did the best I could.

Knowing he probably wasn’t thinking about me helped.

At least a little.

I stood and stretched, not surprised how many hours had flown by. The website I was working on for my new client was going well, but it was complex with everything they wanted in it. I was also working on upgrading software for another company and updating some security for someone else. Business was great, and I was happy.

In the kitchen, I peered into the refrigerator, frowning when I realized I hadn’t taken anything out to cook and my choices were slim. I needed to go to the grocery store. But it was already close to six, and the local stores closed early. I didn’t want to go to the little convenience store, so I would wait and go shopping in the morning. I sat at the table, adding a list to my phone, when I heard a knock. I headed to the front door, peering out, but no one was there. I shook my head, deciding I must have been hearing things, when the door in the hallway cracked open and Jesse’s head appeared.

“Wrong door, Pixie.”

I laughed. “Sorry, not used to the new one.”

“You eaten yet?”

“No, I was just looking at my options. Or lack of.”

“I just brought home a pizza. Wanna share?”

“Oh God, yes!”

Chuckling, he held open the door. “It’s hot. Let’s go.”

I followed him, stopping when I saw Miller and Barney on the sofa, curled up and happy.

“It didn’t take them long to figure out the pet door,” I mused.

“Nope,” he agreed. “It is handy.”

In the kitchen, he had the pizza on the table and two plates. He’d poured us each a glass of wine, and he’d set out bottles of water as well. He handed me one and slid a piece of pizza onto my plate. “Have you been working all day?”

I nodded around a mouthful of hot cheese and meat. “Building a website.”

“How long does that take?”

“Depends on the client. A few weeks or months. This one will be about eight to ten weeks, I think. It’s going well. And I’m working on a couple other things that are fairly simple.”

He grunted in reply as he chewed a bite. He swallowed and wiped his mouth. “For you.”

I grinned. “I suppose. What did you do today?”

“Some yard work and errands. I plan on relaxing the next couple of days.”

“I have to go to the grocery store tomorrow. I was thinking of heading to Swindon.”

“To the Supercenter?”