Page 130 of Property of Bob

I jumped into the RV and closed the door behind me.

My clean underwear supply in Bob’s room was getting dangerously low, and I needed another pair of jeans and a couple of shirts.

Somehow, I’d ended up standing in the middle of the RV for five minutes looking around.

Everything was exactly where I’d left it. My blankets were rumpled on the bed. A sweatshirt hung over the back of the small dinette seat. My coffee mug sat upside down beside the sink.

Home. I reached out and ran my fingers over the counter.

For years, this had been the one thing that was always mine.

If a job sucked, I left. If a town didn’t feel right, I left. If I woke up one morning and wanted to see somewhere new, I left. Nobody had ever been waiting for me anywhere else.

I grabbed two shirts from the small closet and shoved them into the bag.

Then underwear. Socks. My favorite sleep shorts.

I stared at them in my hand. I had spent so many mornings in this RV in these shorts. Slow mornings with just a cup of coffee and nothing but freedom surrounding me.

And now the RV was fixed, and I was packing a bag to take back into the clubhouse.

That should have made me sad. It should have at least made me feel something. Instead, I shoved the shorts into the bag and just felt… happy.

A knock sounded against the open door, and it banged open. I looked over to see Bob leaning in. “You planning on moving back in?”

There it was.

I glanced at the duffel bag, then at him. “No.”

His face didn’t change much, but I saw it. The slight release in his shoulders. The way his mouth almost smiled.

I grabbed my bag and walked toward him. “Just getting some clothes.”

He stepped aside so I could come down. When my feet hit the pavement, Bob took the bag from my hand. He slung it over his shoulder and started toward the clubhouse. He held out his hand, and I fell into step beside him. I noticed Lost by the path that led to the haunted house.

“My RV runs,” I said.

“Yep.”

“I can leave whenever I want.”

His steps slowed, only slightly. “Yep.”

I looked at him. Bob kept his eyes ahead. “You want me to leave?”

His head snapped toward me. “Fuck no.”

I smiled.

He frowned. “Why are you smiling?”

“Just checking.”

“Checking something that is pretty damn obvious, doll,” he grunted.

I laughed. “I just wanted to be sure.”

“You’re staying.” It wasn’t a question, but I took it as one. There wasn’t anything demanding in his voice this time. No joke either.