Page 25 of Cloud Storm

Chase tells Lancelot about the poker games they play regularly and, while we’re taken aback by his curiosity, Roselynn tells him about our bakery.

His interest seems sincere as he listens to her carefully and even goes as far as to make a couple of suggestions about the new register’s system we’re planning to implement this winter.

I can’t help but feel relieved that I didn’t make a big fuss this morning when he showed up at my home to apologize. That is now a closed chapter.

And I’m curious—eager even—for the next one.

It’s time to look forward and write a new story, although I feel that our fights are far from over.

We are in a truce.

The question is, what are we negotiating?

That being said, I might need someone to examine my brain and make sure I don’t have an aneurysm that makes me imagine things and hear voices where there are none.

“Lance, what do you do when you aren’t drowning in work?” Roselynn asks, true to her nosey self.

“I have little to no free time, but I do have a hobby or two. I like to listen to classic rock when I’m working at home, I have this record player and the vinyl’s sound…”

“That’s pretty old-fashioned,” Chase replies, smirking.

Roselynn cracks up. “Says the man who invited me to our first dance with music blaring from his flip phone.”

I swear Chase Holland is blushing. But as smart as he is, he’s laughing as much as we are.

“But it worked,” he says in a low voice, confident those words are meant for his wife’s ears only.

“Yeah, it worked,” she confirms, as they look at each other with matching mooneyes.

The waiter arrives with our food, the conversation still light and effortless. We talk about everything from the beautiful weather to the new gym Mr. Hatz is implementing.

“See you at our house?” Roselynn asks when we’ve finished our meal, and Lancelot, to Chase’s outrage, takes control of the tab. Men and their pissing contest. “We can have a beer or two on the patio. You see, Lance, we just finished a little remodel out there, we put up a pergola and these new tiles…”

I open my mouth to make her shut her pipes and get her to butt out, but Lancelot is a few steps ahead of me. “We’re going to walk along the pier for a while, so we’ll say goodbye for today. It was nice to see you again, Roselynn.”

He kisses her cheek and she is taken by surprise. Not because of the kiss, but because she didn’t get to have the last word.

Fortunately, the cat’s got her tongue and that leaves little time for her to invite herself to join us.

Everyone knows the walk along the pier is iconic in this city. It’s a great place and no more than half a mile from the USS Midway museum, as well as the famous Kiss Statue. I take out my little lollipop again and when he looks at me I just shrug.

“Dessert.” True story, I need something sweet after having a meal.

Ok, more often than that, but shut your pipes!

The pier is not as crowded as I expected.

“Were you born and raised in California?” he asks after a while and I tense.

I’m not ready to touch on the theme of my past yet.

“No,” I answer sharply.

“Me neither, we’re from Arizona, in fact, my aunt and my two siblings still live there.”

He doesn’t ask more about me, which I appreciate and instead he focuses on telling me about his family, which to my surprise was a foster one. I can only assume that wasn’t easy for him.

If anyone understands wanting to avoid certain topics, it’s me. Instead I just follow him as he takes the lead on this conversation.

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