Page 89 of Marrying Off My Husband

“Oh,” I said, feeling warmth rush into my cheeks, “it’s nothing. I hope you like it.”

Awkward silence stretched between us as we stood staring at each other.

“Well, I should go. Let you enjoy the soup and relax. Do you have enough medicine and everything?”

“I do, but umm, you could stay. If you haven’t eaten, I mean. I’m happy to have the company. It may make me feel less awful.”

My eyebrows flicked up as my lips curved into a smile I couldn’t stop. “Oh, if you don’t mind. I’d love to join you for a bowl.”

She nodded with a smile as she shuffled across the room in the fuzzy piggy slippers that I couldn’t help but chuckle at. She pulled two bowls from the cupboard.

“Just tell me where to find the ladle, and I’ll get this for you. Meet you on the couch?”

“It’s in the drawer on your left. And thank you.”

With a nod, I collected the utensil and doled out the soup into two bowls before I waddled into the living room with them, finding Eve wrapped in a blanket on the couch.

I eased into the seat next to her and handed the bowl off. She wrapped her hands around it, closing her eyes and inhaling the aromatic steam. “Mmm, from what I can smell, this should be delicious.”

I chuckled at the statement as she stirred the soup and lifted her first spoonful to her lips.

“So good,” she said with a sigh. “Thank you. Really. I was just about to try to find the energy to make something, but this is much better.”

“Of course. I’m sorry we had to miss our date, though, maybe that’s for the best.”

Her features crinkled as she slid a clean spoon from her mouth. After a swallow, she said, “What do you mean?”

“Oh, uh, the lighthouse isn’t very interesting. You dodged a bullet not having to poke around that dusty old place.”

“What?” she cried with a grin, her raw voice breaking a little. “I love lighthouses.”

“Really?” I did, too, but I thought I was just weird.

She nodded before she slid her half-empty bowl onto the coffee table and leapt from the couch. She disappeared into another room, emerging a few seconds later with a small figurine in her hands. “I bought this when I first moved here. It was a splurge, but I just loved how they did it in the broken tiles. And these actually came from the original floor from a lighthouse.”

The giddiness in her voice betrayed her excitement over the find. She stuck the plug extending from the backend of the object into the wall and flicked a switch. The lighthouse glowed to life, its tiny light spiraling at the top.

“Wow, I like how it actually swivels,” I answered.

She grinned at the statement before she set it aside and grabbed her soup again. “Me too. It was a splurge, but so worth it. It was a hundred and thirty dollars.”

My brow furrowed as I kept my gaze focused on my bowl of soup. That wasn’t a splurge in my world, but I found it sweet that she was careful with her money.

“Oh, gosh,” she said, her features turning sheepish, “that must sound so stupid to someone with your money.”

“Not at all,” I said. “Before I launched Mystic Realms, I could barely afford to play Street Fighter for some downtime.”

“Right,” she said with a soft smile. “So, tell me more about Mystic Realms.”

“Oh, well,” I said, my voice filling with enthusiasm at the topic, “it’s kind of a mix of strategy, world-building, and quests. So, you know, you can build a little space for yourself and fill it with treasures you find. Then you can trade others for different things. Some of those you may need in your quests, and some you just may want to keep.” I poked a finger at her lighthouse. “Like your lighthouse.”

“Oh, neat. I still haven’t tried it. I don’t game a lot.” Her cheeks reddened as she polished off the soup.”

“That’s okay. It’s not for everyone.” Like my game, neither was I. I reminded myself that I wasn’t for Eve. “Can I get you a second bowl?”

She winced as she offered an apologetic smile. “It was really good but…would it be awful if I asked for a bowl of ice cream?”

“No, not at all. You’re sick, you can have anything you want.” I collected our bowls and returned them to the kitchen, searching for the dishwasher. It didn’t exist, so I quickly washed the bowls and set them in the drainer before I opened the cupboard Eve had used before.

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