Page 13 of It's Complicated

To Lori:

And how do you manage when you go on vacation?

From Lori:

Do you have any idea how long it takes to make them purr back to me?

Please come?

We need to talk

I’ll make you dinner

To Lori:

That might actually be an incentive to stay away

From Lori:

Then I’ll order Mexican from that place around the corner you love

Pretty please?

Lori adds a googly-eyed emoji.

To Lori:

I’ll be there in twenty

From Lori:

And I’ll have the fajitas ready

5

LORI

Since the king of neat spaces, minimalistic furniture, and bare walls is coming over to my place, I decide to clean. I can’t give him the full, unfiltered Lori home experience or he’ll go into anaphylactic shock. To free some space on the floor, I stuff my bookshelves with as many volumes as they can hold and readjust the piles still littering the hardwood to make them slightly less precarious. Then, in the little time I have left, I also manage to vacuum about 90 per cent of the cat hair dusting my furniture, order our food, and even set the table, adding some fake lilies as a final touch.

When the doorbell rings, I’m not sure if it’s Jace or the food.

I go to open the door.

It’s Jace.

He’s frowning and… “Wow,” I say. “The broody look really suits you, you’re hot.”

Jace’s eyes widen. “You always blab the first thing that crosses your mind?”

“To you? Yes. And you love me for it, or at least you’re going to pretend you luurve me for the next three to four weeks.”

Oh, oh. The frown is back.

I’m saved from hearing Jace’s sure-to-be-lectury response by the delivery guy arriving with our food. His hurried approach to the front steps forces Jace into the house. I grab the food, tip the guy, and close the front door with a backward kick.

Jace is removing his coat and looks uncertain about where to put it. In theory, I have an entryway closet similar to the one at his house. But of course, mine is blocked by three turrets of old novels. I’m not even sure what coats or bags got trapped in there. One day, I’ll finally move the books and go on a treasure hunt inside. I won’t have seen the clothes and accessories locked in for so long that they will seem like brand-new additions to my wardrobe—or totally out-of-style goodwill candidates. Only time will tell. I’d say it’s a fifty-fifty chance. But I tend to buy items of clothing that are more timeless than on-trend, so there’s a good chance I’ll still want to wear whatever is inside that closet.

Anyway, I quickly deposit the food on the kitchen table and grab Jace’s coat from him. “I’ll put this away.”

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