Page 20 of Undone, Love Times Three

“It’s hard not to let it. What I did was terrible.”

“It was hardly terrible. Was it right, maybe not, but like I said the other day, I enjoyed the date. The woman I met that day was someone I wanted to see again. Even if it wasn’t who I thought it was going to be. You’re interesting, and funny.”

She sips her beer, hiding her face behind the glass.

“Not only did I have fun on our original date, I also got to meet Lurch and witness you saving his life,” I grin. “The little guy can run, huh?”

“He’s feisty when he wants food. He knows when I get home, he gets to go outside. Do you have any pets?”

“Not now. I had a dog, but he passed about three years ago, never had the heart to get another.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. It’s hard when they die.”

This is getting a little morbid. I take a bite of the lasagna and close my eyes. I am kind of hungry. Wow.

“This is good. You made this?”

“Yeah, I like to cook.”

“Well, you’re good at it. And coming from someone with an Italian grandmother that says a lot.”

Sylvie smiles, it’s a broad, genuine smile. I can’t help but return it. We eat in silence for a while, which means I get to savor the taste of the food.

“Remember when we said we’d tell each other three things and at least one had to be funny?” I ask her. “I don’t think we got past the firehose and tortoise story.”

“Lurch has a way of taking over,” she replies with an eye roll.

“Is he okay out there?” I glance to the back door.

“He’s fine, he should spend more time outside.”

“Don’t you worry about other animals?”

“Not out here. We may get the occasional fox from the woods but only at night. He’s usually inside. You’d be surprised how big his claws are, and he has his shell if he needs to protect himself. It’s other tortoises that would be the real problem.”

She talks about tortoises fighting which sounds pretty wild.

“Lurch is a big old softie though. He nipped a bit when he was younger Grams said, but he grew out of it. Don’t forget he is fifteen years older than I am.”

“That sounds so weird,” I laugh.

“Yeah, he’s a good talking point.”

“So tell me something else about you,” I finish my last bite of lasagna and set my cutlery down, leaning back.

“After the excitement of Lurch,” she laughs. “I’m kind of a homebody,” she says a little shyly. “I like to read, curling up in a quiet corner. I’ve got a good group of friends, so we go out but nothing too wild.”

“Me too,” I tell her, which surprises her. “Work takes up a lot of my time. My social circle is the other firefighters too and we’re all super responsible.”

“Unless your pranking each other.”

“Yeah, we can be kind of immature too. I’m doing some work on my house at the moment, so that takes up my spare time too.”

“Having a good relationship with the people you work with is always a bonus. The girls at the shop are good friends.”

We chat for ages about our friends and family, places she’s traveled to and the ones I wish I had the time to get to. We avoid other romantic partners, and the first date is behind us. Things are taking a positive turn and our looks are lingering a bit more, her smiles are more coy and I’m not doing a great job of hiding my interest.

Sylvie refuses to let me clean up and tells me to take a seat in the living area. Guess she doesn’t want to send me packing just yet. That can only mean good things.

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