Page 75 of Unlikely You

Honeyand I eventually unwrapped our limbs from each other and walked up the stairs. I took her bag from her and put it on my shoulder before taking her hand.

“Wow, Bren. You’re sweeping me off my feet.”

“Don’t trip,” I told her, and she laughed as I unlocked my door and did the little routine to make sure Arson didn’t make a run for it.

Honey greeted her and made sure my kitty got enough love. I set her bag down by the door and she slid out of her shoes.

She had the softest looking sweater on that I wanted to pet before I pulled it off her and got her naked.

No. Naked later. Maybe. Talk and food first.

“So, what did you want to order?” I asked her pulling up the app on my phone.

She put both hands on her stomach. “I’m literally starving, so I’m not picky. Whatever’s fastest.” We both heard her belly rumble and she blushed.

“Sorry!”

“No problem at all. How about some Italian subs?” She nodded and I asked her what she wanted and put in the order, as well as for some drinks and a box of their assorted cookies. I really needed to go grocery shopping. I would have done it today, but I hadn’t had time when I’d come back from the marketplace.

Honey scooped up Arson and carried her to the couch, sitting down with a sigh.

“The food should be here in about twenty minutes,” I told her.

“Great. Ahhh, that feels good.” She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes.

“Sitting down is so nice after standing all day. God, I sound like I’m a thousand years old.” She laughed as I joined her.

“I know what you mean.” I had to hold back my own sigh of relief. My couch was small, but incredibly comfortable.

“How was your day?” she asked, moving her fingers under Arson’s chin like she preferred.

“I mean, you were there.”

She nodded. “I know, but we were both so busy that I barely got to talk to you.”

That was true, I supposed.

So I told her about my day. I talked about the customers I’d had and the people who seemed like customers and the other things she might have missed. In turn she told me about hers and things went back to being easy between us. In some way we were also colleagues.

“I hate spending so much time on someone and then they don’t even buy anything,” I said.

“I know! I sometimes want to ask them what their goal is. Why are they wasting my time?”

The food arrived and Honey had a gleam in her eye as I handed her order over.

“I know we should get plates, but would you care if I just went for it?” she asked.

“Not at all.” I’d been planning on doing the same thing.

Honey shoved a massive bite of her sub in her mouth as Arson watched both of us from the floor, her tail swishing in agitation that we would dare eat without offering her some or giving her at least a sniff.

“You wouldn’t want any of this,” I told her, my mouth almost full.

“That’s not entirely true,” Honey pointed out. “She would probably like the ham part.”

I shook my head. “Nope. She definitely doesn’t like ham. I’ve tried that before.”

Arson didn’t like anything besides two flavors of wet food and one brand of dry. I’d had a lot of trial and error when I’d first rescued her to find food she wouldn’t reject.

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