Page 24 of Twisted Fate

He stepped toward me, and I fought the urge to retreat. “Thank you.” Opening the fridge, he grabbed a bottle of water and twisted off the cap, chugging almost all of it in one drink. A bead of moisture collected on his bottom lip and before I could stop myself, I imagined what it would be like to lick it off him. Heat rose to my cheeks, and I turned away, pretending to check on the coffee.

I cleared my throat and opened the cabinet above me. “Did you go for a run?” I asked, grabbing two mugs and placing them on the counter.

“I have a treadmill in my office.” I heard the fridge open again but didn’t dare look at him. He stepped up next to me, close enough I could feel the heat from his skin. The creamer I loved appeared on the counter next to my mug. Somehow, I managed to thank him without my voice shaking.

When the coffee was done, I filled both our mugs and added plenty of cream and sugar to mine. Vance eyed my cup and lifted a brow as I stirred my now beige drink.

“What?” I asked, a little defensive.

“Nothing,” he replied, but mirth danced in his eyes. “You can’t even call that coffee anymore,” he teased.

I scoffed, “It’s still coffee. It just tastes a whole lot better now that it’s been doctored up.”

“Whatever you say,” he replied skeptically. Mug in hand, he turned to the door. “I’m going to head upstairs and get ready for work.” With that, he disappeared, and I deflated. The playful banter was refreshing, brief as it was. I’d hoped for more conversation, but he didn’t really have time to sit and chit chat with me before work.

I decided to whip up a batch of waffles while my coffee cooled and threw some bacon on the griddle. There was a stack of waffles half a foot tall by the time Vance returned to the kitchen dressed for work.

“Do you want some breakfast?” I asked, adding another fluffy waffle to the stack. He peered past me, his eyes settling on the plate.

“I’d love some.”

Charlie had yet to awaken, so it was just Vance and me. His plate was piled high with waffles and bacon which he drowned in syrup I’d warmed in the microwave. He looked practically giddy, like a kid on Christmas morning.

We made small talk while we ate. It was a nice change from the rushed greetings and hasty goodbyes we usually shared in the mornings. We were finally getting to know each other, and I realized that when he wasn’t being all gruff and broody, I actually liked him.

I kinda like him the other way too.

“I love waffles,” he mused, shoveling a huge bite into his mouth.

I giggled. “Me too.”

For a moment, I thought he might lick his plate clean once the last morsel was eaten. He relaxed in his chair as though too full to eat another bite.

“That was delicious. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. If you’d like I can make pancakes next time,” I offered. I’d never seen him eat breakfast before. He usually rushed out the door with a travel mug full of coffee and nothing else. Not exactly the breakfast of champions.

He shrugged. “I prefer waffles. They’re the superior breakfast food.”

“I agree. The little nooks and crannies catch all the syrup instead of letting it run off the sides.”

“Exactly.” The corner of his lip twitched, and he almost smiled.Almost. Then he glanced down at his watch and straightened. “I’d better get going.”

24

Vance

It had beena long ass week. The plumber had to be called when the toilet in the upstairs bathroom nearly overflowed. Thankfully Delilah’s quick thinking prevented us from having a flooded bathroom. She was able to shut off the water to the tank just as it reached the rim.

The plumber made it out that evening and was able to clear the clog. The culprit: one of Charlie’s Barbie doll heads. As soon as the evidence was presented to her, she hung her head and wouldn’t meet my eye. Delilah, the ever-patient caregiver, crouched next to her and calmly explained why she couldn’t flush her toys down the toilet and that if it ever happened again, she needed to tell someone immediately. I was glad she took the reins on that one because I was at a loss. I was hanging on by a thread after the already shitty week I’d had and was on the verge of losing my cool.

On top of that, I got a flat tire on my way home from work one evening and had to change it. In the rain.

Needless to say, I was glad my afternoon meeting was canceled, and I got to come home early. I set down my bag and went straight to the kitchen for a drink. It was sweltering outside, and I was sure if I didn’t get out of this suit soon, I would melt into a puddle of sweat. As it was, my shirtsleeves were already rolled up and the top two buttons were undone.

Charlie and Delilah weren’t in the kitchen when I walked in, and I didn’t hear them moving around upstairs. I wondered where they could be. Filling a glass with ice, I grabbed the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and filled it to the top. I brought the glass to my lips, lifting my gaze. I froze mid sip when it settled on my backyard.

Charlie and Delilah were out there playing in a big plastic baby pool perched in the grass beyond the patio. The pool was designed to look like an elephant with a trunk spouting water out of it from a water hose attached to the bottom. I’d picked it up last year, knowing Charlie would love it, and she’d used it all summer long.

---