Page 4 of Loved By Tandy

I set the bag of candy in a chair, then head out to Blake’s truck to get what I need. Once the box is assembled and ready to be packed, I unload the mugs from the bottom shelf. Each mug gets wrapped in multiple layers of paper before going into the box because I don’t want anything to get chipped or broken. I don’t need to give her any more reasons to dislike me.

Then I clear out the second shelf. This woman has a lot of mugs.

As I unload the top shelf, Blake walks in, and he’s biting back a smile. “I was asked to tell you to make sure to leave out a mug so that she can have coffee in the mornings. She’s going to set up the coffee pot in the dining room until we’re done.”

When Blake asked me to help out on this project, he was fully aware that Tandy avoids me. But I’m not sure he expected to be the go-between for every interaction.

“Got it. Will do.” I grab her kitchen stool so that I can reach the back corner of the top shelf. And there in the far back corner is a mug I recognize. An old Charlie Brown mug.

I gave her the mug for Christmas many, many years ago. We’d been fans of the comic strip, and when the movie came out, we went to see it together. I’m more than a bit surprised that she still has the mug.

But this gives me hope that she might speak to me eventually. And I know how to help that along. I’ll leave out the Charlie Brown mug. Then she’ll think of me every time she has coffee.

And unless she’s changed a lot, the woman loves coffee. Just with lots of cream and sugar added.

I hearmovement in the dining room and peek in. Tandy is setting up the coffee pot on the buffet. It’s time to break out my candy bag. I have her favorite, at least what used to be her favorite, but I’m saving that for when she’s speaking to me.

The machine starts making noises, and soon the dripping starts as coffee brews.

Quietly, I rustle through the bag and slide out something guaranteed to get a rise out of her. She walks into the kitchen,makes eye contact with me, then scans the room. I stay quiet, hoping she’ll just ask for what she wants. And I shift so that the one mug I left out is behind me.

“Hello. Things in here are coming along. There’s a lot of prep needed before we can paint these cabinets, but painting should start in the next few days.”

Ignoring me, she wanders through the room, peeking into cabinets. Then her gaze lands on the box of mugs. After an exasperated sigh, she marches out of the room.

I bet she thinks I forgot to leave out a mug. While it would serve her right to open the box and have to seal it again—the silent game is so childish—but maybe I can inch my way to her good side if I prevent that wasted work. I set the Charlie Brown mug on the table, right beside the box.

Carrying scissors, Tandy returns and blinks when she sees the mug. Without a word, she picks up the memory and goes back into the dining room.

So I follow. “Coffee smells good. Tomorrow, I’ll bring my own cup. You know, since yours are all packed. And I took great care to wrap each one so that nothing chips or breaks.”

She keeps her back to me.

Standing behind her, I lean close and hold out a caramel candy. “Interested in a Sugar Daddy?”

Her shoulders tense, but other than that, I get no reaction.

I set the candy on the table. “If you change your mind, it’ll be right here. I guess if you have dentures or something, you might want to avoid it. Sticky.”

She whips around, and the glare she gives me cools the room a few degrees.

Now that she’s looking at me, I smile. “Or do you want a kiss?” I wait a second after the end of the question before showing her the Hershey’s kisses in my other hand.

Tandy picks up the kisses on my hand, swipes the Sugar Daddy off the table, then fills her mug.

But she still hasn’t spoken to me.

“Determination was something I admired about you. But I think your determination has morphed into stubbornness in your old age.” I’m pushing it, and this jab may be the reason she never speaks to me.

She sips her coffee, unwraps one of the kisses, then balls up the foil and tosses it at me.

This game may last a while.

CHAPTER 3

TANDY

Sipping coffee out of my Charlie Brown mug brings back so many memories. I’m honestly surprised I didn’t smash the mug ages ago. I should probably google to be sure that this old mug won’t kill me or give me lead poisoning. But researching that can wait until after I’ve at least finished one cup of coffee.

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