Page 28 of Between the Shady Groves
“That sounds good, actually.”
Spaghetti wasn’t his favorite. And if she did serve spaghetti, she always served meatballs or something with it, because he wanted some kind of protein with his meal.
She didn’t have that today, but he didn’t complain.
Instead, he put his window back up, turned the truck off, and got out.
“I just feel bad that you haven’t eaten. That’s all,” she said, wanting to say that he wasn’t welcome to stay overnight but…not quite being able to bring herself to say that, because he was her husband after all.
He didn’t say anything but just followed her to the door, where he opened it and held it for her while she walked in.
He closed it and locked it behind him.
She noticed but didn’t say anything.
“I need to heat it up,” she said, walking behind the counter to where she had stored the bread. She got a skillet and some butter out and thenwent to the refrigerator and got the spaghetti. She’d already done the dishes from earlier when she had eaten.
He sat down at the counter and didn’t comment while she moved around, eventually going to the refrigerator and coming back with the spaghetti.
“It’s awfully nice of you to do this. I wasn’t sitting out there so you would see me. I truly was sitting out there to make sure that no one got in.”
“You know there’s a back door, right?” she asked, smiling a bit. Because he could hardly be in two places at once.
“I know. Still, I was doing what I could.”
“I appreciate it. Thank you. That was kind of you.” She wasn’t sure “kind” was the right word, but it was the word that came to her, and it seemed to fit okay.
“It’s kind of you to get some food out and warm it up for me.”
She nodded and thought about that for a moment. He was protecting her, he was going to spend all night uncomfortable in his truck, because he wasn’t comfortable with the security system she had for her bakery. She, on the other hand, was just going to spend ten minutes heating up food for him. It didn’t really feel like a fair trade.
“I was thinking about what you said earlier,” she finally started, thinking that maybe she could say something to fill the silence. And she didn’t know what was going to happen, but he was here, and he obviously wanted her back, and she might as well try to put into practice what Skyler had said.
“And?” he asked, and she heard a note of eagerness in his voice. She felt bad, because she kind of thought that he was hoping that she would say that she had decided to go home.
“And I just wanted to say that the reason I left is because I felt lonely and alone. I wanted you to comfort me after my mom died. You know, sit beside me and put your arm around me and just hold me.”
“I did that.” He sounded offended.
“Once, for ten minutes.”
“You wanted more?” He sounded truly surprised and baffled.
“Yeah. Hours’ worth. I wanted you to take off work and come home and hold me. I wanted to spend time with you afterher death.”
“Every time I looked at you after that, you started crying. I just thought you didn’t want me around.”
“I wanted to be able to cry. I wanted to be able to grieve, and I wanted you with me.”
“You didn’t say that.”
“I know. I’m saying it now,” she said, trying not to get angry. He wasn’t attacking her, he was just pointing out reasons why he didn’t do what she’d wanted him to do, and of course he was going to be a little defensive, because she basically was telling him he didn’t do a good job of being a husband.
“Oh,” he said, and he was quiet.
She flipped the cheese bread in the skillet, spread some butter over the top of it, and sprinkled some garlic powder on that.
She continued to stir the spaghetti.
