Page 79 of Isolated
“Oh, hi, Walter.” I grabbed a couple more blooms before I stood up and walked toward him. “No, I’m just waiting for my dinner to get finished in the oven, and Iwanted to put some flowers in a vase. I haven’t seen you outside in a few days.”
He lifted his hand to the back of his neck and massaged it. “Oh, um, I’ve been working on a few projects in the house.”
“That sounds like fun. Are you painting or redecorating?”
Walter shook his head. “No. No, nothing like that. Just… well… cleaning things out. Yeah, that’s it. Sometimes, you don’t realize how much stuff you accumulate, and the next thing you know, there’s not an empty spot anywhere. Nothing exciting at all.”
“Oh. Well, if you need any help, that’s something I’m capable of. I can’t do water heaters, but I’m pretty good with organization.”
He nodded, a slight smile spreading across his face. “I’ll keep that in mind. What are you having for dinner tonight?”
My stomach growled, forcing laughter out of both of us. “Lasagna.”
“That sounds great. It was one of my favorite meals that Gertie used to make.”
The tone of Walter’s voice was such that I couldn’t help but believe he was hoping I’d extend an invitation. If Landen wasn’t coming over, I’d have done it in a heartbeat. But I’d been looking forward to having this time alone with Landen since we’d decided on it Monday morning. Perhaps if Landen and I were in a different place in our relationship, I might have reconsidered declining to invite Walter, but it was still so new between us. We deserved to have this time alone together.
But just because I wasn’t going to invite him overdidn’t mean I couldn’t share. “Well, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to top hers, but if you want, I’d be happy to?—”
“I’ll just close up the house.” He turned and began walking back toward his house.
“What?”
Walter stopped and turned to face me. “You wanted me to come over for dinner, didn’t you?”
“Oh, well, the thing is, I already have plans for dinner.”
Walter didn’t have a chance to respond, because just then, Landen pulled into my driveway. Our eyes flew in that direction, and when I looked back at Walter, I could see the disappointment etched into every feature.
“I see. Don’t let me keep you.”
“Walter, wait,” I called out.
He waved his hand in the air dismissively. “I’ve got to get back to cleaning.”
A heavy sigh escaped. Walter was so lonely. I should have just invited him over to eat with us, but there wasn’t a chance he’d come now if I did.
Landen parked, got out, and made his way toward me with a smile on his face. Seeing it, I couldn’t help but send him one in return.
As he closed the distance between us, I opened my arms. Landen didn’t hesitate to wrap his around me and lift me clean off the ground as he held me close. “I missed you so much.”
My arms were over his shoulders, but I squeezed as hard as I could. “Same here.”
Landen’s mouth found my neck and began peppering kisses there before moving up along my jaw and to my lips. He gave me a kiss that couldn’t make up for all the time we’d spent apart, but it certainly was a good start.
After setting me back down on my feet, he asked, “Is everything okay with Walter?”
I shook my head. “No. He didn’t realize you were coming, and when I was about to tell him that I’d bring him some of the lasagna I made, he assumed I was extending an invitation. You pulled in a minute later, and he walked away disappointed.”
“Do you want to invite him over?”
It surprised me that Landen wouldn’t mind. “He wouldn’t come now anyway. I’ll take some leftovers to him tomorrow.”
He dipped his chin. “Lasagna?”
“Do you like it?”
“Love it.” His eyes shifted to my hands. “Flowers?”
