Page 10 of Marry Me, Right Now

“This isn’t just brown,” he said, tentatively picking up a long strand from my shoulder and holding it up in the light. “This is cinnamon with other spicy bits running through it.”

I was flattered, but surprised that he was so casual about touching my hair. I was also shocked at how much it made my heart race.

JACOB

>

SO FAR, SO GOOD

I dropped the piece of hair quickly and smiled. “I’m so relieved that you’re on board with the name change. I know that’s a major part of a person’s identity. Thank you.” I had to try not to touch her, or she’d think I was a creep. But it was hard not to stare into those sweet eyes. “Okay, here are a few more things I’ve thought of.”

Mia picked up her pen and prepared to take notes. “Ready.”

“If you can’t find something in the condo, you can just say that Carol must have moved it – and that our housekeeper has rearranged a bunch of things since you moved in.”

“You have a housekeeper?”

“Of course. Carol is great. You’ll like her.”

Mia looked almost stricken. “When does she come by?”

“Just half days, Mondays through Fridays, from around eleven to three-thirty.”

She looked around, trying to take in the space. “What does she do all day?”

“She keeps this place spotless, obviously, does the laundry, shopping, meal prep. She picks up my dry-cleaning, and orders deliveries. There are likely a few duties that would fall more under the personal assistant category, like helping me pick up a birthday gift for my mother, and things like that, but she doesn’t mind.”

“Um, will I be in her way if I leave my room while she’s here?”

The nervous look on her face nearly broke my heart. “Mia, she’s here for me, and she’ll be here for you as well. You’ll meet her when you move in. Carol is a lovely woman, and she’s glad to have a job with hours that allow her to drop her kids at school and pick them up.” Her expression was a complete mystery. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

“The thought of someone looking after me like that is...” She trailed off, looking lost.

“Uncomfortable?” I offered.

“Yeah. It feels really classicist, somehow. It’s like having a servant,” she practically whispered.

“Huh,” I said, trying to figure her out. “But when you go to a coffee shop, someone makes your coffee, right?”

“Yeah, but that’s not in your home.”

“If your toilet breaks, you call in a plumber to fix it, right?” I asked.

She almost looked like she was getting angry, or tense. “That’s a job skill that not everyone has.”

“Well, I suck at laundry and don’t really know how to cook very well. People hire dog walkers when they’re out at the office all day. Is that okay?”

Her head tipped up to stare at the ceiling for a moment. “I see what you’re saying, and I don’t know how to be clear about it, but it’s different.”

I took a sip of my water, and she followed suit. “What if we file this under the things that are going to be weird for a while, but we’ll work on it? And if it doesn’t work in a month or two, we’ll revisit it, and make changes. Is that fair?”

“You know it’s really odd when you start talking like this is a board meeting,” she said with a little laugh.

“That’s my default. It works for me.”

“Okay. Yes. We’ll file that for now,” she said, nodding.

When we finished, I cleared the plates, and Mia moved our wine glasses and her notebook to the couch.

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