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My hand tightens on the handle of the knife. Thankfully, the doorbell rings, so I stand to answer it. Matt must have taken an Uber because a car pulls away from the curb the minute I open the door.
“Hey, man.” I shake his hand and open the door wider for him.
“Thanks for having me.” He holds up a bottle of wine and a six-pack. “Not sure which you prefer.”
“Theresa can have the wine, and we can split the beer.” I take both from his hands.
A throat clears, and we both turn our attention to Theresa standing in the entrance to the kitchen.
“Matt, this is Theresa.”
“The little woman,” he says, and I inwardly groan.
“Little woman? Where did you just warp in from?” she asks.
Matt laughs. “I’m just joking. Nice to meet you. Where is the little woman, though?” He shakes Theresa’s hand.
Theresa looks at me with an arched eyebrow.
“Adley is at her mom’s.” I point in the direction of Palmer’s house.
“She lives next door?” Matt asks.
“They have an unorthodox relationship,” Theresa says. She takes the bottle of wine and the six-pack from me. “I’ll get you a glass for that beer.”
Matt stares at her ass and turns back to me, giving me his appreciation for her. Theresa is good-looking, but I doubt she’s the kind of woman Matt has ever been with. “I don’t need a glass. Bottle is fine.”
By the time we make it into the kitchen, she’s already pouring it. “It’s no problem.”
“What’s for dinner?” Matt peers into the wok Theresa has on the stove.
I sit back down to cut the remaining vegetables.
“Stir fry with tofu.” Theresa smiles and turns back to the stove.
“Yum,” Matt says, eyes widening as he joins me at the table.
Dinner goes well, Theresa seeming impressed by Matt and his accomplishments. She pulls out a cake from a bag on the counter that I didn’t realize she’d brought and opens up the freezer, her shoulders sagging.
“What?” I ask.
“You don’t have ice cream?”
“Sorry, last night was sundae night with Adley. We used it all up. I’m sure just the cake is good.”
“It’s supposed to be served with ice cream,” Theresa says.
I’m thinking I’ve caught her on a bad day because we both seem irritable with each other. This has never really happened before between us, and when she excuses herself for the bathroom, Matt is quick to jump on it.
“She’s wound…tight,” he says.
“I think she had a bad day. I’ll be right back. I’m going to get some ice cream from Palmer’s.” I leave my house and go to Palmer’s, but the back door is locked, so I have to knock.
Adley runs up, freshly bathed and in her Wonder Woman flannel pajama set. Palmer comes right after her, still dressed in jeans and sweater. She helps Adley open the door.
“Hi, Daddy!”
“Do you have ice cream?” I pick up Adley and walk in, shutting the door to not let in the cold air.
