"So you're the person who took over the rental for this week?"
He nodded. "Is that OK?"
"Yeah, sure, why wouldn't that be OK?" But her flustered reaction told him that was not what she was expecting. "So listen, I was hoping to get to the grocery store—"
"I got that already."
She gave him a small smile. "Right, so could you move your truck for me?"
"Yeah, let me get some shorts on."
Ryan didn't miss the slight disappointment on Lucy's face that she tried to cover up with a quick "Thanks" before turning back to her cabin and the car that Ryan had only sort of seen last night when he came back after a long drive on some country roads.
"Oh, Ryan?"
Lucy's ponytail swung around her shoulder as she quickly turned her head back to him. He had to take a deep breath to compose himself and keep his boxer briefs from giving anything away.
"What's up?"
"Do you want anything from the grocery store?"
His fridge had two leftover chicken wings from his take out order last night, a six-pack of beer, and a half-empty bottle of Faygo. There was half a loaf of bread on his counter.
"No, I'm good. Thanks."
He would probably head over to the store later on his own, but he didn't want to tell Lucy that. It would just give her another excuse to interact with him. Plus, he frankly wanted to hit another few drive-thru lines to limit his interactions with humans today. He could deal with grocery shopping later.
"Let me get my shorts on and grab my keys," he grumbled.
"Awesome, that would be great."
He nodded and was about to close the door when he heard Lucy's voice again.
"Ryan?"
He looked up to see her blue eyes staring at him.
"I'm glad you're up here this week, and really, let me know if you need anything."
He gave her his best attempt at a smile and slowly closed the door.
His athletic shorts were still on the floor where he left them last night. He pulled them on and found his pair of lucky flip flops by the front door. Even he would admit they were gross. They were ratty and smelled bad and the straps were about to snap, but he was very particular about his flip flops and he never let go of a pair until they broke. That was the deal.
His keys were on a little table by the front door where he had also dropped his wallet and phone last night when he got back. He didn't need his wallet to move his truck a few feet, and he didn't want his cell phone. He knew it would just be filled with more texts and emails that he didn't want to answer.
Lucy was waiting outside when he walked out, and he finally got a chance to look at her. This morning, she was wearing a pair of pink shorts and a billowy black shirt with her straight black hair pulled back in that ponytail that swung when she turned her head to see him.
There was something about the way she looked today that seemed different from all the other times he had seen her. Maybe it was the fact that it was summer and sunny instead of some drab winter day in the hallway outside his apartment. Or maybe it just felt good to see someone give him a genuine smile instead of one tinged with pity and regret. He had seen a lot of those this past month.
"All set?"
He nodded and trudged over to his truck, his keys dangling from his finger. Then something made him pause. He wasn't sure what it was or why he stopped. He just knew that his body was making some decision to turn and talk to Lucy.
"Hey, on second thought, would you mind picking up a coffee for me?"
Her warm smile grew. "Of course! What do you want?"
"A medium latte?"
