CHAPTER 20
JORDAN
Sometime during the ride back to my place, Ginger fell asleep with her hand still wrapped around the empty cup. I kill the engine and glance over at her. She’s always beautiful, but right now she’s unguarded and peaceful, with her lips parted softly, shoulders relaxed, and hair spilling over her coat collar. She reminds me of an angel. I guess she’d have to be one to be with me. Only an angel would be this forgiving, this patient, this willing to see something in me I don’t see in myself. She grounds me and makes me a better person without even trying.
I reach over and rub her thigh. “Hey. We’re home.”
Her eyes flutter open. “Already?”
“Already,” I say, smiling. “Come on. Let’s get in the house and get out of some of these layers.”
I grab the thermos and meet her on the path to the porch. Still drowsy, she moves slowly as I follow her up the steps. Inside, warmth wraps around us instantly. We pause in the entryway, shedding jackets, hats, gloves, and boots in a heap by the door.
She lets out a long exhale. “I think I dropped ten pounds just from taking all that off.”
I grin. “Right? Going out in the winter should count as a workout.”
“Tubing was worth it, though. I had an amazing time… even though you cheated.”
“You say ‘cheated,’” I tell her, “I say ‘took advantage of an opportunity to win.’”
She laughs. “Okay, I see how it is.”
“Are you hungry?” I ask, already heading toward the kitchen. “Because I’m starving.”
“Yes,” she agrees, following me.
Earlier today, I cleared away all the remaining wood and paint leftover from our first date and removed the vinyl tablecloth. Her wooden sign sits in the center, dry and finished. I nod toward it. “Looks great, huh?”
Her face lighting up, she walks over and runs her fingers along the painted surface. “It’s perfect. And you even cleared the table.”
“I couldn’t let your masterpiece sit in the middle of all that mess. Now that it’s dry, I figured you’d want to take it home.”
She turns it over, eyes widening when she spots the leather cord strung neatly through the pre-drilled holes. “Thank you for taking care of this for me.”
I shrug. “I thought you’d want to hang it up right away. I found the cord in my garage and figured it would be strong enough to support its weight, and it also looks great with the wood.”
She traces over the leather with her thumb and then her eyes find mine. “You thought of everything.”
“Except for what we’re gonna eat for dinner. I forgot all about that detail.” I move over to the fridge and start pulling things from the shelves and drawers. “I hope you’re okay with cold cuts because that’s our only option.”
She comes over to stand beside me at the counter. “I love a good sandwich. Especially when someone makes it for me.”
“I hope you still feel that way when you taste it,” I say, snickering under my breath.
She watches as I layer the meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. I catch her smiling at me more than once. When I slide her plate over, her eyebrows rise. “You even cut it diagonally. That’s the correct way, you know.”
“Of course. It makes the sandwich taste better.” I grab two bottles of water from the fridge and a bag of chips from the pantry, setting them down on the table. “Let’s eat.”
She slides onto the chair across from mine, and we both dig in as if we haven’t had a meal in days. We talk between bites, and she tells me how she met Irene last night via FaceTime.
“What’s she like?” I ask.
“She seems very sweet, and looks like a strawberry-blonde version of Nina. She’s stunning. We should set her up with Drew.”
I laugh. “Drew isn’t ready for a relationship. He’s still figuring out his career path.”
“So?” Her eyebrows pinch. “Maybe he needs someone to help him along the way. Plenty of couples get together when they’re younger and work through those things together.”
