“I know, I know, but I’m working on letting go of controlling everything. I’m getting out more. I’m making friends. I’m not hiding in my bedroom and only speaking to just you.”
“Gee, thanks,” joked Haley.
“You know what I mean. I was worried moving back was the wrong move, but I was very wrong. This has been fantastic for me. It’s like I’m starting the life I should have had.”
“I’m glad. You deserve it.”
Reese found herself nodding in agreement. She did feel like she deserved it. She’d done the work, and she was starting to see the rewards.
***
Reese was brimming with anticipation as she pulled back into the parking lot of Main. Matty hadn’t said how the testing had gone in her text.
When Matty came out, her face was unreadable. That made the nerves in Reese’s belly step up a notch.
Matty slid into the passenger seat and then pecked her on the cheek quickly. Reese waited impatiently as she belted herself in. She drummed her fingers on the wheel until it was too much. “Well? How did it go?”
Her face fell, making Reese’s do the same, but then she cracked a grin. “It went great. I think I really did well.”
Reese threw her arms around Matty. “That’s great. So now we wait for the email, right?”
“Yeah, hopefully it won’t take too long. Want to go back to my place? I’ve got shrimp marinating for tacos, and I made a slaw last night to go with them.”
“That sounds delicious.”
She pulled out of the parking lot and headed to Matty’s place.
One thing that Reese loved about dating Matty was how much she cooked. Reese could cook some things, nothing too complicated. She was a master of TikTok ramen and could make a ham and cheese omelette as long as the shape of the omelette didn’t matter. But Matty could really cook. She put thought into her weekly meals. Like thinking to make slaw the night before so it could sit in the refrigerator overnight to develop more flavor, or get up that morning to make a marinade for the shrimp. Reese wouldn’t have been surprised if she made her own tortillas.
“Here, squeeze a little lime on the shrimp. Do you want guac? It’s not homemade. They had the little cups on sale, so I grabbed some.”
“Sure. I don’t know how you do it with the groceries. You shop so well.”
Matty shrugged. “It helps keep the bill low. If I shop the sales and plan ahead then I’m saving and can put that toward other stuff. Technically, I have enough that I could get a car. That had been my original goal, but with commuting to work with Kerrie and having other alternatives, I’ve been pushing it off.”
“I think that’s smart.” She put some of the guac on her taco. Her mouth watered in anticipation.
“Did I tell you I’m officially submitting the paperwork to have my felony expunged? Kerrie helped me through the process on Wednesday evening.”
She smiled widely at Matty. “That’s fantastic. You’ll be able to apply everywhere with a clean record and GED.”
Matty’s face broke out in a restrained smile. “Hopefully, I’ll get the GED.”
“You will.” She took a bite, moaning with her eyes closed.
“Good?” She opened her eyes to a smirking Matty.
“Very good. You spoil me with all this tasty home cooking.”
“You deserve to be spoiled, but if you want to repay me later...” Her tongue licked up a little guac in the corner of her mouth while her eyes dropped suggestively to Reese’s chest, then slowly back up.
Heat rolled in her lower belly at the heated gaze. She crossed her legs in response to the ache between them. “I’m up for repayment.”
As they finished their meal and were cleaning up, Matty’s phone pinged. She paused, glancing at the screen before looking at Reese with wide eyes. “It’s the results.”
“Open it,” Reese rushed.
“What if I failed?”
