“Yes, Gayle?”
“Dad!”
“Shit,” I say, startled as Calloway walks into my room.
“I don’t feel like cooking tonight. Can I order a pizza?”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” I say, looking up at my kid.
“Are you still in a call?”
My cheeks heat up. “Umm, maybe.”
Calloway gives me a knowing look. “Right. What do you want?”
“Pineapple and pepperoni please! And can you ask if they have that sugar cookie pizza still? I want something sweet.”
“I’m on it!”
“Thank you! Love you!”
“Love you too. I’ll let you know when it’s here.”
I look back at the screen, finding Rodney over by one of the random activities here in the warehouse you can do while you’re waiting for the next match to start. He’s setting up bowling pins.
“Sorry about that,” I say, walking back over to him.
“It’s fine! That was Calloway, right?”
“Yeah. He’s ordering us some pizza.”
“I heard,” he says, his voice sounding disgusted. “Pineapple on your pizza? Really, Gayle. I’m gonna have to think about these feelings now that I’ve learnedthatabout you.”
“Have you even tried it?”
“No, but that’s not the point!”
We spend the next twenty minutes talking about what are the ideal toppings for a pizza. Calloway brings my pizza to me along with a plate. I thank him and continue to talk to Rodney as I eat, making sure he knows just how delicious the pineapple is.
“Mmm! It’s sogood, Rodney. I know how much you want a bite.”
Rodney makes a strangled noise. “You’ve gotta stop moaning like that,” he says softly. “Unless you’re actively trying to give me a boner. In that case, keep going. You’re doing a great job.”
“Oh my gods,” I say, almost choking on my bite. I sputter and cough, taking a drink of water to get it all down. “You can’t justsaystuff like that, Rodney! You’re gonna kill me!”
“What? Like you didn’t know that you moaning over your pizza was sexy? I think you knew exactly what you were doing!”
“The pizza is just that good, Rodney!”
He snorts. “Sure. Whatever you say, Gayle.”
I can feel my cheeks heating but there’s a small smile on my face. Before I know it, hours have gone by.
“Shit,” I whisper, “I didn’t realize it had gotten so late. What the hell?”
“Damn! I didn’t notice either! Do you have something in the morning.”
“No, it’s fine,” I say, letting out a yawn. Now that I know what time it is, I’m suddenly ready to drop into bed. “Hey, Rodney. Are you busy this weekend?”
