fifteen
BONNIE
I shoved the last of the clean clothes in a laundry basket and wedged it inside the primary bedroom. I’d dragged my feet on sorting and folding for a few days, but since Jack was actively on his way over, it was too late to do anything about it now.
I needed more time in the evenings after work. But I’d been so busy lately with my weekly events—trivia, bowling, softball, and so forth—and spending nights with Jack, that I hadn’t made cleaning up at home a priority. Actually, that was a lie. I’d never been a great housewife. The only thing I hated more than doing laundry was washing dishes. Plus, I was a bit of a pack rat. I liked knickknacks and collecting things. I didn’t mind a little clutter. Danny and I had differed greatly in that regard.
With an impatient huff, I gathered up the rest of the items without a place from the living room and kitchen—unopened mail, art supplies for school, magazines, and shoes I tended to leave right beside the door—into another empty laundry basket. It joined the first in the bedroom mostly used for Oreo.
The rabbit watched me from where she sat placidly in the hallway. Likely wondering what the heck I was doing and why I was having a cleaning freak-out all of a sudden.
Well, Jack was coming inside my house for the first time. In the month and a half we’d been seeing each other, we’d always met up at his apartment. It didn’t seem fair. I liked his place a lot, but I wanted him to know that I wasn’t keeping him relegated to certain parts of my life.
Realizing I’d hurt him by keeping him a secret had been enough to push me outside my people-pleasing comfort zone. I didn’t want Jack to think I was ashamed of our relationship at the expense of keeping the peace with a bunch of nosy neighbors. It wasn’t anyone’s business who I spent my time with—naked or not. I wasn’t married anymore, and despite what the rumor mill churned out, there wasn’t a timeline on getting your life back on track.
I blew a strand of hair out of my face and looked at Oreo. “Be nice to him, okay? I sort of like him.”
That was maybe downplaying things. I did like Jack ... a lot. In fact, I worried I was getting in a little too deep, especially since we were casual and undefined. I knew he wasn’t seeing other people. We were together so much that it would have been nearly impossible. Since Halloween two weeks ago, I’d spent the night at his place more than at mine. I didn’t mind the late nights waiting for him to finish up at Magnolia. The early mornings leaving for school didn’t really bother me either. I just liked being with him. He made me feel accepted, safe in my own skin. Like, maybe, the current version of myself was worth knowing.
All those fizzy, nervous feelings he’d provoked at the beginning had changed at some point, shifted to something less anxiousand more anticipatory. I wasn’t waiting anymore for the bad boy to realize the good girl wasn’t cool enough for him.
I liked his attention on me. It still made all my nerve endings sit up and take notice, but there wasn’t a worrisome edge. Being with Jack was a little like being on a roller coaster. I could handle the wild turns and sudden drops, usually with a smile on my face and his hand clasped firmly in mine.
A knock came just as I was stacking the four paperbacks I was in the middle of reading into an orderly pile. I hurried to the front door, snagging the spare change I’d tossed on my end table and quickly shoving it into the pocket of my sweatpants.
“Hi,” I said, a touch breathlessly as I swung the door open.
Jack’s eyebrows popped up like I’d surprised him. “Hi.”
I stared at him until he grinned and said, “Can I come in?”
“Oh, sure. Sorry. Welcome.” Scolding myself for being weird, I moved out of the way so he could join me, you know, inside the house.
“Can I get you a drink?” I asked as he took in the open floor plan, eyes roaming over the living room, kitchen, and dining area.
“Yeah, thanks.”
Glad to have some way to direct my nervous energy, I walked toward the refrigerator, rambling as I went. “It’s a fixer-upper, I know. I had a lot of plans for this house that just sort of fell by the wayside over the years. Like getting rid of the wallpaper in the hallway and installing raised beds in the backyard.” I opened the door and peered inside the fridge, moving things around to get to the beer I’d picked up on the way home. “And Iknow it’s dark in here. I keep meaning to change up the window treatments. And the wood paneling doesn’t help.”
I nearly dropped the bottle in my hand when I closed the door to the refrigerator and found Jack waiting on the other side. “Oh my God!” I gasped.
He smoothly reached out and plucked the beer from my grasp before placing it on the counter next to us. Then he slid his arms around my waist and pulled me close. “Hey. You don’t need to do that. It’s your house. I already like it. It’s comfortable and it smells like you.”
I didn’t have time to fret over what he meant by that before Jack’s gaze slid past me to the hallway, where his attention stayed.
He drew in a short breath before saying, “Clyde, don’t be alarmed, but there is a rodent in your house.”
I turned to see Oreo sitting where I’d left her, nose twitching adorably.
A giggle escaped when I looked back at Jack, his expression somewhat alarmed. He was typically so hard to ruffle that I was enjoying this a little bit. “That’s Oreo. She’s a rabbit.”
He glanced at me quickly, then zeroed in on Oreo, like he had to keep an eye on the dangerous animal threatening us. “You’ve never once said you had a pet rabbit.”
“Well, technically, she’s not mine.”
Jack’s eyes widened, and he shuffled us over a few steps until we were in front of the dishwasher. “It’s coming over here.”
I peeked over my shoulder, and sure enough, Oreo was hopping our way, curiosity getting the better of her.
