He’s right. And that’s not at all what I want to do. Certainly don’t want her tothinkthat’s what I’m doing.
Oliver goes on, “I think you’d be much better off just doin’ some things for her around the house. Make yourself useful. She’d appreciate that far more than any amount of money.”
“Okay…” I look around trying to figure out what I could do for her. The house is clean. I could put that on my list for later.
What could I do now?
My eyes land on the grocery bags on the kitchen table. “Dinner. I’ll make her dinner.”
“I gotcha steaks.”
“Veggies?” I ask getting up to finish looking through the bags. He got the essentials. Potatoes, carrots, and onions. She has the wine in the fridge.
Turning to the cabinets, I ask, “Do you know where she keeps her spices?”
I’m not a great cook, by any means but I do a few meals well enough. Had to get a little creative back before I started making the big bucks.
“Ifshe has them,” Oliver says putting extra emphasis on theif. “They’ll be in that skinny cabinet next to the stove.”
There aren’t many but I find basil, oregano, thyme… That’s all I need.
As I buzz around the kitchen looking for pots and pans and whatever else I need to make this dinner happen, I can’t help noticing I feel better, lighter… Happier than I’ve felt in a long time. Maybe, ever.
I keep thinking about Lily coming home. Walking through the door, sniffing the air, and commenting on how good it smells. Taking a bite of steak and humming her satisfaction.
There’s a new one. It’s usually another piece of meat I imagine in a woman’s mouth as she hums with satisfaction. Though that offer is still on the table, it’s not the only one and I love all the doors this feeling opens up for me.
If I’d known doing something to make someone else happy made me feel like this, I would have started ages ago. Of course, that would have meant letting someone into my life long enough to take care of them. To be honest, Lily is the only other person I feel I can trust to let in. As much as I love Oliver and Blue, there are things about me they don’t know.
“Alright, man,” Oliver says as I look over all of my ingredients and start thinking about how I’m going to put them together. “I’m gonna head out.”
I open my mouth to wish him well but bite it back when there’s a knock on the door.
Oliver and I freeze staring wide-eyed at each other.
I pad softly but quickly around the table. “Who is it? Why are they here? I thought everyone in this town knew she’s never home,” I whisper urgently when I’m standing next to him.
“Shit,” Oliver whispers back. “Lily’s car is in the driveway. And my truck now.”
“What? Why is Lily’s car here?”
“There’s a good six inches of snow behind it. She probably didn’t want to take the time to scoop it.”
“How’d she get to work?” This is so not the thing I should be worried about right now but I’m suddenly overcome with worry. And a healthy amount of anger that she didn’t wake me up to help her get her car out. Just because this is the first winter I’ve lived someplace it snows, doesn’t mean I don’t know how to handle it. I can wield a shovel with the best of them.
Dang it, Lily. Let me help you.
“Walked, I’m guessing,” Oliver answers.
“Shit. In this cold?”
“She’s built for it. Born and raised in it.”
True but I still don’t like it. All the things she does, she doesn’t need to make life harder on herself walking to work in six inches of snow and below freezing temps.
Nothing I can do about that right now. But something needs to be done about the person knocking on the front door.
“I’ll handle it,” Oliver says and walks determinedly to the door. I follow him and stand off to the side so the door blocks me when he opens it.
