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On a deep breath, she knocked.
Ziggy let out a bark immediately, and she could almost hear him dancing around on the other side of the door as Reuben’s voice filtered through to her.
“Hold your britches, Zig. I’m coming.” The door opened wide, and the man’s smile was immediate. “Why, Shayna. Nice to see you. Everything all right?”
She nodded. “I wondered if you’d like to join me at my place for dinner tonight?”
“Well, yeah. Yes, I would,” he said, his tone surprised but pleased.
“It’s nothing fancy, but I’d love the company.” She crouched to pet Ziggy and nearly melted when the dog pushed its big blocky head into her hand. “Dinner will be ready in about an hour but feel free to come over any time.”
“You better believe I will.”
“Great.” She gave Reuben the house number and scrunched Zig’s face one last time. “See you soon,” she said, tracing her steps back to her place.
Billy still hadn’t responded to her text, but she’d make enough of everything for him to have later if he wanted.
She preheated the oven and gathered the rest of what she needed, then set about chopping the veggies for the salad. Finally, she placed the marinated chicken on a cookie sheet and slipped it in to bake.
Of course, she’d made a disaster of Billy’s kitchen in the process of doing all this. How did he manage to keep everything so spotless while he cooked? It was beyond her, but she dove into cleaning it all up so she could set the table.
Except, Billy didn’t have a table. He just had the breakfast bar with the high bar stools. And Shayna had no idea if the height of those stools would pose too great a challenge for Reuben’s leg.
Which was when she remembered that there was a black metal table and chairs out on the patio. It was covered with enough dust and sticks and leaves to suggest that Billy didn’t use it very often, so it was a bit of a project for Shay to scrub it all down, but once she laid out a couple of hand towels as placemats and set the table, it looked rather festive. Which fit her mood perfectly.
She had just enough time to baste the chicken with barbecue sauce and slide it back into the oven when Reuben knocked at the door.
Over the course of their meal, Shayna found herself so glad she’d invited the man over.
His stories were humorous and interesting and awe-inspiring by turn. As a boy, he remembered riding on streetcars the very last day they’d operated in the city and recalled hearing Martin Luther King, Jr. giving his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial. He’d served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and attended the opening ceremony for the Vietnam Memorial with other survivors from his unit. And he and his wife had raised two daughters of whom the man was obviously immensely proud.
She laughed and ate too much and delighted in Reuben’s enjoyment of her cooking.
Shayna realized that she never would’ve guessed half the amazing things that Reuben had seen and done just by looking at who he was now. And wasn’t that true of everyone? Unless you were the one to say hello or extend the invitation or share a piece of yourself first, you might never know what another person experienced or had to offer.
“Now tell me about your family, Shayna. You have any around here?” Reuben asked.
And you might never know what another person might be hiding either. Like Shayna was. Hiding her hurt and her shame.
She managed a smile. “My parents live in New York, where I grew up, and my older brother, Ryan, is an Army Ranger. He’s deployed in Iraq right now.” She felt the omission of Dylan’s name from her recounting of her family story like a weight on her chest, and she hated herself a little in that moment. So maybe that was why she added something she rarely said out loud anymore, “And I had a middle brother named Dylan who died in a car crash two years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Reuben said, just as Shayna caught movement from the corner of her eye.
Billy stood in the open doorway, freaking gorgeous in a pair of black dress pants, a white dress shirt with the sleeves cuffed around his forearms, and a blue tie loosened around his neck. And had a chunky watch ever looked so sexy o
n a man before? Wow.
“Oh, hey,” she managed, even as heat filtered into her cheeks. For ogling him. And for the fact that he’d probably just overheard her talking about Dylan. “Are you hungry? You should come join.” She could almost see his indecision as he hovered on the threshold. “Reuben, let me introduce you to my roommate, Billy. He actually owns the house and is kind enough to let me stay for a while.”
That ended Billy’s indecisiveness. He came out and extended a hand to the older man, who moved to rise. “Don’t get up. Please. Nice to meet you, Reuben.”
“Same to you, Billy.” They shook.
“Come sit,” she said, looking up at Billy. “I’ll make you a plate. Reuben lives a few houses down and was in the military, too. You guys have lots in common.”
The moment Billy nodded, Reuben took over. “What branch did you serve in?” he asked Billy as Shayna slipped inside.
It only took her a few minutes to get everything she needed, and when she came out, the two men were deep in conversation about their service. She settled a plate, cup of water, and silverware on the table in front of Billy.
