“Much better. This water helps.”
“Good. I made you some plain,plainoatmeal.”
I spot the bowl on the table and take a seat. “Thanks.”
This is one of my weird cravings. Lucky for me, I can keep it down too.
“We should talk about bills,” I say between bites, pointing at him with my spoon.
“What about them?” he asks, slowly lowering himself into the seat next to me.
“Well, we should divide them equally. Minus the mortgage, because I will be honest and tell you that there is no way I can afford this place.”
I glance up the vaulted ceilings and then to the granite countertops and white cabinets that fill the kitchen. I guarantee the silver handles alone cost more than a week’s worth of tips.
Mark shakes his head and takes another bite of his breakfast. “I’m paying the bills.”
“We should split them.”
“No.”
“Mark, come on. I want to pay for my half.”
“I don’t want to let you. Besides, this is a trial run, right?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.”
“Well, paying my half matters to me too.”
He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
“If you really want to, I’ll make a list of the bills and we can go through them tonight.”
“Thank you. And don’t fake the numbers, Mark. I may not be used to living a cushy lifestyle like you, but I know expensive when I see it, and this place just reeks of it.”
He turns slowly to look at me. His gaze locks onto mine.
His face is expressionless as he stares at me. Finally, he nods. Just once, then he returns to his food.
I do the same. It’s our first morning together, so I’m not really sure what else I’d say anyway. But I can’t stand the silence.
“So, any plans today?” I ask.
He shrugs right before he shakes his head.
Okay. Clearly, I said something that upset him.
“Since it’s Tuesday, I work a double,” I offer up to keep the nonexistent conversation going.
“A double. What’s that?”
“It’s when I work the lunch hour hours and the dinner hours. I probably won’t be home till eleven.”
“At night?” he asks, stunned.
“Yeah,” I chuckle. “It’s a long day, but the money is good.”
