Page 89 of Miss Fortune

Questions remained, but given what he’d confided last night, I knew the importance of taking it slow. We were navigating new territory here, and neither of us had a map.

I found him in the kitchen, dressed casually in shorts and a T-shirt, sweaty, and gulping a bottle of water at the refrigerator.

“Good morning.”

He turned around, grinning. “Good morning.”

“Did you go on a run?”

“I did. Same route I’ve used for the past week, the one which brings me by your apartment building twice.”

“Really?” The thought he’d missed me enough over the last few days to do so made me smile. Evidently I hadn’t been the only one who’d been miserable.

He walked over, giving me a kiss. “I picked up breakfast if you’re hungry.”

I scanned the kitchen island to see the bakery bag. “I am hungry. Are you going in to work today?”

“Yes, but not until later. I have a couple client meetings and court later this week. What do you have planned?”

No mention about whether he wanted to start dating again. Last night had been a breakthrough with him confiding in me, but I wasn’t sure if it changed things regarding the status of our relationship. “I’m leaving for Seattle on Thursday. Plan to spend a few days up there.” I’d needed the distraction of the prospect of moving to a new city. I wasn’t sure what I’d decide, nor did I know if Caleb would change my calculations, but I needed to at least take a look at the city. See what kind of vibe I got.

I opened the bag, taking out the croissant and donut inside. “Which one do you prefer?”

He hesitated. “They’re both for you. I already had my protein shake. Does it bother you?”

There was such a vulnerability in his question whereby he was clearly testing how I’d react to him sticking to his diet routine. “Getting both a donut and croissant will never bother me.”

He took a deep breath. “I’d like to show you some things. I figure it might be better to rip off the Band-Aid so to speak.”

“Okay.”

He took my hand to lead me into his two-car garage. Both of his vehicles were inside, parked on top of a floor so clean you could have eaten off of it. There were items for the yard hanging in perfect lines on a pegboard to one side, and a large tool box stood beside a row of cabinets. He led me over to the drawers of the cabinets and opened them up, as if revealing a dirty secret.

Inside, the tools were perfectly lined up and grouped together. Aware he was observing my reaction, I carefully guarded my expression in case there was something shocking. But so far, all I’d seen was how clean and orderly he was.

Finally, as if he couldn’t stand it any longer, he prompted, “Well?”

“It’s neatly organized. If my father ever came to visit again, he’d be envious of the way you have everything arranged.”

He shook his head, shutting the drawers. Then, apparently not finished, he led me inside and up the stairs to stop in front of the linen closet. On opening the door, he set his gaze on me while I took stock of the contents. Towels and blankets were folded with military precision, stacked neatly, and all facing the same direction.

“I’m not sure what you want me to say. It’s impressive.”

Next he led me into his bedroom where he opened his closet door to reveal the color-coded order in which his shirts and suits were hung. His shoes were neatly in line at the bottom, his belts hanging on the door. Nothing was out of place.

I turned to him, sensing his frustration over my reaction or lack thereof. “I know you’re showing me because you believe at some point I’m going to say it’s too much, but it really isn’t. Do you come into my apartment and criticize how unorganized I am?”

“No, I don’t. But if we were to progress further in a relationship, you’d learn to resent this.”

“Why, because your ex did?”

He nodded.

“Would you expect me to have my things this organized?”

“No, but I’d probably do it for you. I wouldn’t be able to help myself.”

“Even better. You should see how messy my apartment is right now.” I took his hand. “Your organization isn’t bothersome to me. Believe me, I’d never fight you over how to fold the towels. I’d simply be grateful they were folded and put away.”