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Just as quickly as it appeared, the smile was gone, and he responded dryly, “I live here. At least, I did a week ago.” He glanced behind me at the cabinets that all stood open. “That was until Hurricane Piper moved in.”
He pushed away from the island and skirted around me, slamming the doors a little harder than necessary.
Ohhhhh-kay.
Whatever his deal was today, it was too early to try and figure it out without some coffee coursing through my veins. “Hey! I was looking for a coffee mug!” I snapped, pulling the doors open again. The cabinets were mostly empty, save a few mismatched glasses from local sports bars where the emphasis was more on the waitresses and less on the food. “You live like a, a…”
“Like a bachelor?” he drawled.
“Yes,” I huffed, looking around. “Worse than that. If you didn’t own this house, I would think you were damn near homeless. All of your possessions could fit in a grocery buggy!”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m a man, Piper. I don’t need fancy glasses or throw pillows.”
“Hampton’s a man, and we had every kitchen appliance ever made,” I retorted.
Lawson blinked at me. “Are you really trying to use Hampton as a comparison?”
He had me there. “Where are your coffee mugs?” I scoffed, changing the subject.
“Don’t have any. I don’t drink coffee.”
My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. “Who doesn’t drink coffee?” I choked, looking around the counters. No coffee pot. I pulled the refrigerator door open. No creamer. “How do you wake up every morning?”
Lawson stepped around me and pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge. “I go for a run and then come back and lift weights for an hour. Don’t need caffeine when you exercise.” He looked me over before quipping. “Aren’t you a doctor? Shouldn’t you know about endorphins?”
I groaned. “Yes, I know about endorphins. I also know I work eighty hours a week and if I’m not going to kill a person because I can’t keep my eyes open, I need coffee.” I slammed the door shut and leaned against the cool stainless steel. “I’m going to the mall today. I’ll pick up a Keurig and some mugs.” Looking over my shoulder toward the living room, I added, “Maybe a new rug too. A painting on that wall over there would be nice too.”
“Don’t need all that shit. You can get the Keurig if you want, but I’m vetoing the crap for the living room.”
“Aw, come on,” I pleaded. I started to ask him why he was such a grumpy bastard, but thought better of it. This was the longest conversation we’d had since I moved in. I didn’t want to ruin it by pissing him off. “Everything in this house is black or white. It’s so boring. A little bit of color never hurt anyone.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration. I hadn’t seen a single piece of furniture or fabric that was anything other than some shade of gray. It would have looked great if it had been pulled off correctly, but sadly, it just looked like a hodgepodge of stuff with no personality.
“I like black and white,” he muttered.
I studied him, noticing the lack of expression on his face, and concluded the furniture looked like Lawson. Plain, boring, and lacking any feelings.
“Fine,” I huffed. Turning back to where he stood, I smiled brightly. “Wanna go with me?”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to go or not, but I hated shopping alone. And since it seemed that Hampton had traded me in for a husband, I’d lost my shopping partner.
Lawson frowned at me. “Not a chance I’m going to the fucking mall.”
“Your loss,” I quipped. “I’m actually a lot of fun to shop with.”
“I’m sure,” he drawled. He took one last hard look at me, and if I hadn’t been here to witness it, I would have never believed he had actually grinned just a few moments ago. “Before you go, you wanna pick up your shit that’s everywhere?”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he turned on a heel and strode down the hall. When I heard his bedroom door slam, I murmured under my breath, “Nice to see you too, Lawson. You jerk.”
“I’m telling you, Hampton, I would rather be living in a dumpster full of feral cats,” I groaned. After Lawson’s Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde routine, I’d called Ham and begged him to go shopping with me. I’d needed to vent more than I’d ever needed to before, and he was the only person who would understand. Even though this was all his fault, I still needed him.
He took a sip of his Venti Macchiato and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “Come on, Pip, it can’t be that bad.”
I stopped my casual stroll and shrugged his arm off. “It’s worse. I barely see him, and when I do, he’s so grouchy. It’s like he’s the one who just worked sixteen hours straight in the ER. I keep trying to talk to him, but he never replies. He just grunts at me.” I took a swallow of my coffee, savoring the flavor, and continued. “He doesn’t drink coffee, for God’s sake. And don’t get me started on that damn cat—”
Hampton’s laughter interrupted me, and I narrowed my eyes.
“Don’t think I’ve forgiven you yet just because I was the one to call first. I just didn’t want to shop alone.”
