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“I know,” he smiled, “but I wanted to do this by myself.”
I took a bite of the melt-in-your-mouth steak. “Is that the case, or were you afraid I’d ruin something?”
“No comment,” he chuckled. “Is the steak good?”
“It’s delicious,” I answered honestly.
“So, I’ve been thinking,” he mused.
“About what?” I swallowed a bite of the garlic-mashed potatoes.
“One of things on your list,” he tapped his fingers against the wooden table and brought his beer to his lips with his free hand.
“Which one?” I asked and the nerves that usually accompanied the mentioning of my list were absent.
“When’s your spring break?” He asked to avoid my question.
“March seventh,” I answered.
“Hmmm,” he hummed.
“Care to elaborate,” I persisted.
He leaned forward and our eyes connected. “On your list, you said you wanted to see the ocean,” he stated.
“Yeah,” I replied, even though it hadn’t been a question.
“I think we, and by we, I mean you, me, Avery, and Luca, should go to the beach over your spring break. It’ll be cold in March and you won’t want to get in the ocean, but at least you’ll get to see it.”
Excitement bubbled inside me. “I don’t want to get in the ocean anyway, too many fish,” I shuddered, “so the temperature won’t bother me. But are you sure? Can you take off work?”
“I have plenty of vacation days, besides,” he took another sip of beer, “Pete knows I work harder here than anybody, himself included. He’s always telling me to take a break and this seems like the perfect opportunity.”
I did a little happy dance in the chair which made Trace shake with laughter. “This is so exciting! I’m going to see the ocean! Oh my gosh, I can finally put my toes in the sand! And collect seashells!”
“I’m glad you’re excited,” he took a bite of his steak.
“Excited? That’s an understatement. Try, ecstatic!” I continued with my seated dance.
“It doesn’t take much to make you happy, Olivia,” he shook his head.
“No, it doesn’t,” I agreed.
???
Even though Trace had been adamant that I not help with the food preparation, I managed to get him to agree, albeit reluctantly, to let me help clean the dishes.
I was one of those people who hated sitting around, feeling useless. I needed to be up, and moving, doing something productive.
I scrubbed the dishes while Trace dried them and put them away.
We worked quietly, enjoying each other’s company.
I hadn’t seen him much since classes started up and I missed him something fierce.
I cleaned the last dish and pulled the plug so the soapy water could drain from the sink.
Strong arms wrapped around me, from behind, boxing me in.
