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I fill up a mug of coffee, grab my tablet and Grady’s hoodie, and step out onto the porch. I sit down on the glider and wince a little as the coldness of the metal hits my legs. But it’s a beautiful day. The wind blows through the trees near the pond, and leaves rattle as the soft breeze blows them across the ground.
Using my tablet and pen, I sketch out the basic design for a logo for
Grady. Then I add color to it. Then I add some background pictures and embellishments. Then I add a line for contact information. I search the web to find Grady’s website, but he doesn’t have one. I can make one for him. I start a simple site and put his logo in the corner, using colors that complement the logo. I sit back and look at it. It’s good.
I hear footsteps in the kitchen and look in through the screen door. “Morning, sunshine,” I call.
“Clifford,” Grady mutters as he scratches his nose with his palm. He sniffs. “I smell coffee.”
“On the counter. Help yourself.”
He grunts in response, which makes me giggle.
A few moments later he pushes the screen door open and walks outside, holding a mug of coffee. He’s still in his t-shirt and boxers but he doesn’t seem to care. I tug his hoodie down lower over my bare thighs. “Are you out here flashing all your new neighbors?” he says.
“I’m in the middle of ten acres,” I inform him. “No neighbors.”
He sits down next to me on the glider and looks toward the road. “I’m jealous. I can’t even streak to my car at night in my jammies because my neighbors are so close. You’re lucky.” He blows over the rim of his coffee mug. “I didn’t think you’d moved in yet,” he says. “But you have coffee.”
I smile at him. “Grandma gave me the pot and the coffee, along with a few mugs.”
He lifts the mug to examine it. “Huh. I thought this looked familiar.”
“You sleep okay?” I ask.
“I don’t remember. I was asleep.” He takes another sip of his coffee and I can see the light returning to his eyes. “Thanks for letting me stay over.”
“I’m glad you did. This place is so new to me. It feels kind of weird.”
“In what way?”
“It’s just so big and empty. And there are so many noises that I’m not used to.”
He nods in understanding. Then he glances toward my tablet. “What are you doing?”
I hold the tablet close to my chest and grin at him. “Working on a surprise for you.”
“Is it porn?”
I laugh. “No!”
“Then I don’t want it.” He gets up. “You want more coffee?”
I hand him my cup. “Yes, please.” He walks inside. “Two creams, one sugar!” I call out.
He grunts in response.
After a moment he returns with two mugs, and he presses one into my hand. “I woke up with a cat’s tail swishing under my nose.” He wipes at his nose as if he can still feel it.
At least it wasn’t the cat’s asshole winking at him like I had woken up to. “They like to be fed in the morning. And they apparently don’t mind waking you up to tell you.” I think about it. “And they’re not used to people being here. They’ve been alone for a long while.”
“Not fun,” he mutters.
“What’s not fun?”
“Being alone. It kind of sucks.” He stares off toward the pond.
“Why aren’t you married with kids, Grady?” I suddenly ask.
