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“You have no idea,” he muttered.
___
While Valerie got comfortable on the bench behind the table, he rooted around in the fridge and tried to decide what the first night’s menu should include. He’d swung by the deli and picked up his usual order before heading out to Shora. The fridge was fully stocked. He just wasn’t in the mood for anything heavy. He frowned at the bags of salad mix he’d gotten so used to buying when he was married to Heidi, but that he almost never ate.
“I’ve got Marshmallow Oaties and milk if you don’t want to wait,” he said jokingly.
Her laugh was quick and genuinely mirthful. “On busy days, I eat cereal for all three meals. Marshmallow Oaties one of my guilty secret stand-bys.”
“My kind of woman. And you don’t need to feel guilty about things that make you feel good.”Do as I say, not as I do.“You’re not hurting anyone, right?” He grabbed the jug of milk and bumped the fridge door closed with his hip.
“Probably just myself. I’ll end up with diabetes for my years of poor dietary choices.”
“It can’t be all that bad. I don’t buy it. You’ve got an amazing body, and every handful I’ve grabbed has been nice and firm in the places that are supposed to be.”
He slid an empty bowl in front of her and put one beside her, too.
Her cheeks were red and her laugh shaky. “I have good weeks and bad weeks, I guess.” She pulled the milk closer and worked off the cap as he loosened the flap of the new cereal box. “When I’m good, I’mreally, really good. When I’m bad, I’m completely shameful.”
“Sounds like you need someone to take care of you.”
“I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time, Tim.” She shook cereal into her bowl and took the spoon he offered.
“That doesn’t mean you should have to. Human beings thrive on community.”
“That may be so, but you’ve got to trust your community, right? For a lot of years, it’s just been me, my sister, and my grandmother. Trust me when I say there weren’t a lot of folks coming out of the woodworks to give us a hand when we needed it.”
“I’m sorry.” He sat on the bench beside her and filled his bowl with cereal.
“Not your fault. It’s just what I’m used to.”
“You could get used to other things.”
“Nah, I’m not cut out for the pampered lifestyle.”
He’d been hoping that was the case because he couldn’t give her that. He had the money, sure, but not the leanings. He wouldn’t know where to begin. “You think I’m pampered?”
She grinned coyly and scooped a couple of marshmallow bits off the top of her cereal. “I’m sure you work very hard, but you’ve got people to do things for you, right? A housekeeper, probably a lawn guy.”
“I don’t have a lawn. I have a collection of weeds and invasive saplings. You saw the lot.”
“You get my point.”
He shrugged. “I delegate. I have to because I can’t be everywhere at once.”
He’d tried that for a lot of years and had ended up with a failed marriage and a kid who hated him no matter what Tim did.
I wonder how Heidi’s holding up…
They were probably still in close enough cellular range for him to send her a text message.
“And yet, you’rehere,” Valerie said.
“Yeah.Herewas somewhere I needed to be.”
“Why? Don’t tell me you felt that obligated to play the knight on a white horse because of my whiny voicemail.”
“You asked me for something I was willing to give you, and now you’re surprised I gave it to you?” he asked, incredulous.
