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“Good idea, she doesn’t get out much,” she replied, looking at the small dog sitting at Gage’s feet.
He thought about responding to her comment, but knew not only would he take out all the issues between them, he’d top that with the anger he had toward his parents. In the end, Gage hooked up Velvet’s leash and walked out the back door. The farther he got from his house, Gage’s mind filled with all that was going on in his life. He couldn’t fault his parents for leaving early because they had plans. Heather had originally planned to have cake on his actual birthday and not two days later. The distance that grew between him and his parents, he didn’t have the right to point fingers. There were many times, he didn’t pick up the phone to call them. But they didn’t do the same in return as they were living their retired lives to the fullest. As long as they stayed involved with his daughter’s life, that’s all he cared about.
When his wife came home early on Saturday morning, he heard about how great her time in the city was. How they should think about moving there. He didn’t want to move, he liked where they lived. Not to mention, that would take their daughter away from the life she was building. Disturbing everyone’s foundation just so Heather could have what she wanted. Normally, Gage would give in to her, he always did, but recently, he’d stopped that, finally voicing his own opinions. This only blew up in his face because he’d come to realize that the saying, happy wife, happy life, was one hundred fucking percent true.
Taking the path at the end of the block that opened up to a large field, Gage let Velvet off her leash. A game she loved to play was to sprint until she heard his whistle, which had her running back to him. He took a seat on the large oak timber, picking up the nearest twig, and tossing it through the air as he told an excited Velvet, “Go get it.” She took off. Gage pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and whistled. The full sprint she was in, stopped, and she turned and came full speed toward him. Rustling her head, he told her to sit. Without delay, she did, laying by his feet, enjoying the fresh Sunday afternoon air.
Gage removed his cell from his back pocket, staring at it for a beat then he grumbled, “Fuck it.” In seconds, he was typing out a message.
Did I scare you off, Tilly F?
_______________
Tilly wiped the sweat from her forehead. She’d been on her knees in the garden for the last few hours yanking weeds. The morning sun was shifting to the heat of the afternoon. There was a kind of peace, though, in the routine of it.
Saturday she woke up to an empty bed, a note on the nightstand that her husband had to work. He hadn’t mentioned it on Friday. There was a time that would have bothered her, but she was used to being on the periphery of his life. She was okay with being there. She wasn’t okay that he’d put his kids there, too. He was home today. They’d all shared breakfast together, bacon and blueberry pancakes that Tilly had made. Luke and she didn’t discuss the argument from Friday night. That was how they handled issues lately, avoiding them. She was just as much at fault in that regard, but she knew nothing had changed. It was all about priorities, and sadly, she and the kids weren’t as high up on his list as they should be.
She had hope that he’d heard her on Friday night, though, because he’d taken the kids to the movies, a double feature. Her heart broke a little seeing the excitement on her son’s face when Luke offered. Luke hadn’t noticed. In fact, he even looked a bit smug, like he was the goddamn father of the year because he was taking his kids to the movies. The fact that it was the first time in about six months that he’d gone anywhere with them was apparently neither here nor there.
Her thoughts drifted to Gage. Not the first time they had in the last two days. She hadn’t gone onto the game since Friday night. She woke Saturday morning, and the first thing she wanted to do was check the game. It was how much she wanted to see a message from him, or even just the green dot next to his name, that kept her from launching it.
Her rationale on Friday night that it was just friendly banter didn’t extend to Saturday morning. She knew it was more than that from the butterflies in her stomach, and the anticipation that hummed through her. She’d spent hours going back and forth with a stranger and got more out of the exchange than she did from conversations with her own husband. Even now, there was a knot of excitement in her gut at the thought of going inside to find a message waiting. On some level it was wrong; he wasn’t her husband, but it felt damn good.
It was on that thought that she got to her feet and strolled briskly into the house. She didn’t even wash her hands before she snagged her phone and launched the game. Excitement was like a wave moving through her seeing his message. Her smile turned to a frown when she read it. Did he scare her off? She answered him honestly.
No, Gage. You didn’t scare me off. Just the opposite.
Gage had just walked into the house when his phone chimed. The ring tone told him it was a message from Tilly. Yesterday, he had changed the notification sound, so he knew when it was her. A smile tipped his lips, but that fell quickly when he saw a note sitting on the counter. Looking at the clock, he wasn’t gone but thirty minutes and everyone left. Jesus. He moved to the island and read the scribbling words from his wife.Dropping Scarlett off at Rachelle’s to finish a report. I’m getting my nails and toes done. See you later.And that ended with a quickly crafted heart at the bottom.
Gage looked at Velvet who was sprawled out on the cool tile floor. “Looks like it’s just you and me again.” She didn’t reply, just closed her eyes.
Moving to the living room, he flopped down on the couch and put his head on top of a blue gingham throw pillow. Removing his cell, he tapped the screen and brought up her message. The words he read caused a sensation to slowly move through him, producing a warmth. Was Tilly thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her? Only one way to find out.
Please explain.Gage hit send.
Tilly’s phone buzzed. She’d been at the sink, but hastily dried her hands on her pants before reaching for it. She couldn’t help the grin, seeing him in her head as he asked that. He wanted an explanation. Okay.
If I had a dollar for every time I thought about you in the last two days, I could afford those Louboutins I’ve had my eyes on.
He probably wouldn’t have a clue what she was talking about, but she chuckled and hit send.
Gage read her message then laid the phone on his chest and looked to the ceiling. They only had one conversation, a few games played between them, but what in the fuck was pulling them toward each other. There was no explanation on why he thought about her as much as he did or enjoyed her company. Or maybe, there was. His marriage sucked. It was the simple and honest truth.
I’ve never really been a heel guy, more a bare foot type of guy. ;) Can I ask you a question?
Tilly grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat at the island. She read his message, glanced down at her bare feet and smiled before she replied,
Sure, you can ask me a question.
Gage was already staring at the screen, so when the text popped up, he automatically typed out.
Are you happily married?
It was a little forward and way too soon, but he didn’t care.
Tilly’s heart dropped reading his message. Was that all this was? She wasn’t happily married. And here was a man she didn’t know who paid her attention. Was it loneliness that had her wanting to reach for her phone, to see a message from him? Was that even fair to put on him? Probably not, but what was the harm? She knew the answer to that. The harm was avoidance of the real problem, but then she and Luke had gotten really good at avoiding the important shit.
To be honest, no. It was so gradual but I went from being his wife to just the mother of his children and the caretaker of the house. What’s worse, I don’t mind the change, only in how it impacts my children.
