“I would never,” he says, holding up his hands as he backs out of the room.
I watch him head down the short hallway and disappear into his room before I get started on putting everything away. I leave the ingredients for dinner out and put some music on my phone before I get started cooking.
Goldie texts me as I’m sliding the chicken into the oven, and I smile when I see her message.
Goldie:Is he home yet? Were you naked?
Goldie: Did you finally tell him that you love him??
I smileas I text her back, knowing she’ll be disappointed in my answers.
Lottie:Yes, no, and no.
Goldie: Bummer.
Goldie: It’s not too late! Strip!!
Lottie: Absolutely not.
Goldie: You’re going to die alone.
Lottie: That’s not true. I’ll have you.
Goldie: And all of our cats.
I putmy phone away and get started on the potatoes while the chicken cooks. I can’t help but wonder if maybe Goldie is right. What’s my plan here? To die alone? To wait until Anson finally settles down and then try to find someone that I would probably only love half as much?
Either way, things are going to end in heartbreak.
I sigh, grabbing the bottle of wine we bought and opening it. I pour myself a glass and then grab another when I see Anson come out of his bedroom.
“Wine?” I ask, holding up the bottle, and he nods.
“Is dinner already done?”
“No, it will be about another twenty minutes or so.”
He nods, taking a healthy swallow from his glass.
“How was your deployment?” I ask him, and he pauses.
I can tell then that it wasn’t one of the easy deployments.
“It was fine. I missed Rhett, but I’m sure you were glad to have him here.”
“He said that he saw you the last few days,” I comment and he nods.
“Yeah, we got to room next to each other for a few days while I was out processing. How’s your job going here?” he asks.
“Good! I’ve gotten a few new clients, and almost everyone has been back for more orders. My schedule is actually about as full as I can get.”
“That’s awesome, Lottie! I knew that you would be a success,” he says with a proud smile.
The timer for the potatoes goes off, and I move to pull them out of the oven.
“Want me to set the table?” Anson offers, and I nod.
“Sure.”