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She waves me off. “Okay, I answered your question… can I ask you one?” The way she’s twisting her bottom lip makes me think she’s nervous to ask me whatever is on her mind.
I close the lid on the grill and turn around and face her. “Sure.”
“What’s in that locked bedroom?”
I push a hand through my hair and my lips form a thin line. I’ve never shown anyone what’s behind that door. Not that it’s a big deal; it’s just… personal. And I don’t get personal with many people.
Twyla must sense my hesitation because she raises both hands. “You don’t have to tell me. I was just curious.”
She really is a beautiful woman who always finds the best in any situation, and all my fear about opening myself to people disappears when it comes to her. She is way too kind of a person to make me feel stupid.
“Come.” I spin around and turn down the temperature on the grill, then I motion with my hand for her to follow me.
Zeus follows behind to the hallway, and I stop outside of the closed door. “We need to keep him out.”
Twyla’s lips twist to the side. “Now I’m even more intrigued.”
I swing the door open before I change my mind. Zeus makes a mad dash into the room, but I snatch him into my arms.
“Oh. My. God.” Twyla steps inside, her head on a swivel as she inspects every corner of the room. “You’re a closet nerd!” She turns back around to face me, and I scowl at her.
“I’m a jock, not a nerd.”
She laughs. “No jocks have this many Legos.”
I roll my eyes and set Zeus out in the hall, closing the door before he can sneak back in.
Inside this room is my prized Lego collection displayed on custom backlit glass cases and tables spread out throughout the room.
“This is really cool,” Twyla says, walking farther into the room.
My shoulders relax from seeing her impressed at the models I’ve built.
“I grew up in the middle of nowhere. Spent most of my time outdoors, but when I was inside during the winter months, I enjoyed Legos. When I was younger, my dad helped me. It was kind of our thing.” A bittersweet feeling washes over me. “I kept doing it even as I got older.”
She steps over to the case that contains all the space-related sets I’ve built. “What do you like so much about it?”
I walk over to the table displaying the city set. “It gets me out of my head, kind of like football does for me. You’re not thinking of anything but what you’re doing at that moment. This relaxes me.”
She turns and smiles before stepping over to the next case. “That makes sense. That’s how I feel about reading. It takes me away from everything going on in my life and I can sink into someone else’s story. And since I read romance, I know there’s always going to be a happy ending.”
There’s a joke about happy endings somewhere in there, but I keep my mouth shut so I don’t make her uncomfortable. I watch her quietly examine each of the cases.
When she’s done, she turns to me and asks, “Which one is your favorite?”
That’s easy. I walk over to the far corner of the room and point at the castle-like structure at the top of the case. “This one here. Night Lord’s Castle.”
“What makes it so special?”
I know why she’s asking. In a room full of some really impressive builds, this one is unassuming.
“This was the first set my dad and I ever built together. Not this exact set, but I was able to track down an unopened box from a collector.”
Twyla’s hand lands on my shoulder. “That’s so sweet, Chase.”
My muscle flexes under her palm and she pulls away. I miss the heat of her skin immediately.
She clears her throat. “I bet your dad is impressed with your collection now.”
