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She set his bowl down and then sat down at the island to eat her meal too.
She had her Kindle on the counter next to her and was reading while she ate. It didn’t bother her to be alone, but she didn’t want to stare at the wall while she put food in her mouth either.
Thirty minutes later, dinner was cleaned up, containers stored the way they needed to be and she was getting ready to mix all the ingredients into a bowl for her chicken salad when her phone went off.
She moved over to see who was texting and saw it was Sawyer.
Hmm, much sooner than she’d thought it’d be.
She replied no when he asked if she was busy.
Her phone rang next and she answered, “Hello. Are you one of those men who doesn’t like to text?”
“I am,” he said. “Is that a problem?”
“Nope,” she said. “I don’t like it either. You ask me a question, I answer.”
He laughed. “That would explain the one-word answer when most would have given me details of why they weren’t busy.”
“Don’t you hate that?” she asked. She found her earbuds and put them in. Might as well finish with what she was doing while she talked.
“What are you doing?” he asked. “You said you weren’t busy, but I hear you moving around.”
“I’m just making chicken salad. It’s all ready to be mixed together. Don’t worry. I won’t drop my phone into it. It’s on the counter.”
“You should have said you were busy,” he said.
“If you think meal planning for the week is busy then you’ve got to assume I lead a pretty dull life.”
“You did say you worked in a lab,” he said.
She laughed. “Points for you on the joke. It’s been said before.”
“Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t resist. I should meal plan, but the only planning I do is if I’ve got enough food to make a lunch or if I’ve got to buy one when I’m on the road that day.”
“I guess that makes sense,” she said. “Especially seeing what your vehicle looked like.”
“Full disclosure, it’s not all mine. Some of it is my partner’s. He’s always got to have food or drink in his mouth. If he doesn’t, then he talks.”
She laughed again. “And you like the quiet?”
“Not always. I’m pretty adaptable. But all day in the car or at night if we are on a stakeout, yeah, I’d rather he’d eat than talking about mundane bullshit.”
“I like you, Sawyer. I’m the same way. Talk to me if you’ve got something to say. If you don’t, then the silence is good.”
“Not too many feel that way,” he said.
“I know. Half my friends don’t. They’ve always got to be chatting about something. Making comments or asking questions. I’ll admit I don’t like to just stare at the wall if I’m eating alone, so I’ll read a book.”
“A book?” he asked. “Not watch TV?”
“The TV is in the living room. I eat in the kitchen at the island. Not even my table. It seems odd to do that. This way Fred and I are eating in the same room together.”
“It makes sense.”
“Bet you eat on the couch in front of the TV, right?”
“Actually, no,” he said. “My apartment is downtown close to my job. But it’s small. I can see the TV from the small two-chair table I’ve got. So yes to the TV on, but no to the couch.”
