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Good, a change of topic. “Going well. Just closed up a case…” I go on about that for a few minutes until our food arrives. Everything is perfect, except for the incessant sensation of missing out on her. Each time she looks at me, there’s a curiosity there. A question in her warm brown eyes. She wants to ask it, and I want to answer it. “…what is it, Autumn?”
“What’s what?”
“The thing you want to ask me.”
She smirks and looks away. “You know me too well.”
“I’d like to think so.”Say it.I can’t be the one to say it first. It has to be her. I cannot be the one to ruin our friendship.
She takes a nervous breath, smiles a little, and asks, “I work a lot, you work a lot—
“Yes?”
“It just seems like it would be convenient for us both if—
“Yes?”
“I could sit for your kids sometime.”
Well, that did it. Erection gone. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Since I’m going to be a crazy dog lady, I need some practice taking care of little living creatures. Not that I think of your kids like dogs—
I laugh. “They are much more work than a dog.”
She grins. “I know. But really, it’s just an excuse for me to get to hang out with them. It’s been forever since I saw them last, and they’re growing up so fast. My job is more flexible than yours, scheduling-wise, so I thought maybe we could kill two birds with one stone sometime. You get a free babysitter, and I get to see the kiddos.”
“I’m sure they would love that, and I would, too.”
“Good. It’s settled. Just give me a heads-up ahead of time for scheduling purposes. Sometimes my job has me working odd hours.”
“Of course.” Is that actually what she was thinking about? Or is she covering? Is she as freaked out as I am? I can’t tell.
How would it even work? The logistics of such a thing tormented me. Could we handle it like say, playing squash or going to a movie? Like, here’s this thing we do together sometimes, and now we go our separate ways? Would we go to a hotel in the city to keep it out of our everyday life?
“What’s on your mind? You’re so quiet.”
I smile. “Just distracted.”
“Tell me.”
I want to. I want to ask her every question on my mind. But if I do that, I don’t know where it will lead. “Just work.”
“Liar.”
“I am allowed to have private thoughts.”
She smirks and shakes her head. “Nuh uh.”
“You are impossible.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
I laugh. “By who? I want names.”
“Why, so you can beat them up?” she teases.
“Yes.”
