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He puts his arm over the back of the couch. “I’m ready. Anything you want to know.”
There are only two things I want to know, things I’ve often wondered about. One is way easier than the other. I’ll start with that one first; it’ll make finding out the second less painful. “What about you?” I ask. He raises an eyebrow at me to clarify.
“Did you finish college?”
“No, couldn’t concentrate on it. I decided to stop wasting time and money.”
For some reason, I feel like I should apologize, but I quell the urge. I know his decision was based on what happened to me. To us.
“What about you, Lace?”
“I’m a hostess and waitress at La Fleur Cafe and restaurant.”
“I know.”
“Why did you ask?”
“I wanted to hear you say it. Sounds better.”
My forehead scrunches up. “Sounds better?”
“Everything always sounded better when you said it. Still does.”
I smile. His words send tiny flutters around my stomach. “Then I’ll continue. This will be like knock-you-on-the-next-planet exciting. Wait for it, wait for it...I work five days a week, and every other weekend off. More if I can find one of my co-workers to take my shift.”
“No words as beautiful have ever been spoken to me.” I laugh, and he continues. “Did you finish college?”
“No, but I’ve started taking online classes. I took this semester off to save up some more money.”
“That’s great. What’s your major?”
“Business management.”
“You like it?”
“Yeah, I want to open my own bakery one day.”
“You do? I’ve never known you to bake.”
“Old me didn’t. New me does. My specialty is pie,” I say confidently. “I love making pies. My mother used to say, when in doubt, pie. She taught me after Jacob was born, to take my mind off things and to keep my hands busy. I gained fifteen pounds in two weeks.”
“Damn how much pie did you eat?” I smiled.
“I don’t remember the astronomical number. All I cared about was it soothed. For the first time in a long time, it made me feel the teeniest bit of good.” Smile. “Yeah, she took my rolling pin away from me and put me on pie rations—one slice a day.”
“When am I going to taste one of these pies?”
“I don’t know… Maybe over a playdate with Jackson and Jacob? Maybe, or maybe when I open my bakery.”
“Too long. I’ll settle for the playdate.”
“No promises. We’ll see.”
“We will,” he says, confidently, as if he knows he’s going to get it. That’s the Landon I knew, strong and always sure of himself. “Is there something else you want to ask me, Lacey?”
“Maybe.” There sure is, but I don’t know if I should. I like the easy conversation. I don’t want it to be laced with the tension of before.
“If you ask, I’ll answer. I’ll always answer for you, Lace.” He reaches across, touching his fingertips to mine. Like before, it sets me at ease, and I ask.
