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“Just go inside, Lucille.”
It’s a nice apartment and very clean, to my surprise. There’s a small gray couch and matching gray recliner in the living room to my right, facing a mounted TV on the wall. He doesn’t have very many pictures up, but there are a few of him and Willa; one of him, Alex, and Taylor at their wedding; and then a family picture with his mom.
The kitchen is small and tidy, with a small bar separating it from the living room. He has a small table in front of the window. There’s a small hallway with two doors, one is closed and the other open. The open door looks like it leads into the bathroom, and I’m assuming the closed one is his room.
“Well?” he asks, walking around me into the kitchen.
“Well, what?”
“Clean enough for you?”
I roll my eyes and he winks as he opens up the refrigerator door. I kick off my shoes and he glances at my feet over his shoulder, raising his eyebrows.
“What’s with the mix-matched socks?” He laughs.
I shrug. “Mom makes fun of me about it, too. But the mates of my fuzzy socks have a habit of getting eaten by the dryer, so I just match them up with other ones. I’ve done it since I was little, I was always worried about the socks getting lonely.”
“That,” he says as he pulls out some lunchmeat, “is probably the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard.”
I grin and walk over to the bar, leaning back against the counter and crossing my arms.
“Can I help?” I ask.
He shakes his head, reaching for some sourdough bread. “No, I was going to make you my famous turkey bacon ranch sandwich. If that’s okay with you?”
“Go for it.” I smile. “Did you make that bread yourself?”
“What happens if I say yes?”
“Are you trying to impress me, Wyatt?”
“Is it working, Lucille?”
I don’t know when he moved to stand directly in front of me, but I suddenly feel like there’s not enough air in this apartment.
“Mm, depends on how it tastes.”
His gaze drops to my lips then slowly travels back up to my eyes. “God, I hope it’s good then.”
Before I can think of anything to say, he turns around and starts cooking the bacon.
“So, tell me what’s new,” he says.
“What?”
He looks at me over his shoulder and smirks. “What’ve you been up to the past few months?”
“Oh. Right. Well, I finished writing my book. I’ve decided to self-publish, and I’m working with an editor now. I’m hoping to have it published by December.”
“That’s amazing, Lucy,” he says, with genuine excitement.
I’ve missed this, missed him.
“What about you? Other than the obvious of moving into this apartment.”
He runs a hand through his hair and I watch him closely.
“I’m going back to school. I’m taking a few classes a week working on getting my veterinary technologist license. It’s a two year program at the community college, but it’ll be three years for me since I didn’t graduate and I’m having to retake a few classes. I’m working part-time at the garage for income, and Dad’s paying me to help out on the farm, too.”
