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“Because I wanted to.” I shrugged.
“Okay, well, can you stop?”
“Why?”
“Because it’s weird. You don’t clean your own house, why would you come and clean mine?”
‘Because I wanted to,” I repeated, deriving a tiny bit of joy in her flustered expression. “This way we can spend more time together. And just because I have the money to pay someone to clean does not mean that I can’t or won’t do it myself. Cleaning is not beneath me, I just have the means to have someone else do it for me which leaves me more time to do other things.”
Audrey huffed. “If you say so.”
Setting down the rag I had been using, I went to her and pulled her into my arms for a kiss. Her breath was minty fresh with a hint of sweetness. “If you’re that worried about it, there are ways you can make it up to me.”
“Do you want me to clean your kitchen?” she asked with a cheeky smile on her face.
“Ha. Not a chance. If I had it my way you would never clean again.”
Rolling her eyes, she pushed away from me. “Don’t say ridiculous things, Archer.”
“I’m not. I mean what I say and I say what I mean, baby girl, and you better wrap your head around that soon because I’m tired of being dismissed like that.”
“I wasn’t trying to dismiss you.” She wrung her hands. “It’s just, we’re still so new and when you say things like that it just makes everything harder.”
“Harder how?”
Shaking her head, it almost looked like she was going to cry. “I can’t explain it right now.”
I didn’t want to push her and make her more upset, but I also didn’t want her to not communicate with me. “I can see how upset you are, so I’ll leave it be for now, but you can talk to me about anything, Audrey. I want to know everything and I’ll never be mad.”
She opened her mouth to say something but then snapped it shut and shook her head again.
Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly. “Well okay, then. I was going to order lunch but then I got caught up cleaning. Anything in particular sound good to you?”
“There’s a little sandwich joint around the corner. They make their bread homemade and their subs are to die for.”
“Subs are my favorite,” I teased with a wink.
Rolling her eyes, she laughed. “So all Daddies come with corny dad jokes? Good to know.”
“Hey, that was funny!” I protested, pretending to be offended.
“Anyway, I prefer the Italian club. I think I have a menu around here somewhere.”
“I’ll just pull it up online.”
She laughed. “They don’t have a website. The owners are old school and they prefer to see their customers.”
“I get that but it's bad business. They’re leaving money on the table if they don’t have an online presence.”
“I agree but try telling them that. They’re stubborn Italians.”
I shook my head and laughed. “Okay, fine. We don’t need a menu. I’ll have what you’re having.”
After the order was called in, I finished my clean-up job before we walked down to the corner to pick up our lunch. We ate it at her apartment, with conversation flowing easily, and whatever it was she didn’t want to talk about mostly forgotten.
I finished her laundry to another round of protests which I silenced with a kiss and a swat on her behind. When it was done, we packed up her things and more clothes, the cat, and headed back to my apartment, because as far as I was concerned, that was her home.
Chapter 13
