AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Uh,” she said. “I find that both concerning and intrusive.”
Gabe laughed. “You give it to him.”
“I’m sure you’ve been doing it enough for both of us,” she said.
“He has,” Jayce said. She heard beeping. “My clothes are dried. I’ll go take care of them now before we go to Mom’s.”
She watched Jayce leave the room and then go upstairs to where the laundry room was.
“Didn’t he just come yesterday? He had to do laundry?”
“He was out of town. He came straight from wherever he was for the past four days and decided to do laundry here. I’m sure he has a separate bag for dirty clothes like you.”
“Someone that travels as much as him most likely does,” she said. “Or has two separate pieces of luggage if he’s driving.”
“Whatever,” he said and grabbed the spray bottle on the sink and a paper towel, then opened the freezer.
“Let me do it,” she said.
“Why?” he asked. “To make sure it’s done well?”
“That and because of the mood you’re in, you’re liable to break something.”
He handed them both over to her. She opened the freezer and did cringe. “Sorry. Your brother is right. Not only is this gross, but how do you find anything in here?”
There were boxes and bags of things all shoved at odd locations and angles as if he was jamming them in there to fit. She’d bet there might be some of those moldy gross things Jayce mentioned in the back somewhere.
“I grab what is in the front,” he said. “And before you say a word, I know. I’ll fix it.”
“You’re adorably frustrated,” she said. “I thought it was just me that seemed nervous.”
“Why are you nervous?” he asked.
She was scrubbing the side of his freezer and turned. “This is my first holiday dinner with someone. I would have never imagined this three months ago and here I am scrubbing your freezer.”
He came over and hugged her from behind. “I’ll try to be neater.”
“You’re not that bad,” she said. “You’re really not.”
At least he surface cleaned now. If she came over last minute the place wasn’t horrible. His bed was made and his bathroom wiped down.
It’s not like she was walking around inspecting things like Jayce. His house was lived in and that was all that mattered.
“You didn’t think so the first time you were here,” he said.
“That was different,” she said. “And it was worse than now.”
“I know. Am I relaxing you now?” he asked.
“You are. Let me finish cleaning this and then we can go if you want. Or do you need to wait until Jayce leaves too?”
“No. He’s finishing up and then will pack and go there. He’ll drive home from my parents’ and we can come back here together for the night. You’ve got your stuff, right? You didn’t come in with a bag.”
“It’s in my car,” she said. “Along with the pie that I made.”
“Why don’t you get your stuff and then we’ll grab the pie when we pull out?”
“I’m blocking you,” she said. “I pulled next to Jayce and he’s on the other side of the garage where you normally park.”
