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“Awful. You know how much I hate conflict.”
“I do, but it’s also part of life. Couples fight.”
“He was so mad,” she whispers. “I’ve never seen him like that before. He was yelling, and then he slammed his bottle down, shoved the chair back. It was horrible.”
I bite my lip, wincing when I think about it. Ray did not grow up in a house of shouters. Her mother never raised her voice, and when her dad was alive, he was one of those sweet, quiet types, always had a smile at the ready and a kind word to say.
Theo’s outburst probably scared the crap out of her.
“Have you guys made up yet?”
“Sort of. He drove off in a huff and came back about twenty minutes later. The second he saw me crying, he rushed over and hugged me. He told me he never wants to fight again, and then we… well, you know.”
I grin. “Makeup sex is the only good thing about arguing with your lover.”
“Yeah. I guess.” She sighs. “I should be telling you I’m great. Why do I still feel bad? Am I just being overly sensitive? I’m not used to yelling.”
“My parents used to yell at each other sometimes. Mostly Mom, but…” I shrug, dropping my assurances quickly because hello, my parents got divorced. “What was the fight about?”
“Oh, I got home from work and the kitchen was a mess. It’d been a tough day, and I got a little snippy with him. Asked him how long he’d been home and kind of hinted at the fact that he was sitting there drinking a beer and relaxing when he could have been cleaning up the mess. I’d had a longer day than him, so why should I have to do it, you know? I’m working two jobs now, and it’s?—”
“You’re working two jobs?”
“Yeah, I took on two shifts at the grocery store to help with finances. Theo suggested it, and I thought it was a good idea. We want to save up for a trip to Hawaii.”
“Nice,” I murmur, then snort. “So you’re working two jobs and he’s not helping out around the house. Guys can be so frickin’ clueless sometimes.”
“I didn’t think I was expecting too much. I mean, sure, my jobs are probably less demanding than his, but he got home before me. I felt like it was fair that he pitch in too.” She sighs. “But when I said that, he got all annoyed, saying how his job is harder than mine. I don’t even know what I said to make him start yelling, but he did, and then he stormed off before I could say anything back.”
“Dick move, Theo.” I frown, wondering if I should try meeting this guy again. I’ve only had one short conversation with him, back when they first got together. Theo never seems to be around when I’m talking to Rachel. I’m about to suggest we amend this, but she starts talking before I can.
“I suppose this is just teething problems. New situations always have them.”
“Do you regret moving in with him?”
“No. It’s better than living on my own. I guess we just have to figure out what this looks like for us.”
“Maybe if you talk to him when things are all happy and good. Work an angle to make him think that helping you out around the house is his idea. Or go on about how much it would mean to you. You said he’s sweet and caring and loves buying you stuff, right? He obviously cares about you and wants to make you happy. You just need to tell him what your happy looks like.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m not very good at telling people what I want.”
I smile. “I’m pretty sure guys need you to spell it out for them. They’re not always the best at reading a woman’s mind.”
“Is Ethan like that with you? Totally clueless?”
“Uh… actually, no. I feel like he’s great at reading me.”
“You haven’t had any teething problems staying with him?”
I cringe, almost feeling bad for her when I admit, “None. It’s been awesome. The only downer is everything outside of Hockey House, but inside… it’s great. Ethan and I are made for each other. It still makes my head spin when I think about it.” I raise my hand in a wave, smiling when Ethan glances up to check on me. He grins back and skates into another drill. He really is hot on that ice. Damn, it still seems surreal that he’s mine.
“I’m happy for you, Mick. You deserve it.”
I just hope it lasts.
Fear clutches me for a beat, and I have to fight not to say that to Ray. Instead, I clear my throat and direct the conversation back to her. “Let me know how it goes with Theo. I’m sure you can work this out. You love him and he loves you, and this is just a little blip along the road, right? And remember, you don’t have to keep living with him if these blips keep happening. Not all experiments are a success.”
“Oh, but I want this one to be. The idea of rambling around in Mom’s house by myself sucks, plus we’ve already rented it out. I can’t go kicking out brand-new tenants. And… and Theo’s great. I love him. I really do. We just had a bad day.”
