“His comments never affected me before, but he cranked it up a notch last night. I couldn’t brush it off any longer.”
Leo’s hand slid up my arm and then over my waist as he laughed. “He sure did. You should’ve heard him at work yesterday.”
“That bad?”
“Intense, but not bad. We texted a lot during your class today, and when I basically accused him of planting the idea in my head, he said something that keeps running through my mind.” A crease formed on Leo’s forehead as he seemed to try to find the right words. “He suggested that if the idea of me wanting you was so preposterous, I would easily dismiss it. But the fact I’m so affected might mean there’s something to it.”
I hung on to every word, considered them for a minute, and…wow.
“I hate to say it, but Ollie’s a smart guy. I’ll never tell him that, though, because his ego is big enough already.”
I soaked up the tingles from Leo’s touch. I wanted to give him something since he was being so open with me. He deserved that much.
“This feels both so sudden and not new at all.” I pressed my temple against Leo’s shoulder. I reached for his hand at the same time he reached for mine. “I’m worried we’ll mess up what we have.”
“It seems to me that what we have or could have is what we already do, plus sex and cuddles. That seems pretty great to me.”
My smile grew as Leo’s words settled over me. I couldn’t argue with his logic.
“What do we do now?”
“Tonight, we’ll share a bed to save Ledgie from having to disrupt her beauty sleep, then tomorrow, we’ll have a date. How about I cook dinner here? Baby steps?” Leo’s uncertain expression melted my heart. I understood wanting to test out this fragile new thing between us in the comfort of our home without prying eyes as we found our footing.
I rolled over onto him and slid my fingers into his hair, kissing him deeply, soaking up the feel of him, his scent. “As long as it doesn’t have too much garlic.”
He wrapped an arm around my waist. “If we both eat garlic before making out, it’s fine.”
CHAPTER 9
LEO
I carried the vase of fresh flowers from the dining table to the coffee table. Standing back, I placed my hands on my hips and studied them.
“What do you think, Ledgie?” She didn’t deign to lift her head from where it was tucked under her leg. “I get it. You’re tired of my shit, but if Hudson doesn’t like it, I’m telling him it’s your fault.”
After studying the flowers a moment longer, I realized they were too tall and would block part of the television from the couch. Not that my plans for the evening included TV with Hudson, but I wanted the flowers to linger a few days and remind him of our—hopefully—amazing first date.
Trying to put together a gesture worthy of Hudson had me in knots. No pressure. I could’ve suggested it for next weekend, but I didn’t want this weekend to end without taking an intentional step in whatever direction we were headed. No way in hell would I leave room for panicking and excuses when the real world came calling with our alarms in the morning.
I wanted to wake up in each other’s arms as we had this morning. Snuggling, light kisses that turned heated, then watching each other touch ourselves without pretending to watch TV. It’d been a dream come true that I hadn’t realized I had. Somehow it seemed like the next logical progression of our friendship. God, I hope I don’t fuck it up like I did my marriage.
I wouldn’t let that happen. I’d learned so much from that relationship and its failure—enough to know what not to do next time. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Ollie did me a solid by offering to take Hudson with him to run some errands in Portland for the afternoon, which gave me time to prep for the date. That included a frantic call to my mom from the only grocery store in town to get advice on a decent boxed pasta I could pair with her famous ragu since I didn’t know how to make my own. Maybe that’s something Hudson and I could learn together. It can’t be that different from playing with clay.
In between talking me through how to make the sauce, she peppered me with questions about who I was cooking for. I wasn’t ready to tell other people about Hudson and me until I knew there was a Hudson and me.
After moving the flowers to the corner of the dining table, I began cooking the pasta sauce. While it simmered to perfection, I took a shower and got ready. I dismissed the usual casual clothes I would wear around the house and instead put on my one nice outfit—a pair of charcoal dress pants and a gray-blue button-up. Business casual didn’t fit with my job, so the outfit only got brought out for weddings, funerals, and the occasional special event. My first date with Hudson certainly qualified as the latter.
After checking on the sauce, I got a text from Ollie.
Ollie: We’re back in town. Okay to drop off Hudson, or do you need more time?
Leo: It’s okay to drop him off. Thanks so much, man. I owe you one.
Ollie: If this works out, you’re going to owe me a lot more than one. [Cupid GIF]
As I popped the cork on a bottle of Cabernet my mom had insisted would go great with dinner, I heard Hudson’s familiar steps. I had no interest in playing coy, so I yanked off the apron and strode over to greet him at the door. Hudson could get in his head sometimes, and I didn’t want to leave room for second-guessing.
