“Let me call it,” he said. He pulled his phone out, and they were quiet while they listened. It wasn’t ringing either.
“Crap, I put it on vibrate.”
“That makes it harder,” he said, closing one eye at her. “Walk around the house while I keep calling. We are bound to hear it somewhere.”
He had his phone in his hand with it ringing, and they moved into the kitchen.
“I hear it. Hang on,” she said, opening her pantry.
He followed her in there. “This is horrible,” he said.
“Get over it, Warren. Not everyone is a health nut.”
“It’s not even the snacks and protein bars, but the coffee.”
“Oh,” she said. “I never want to run out of that.”
“You have more boxes in the kitchen though,” he said.
She shrugged. “Coffee helps me think. Stop talking. It’s got to be in here. Call it again.”
He hung up and dialed again and they could hear it, but he couldn’t find it.
Then he realized a bag was vibrating.
She turned quickly as if it dawned on her and she pulled out a variety bag of mini chips, fished around, found her phone, and held it up triumphantly.
He shook his head. “Since when do you buy mini bags of chips?”
“Since my boyfriend lectures me on portion control,” she said, stabbing her finger into his side. “Ouch. Do you have anything soft on you at all?”
“My heart is all soft and squishy for you,” he said.
“Now that was cheesy,” she said, rolling her eyes. “But adorable. And since you’re thinking along those lines, it’s going to be even better to do this video.”
“I’m almost afraid of what you’ve got planned. I get to veto it, right?”
“Of course,” she said. “But don’t think that. Follow me to my office.”
They moved to the front of the house and into her office.
It was almost sterile in here, but he understood why she kept it that way.
“Where do you want to do this?”
“You sit in my chair. My readers are going to know this is my office. They will know you’re here visiting me. Football fans won’t get it.”
“If they are following enough,” he said, “they will because they will be snooping.”
“I always find that funny, but I get it. Anyway,” she said. “Remember the book you helped me with?”
“Yes,” he said. He wished he’d helped her some more, but she’d been writing one for her publisher and then training camp started and they just didn’t have the time together to talk about it as much.
“I’ve got a hard copy right here,” she said. “Let me get my phone set up.”
He watched as she put it on a stand and set it on the video, then climbed into his lap.
“If you reach to turn it on, it’s going to have your hand on it,” he said.
