Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Mike’s told me so much about you,” his dad said when he set me down.
“Oh?” I looked at Mike. Had we really passed into the “meet the parents” phase of our relationship? It seemed so.
“Macy Ford.” Macy held her hand out for a shake.
Mike’s dad took it, pumping enthusiastically. “Tammy’s cousin?”
“That’s right,” Macy said. “Can you guys help us move the furniture? I have to be home in time for lunch.”
I checked my phone. It was near 11:30. “I think we can do it.” I glanced at Mike.
“Of course,” Mike said. “You should go home. We’ll take it from here.”
“Are you sure?” Macy hesitated.
I gave her a kiss on the cheek and a firm hug. “I’m fine. Go home and take care of your kids.”
“I’ll come get you anytime,” she whispered.
“That won’t be necessary,” I assured her. “Mike’s a great guy.”
Macy finally gave up her anxiety over me and climbed into her car. She waved at us all as she backed down the driveway. I stood between my new roommate and his dad and watched her go, feeling not a bit remorseful. The upset stomach had ceased to bother me, and I was ready to unpack. It took Mike and his dad almost no time to move my furniture into the spare bedroom.
While they were doing that, I checked out Mike’s room. He had moved in already. That famous bed that I knew so well fit snugly into the master bedroom, leaving just enough space for Mike’s desk. There was a closet door on one wall and a landscape painting resting on the floor. I stopped to study it, not remembering ever seeing it before. A ray of sunlight broke from snowcapped mountain peaks in the distance, the vista sweeping forward to a patch of sunflowers in the foreground. Another win for Mike; he had an eye for beauty.
I checked out the bathroom and found half of the medicine cabinet full of male toiletry items. Shaving cream, deodorant, and cologne shared one shelf while a pack of razors and a nail clipper rested above them. Somehow the supplies seemed more intimate than Dillon’s had. I picked up the shaving cream and sniffed it. It smelled like Mike.
“What are you doing?” he surprised me.
“Oh.” I dropped the can into the sink. “Nothing. Just seeing where I’m gonna store my stuff.”
He came up behind me and circled his arms around mine. With one foot, he flicked the door shut, giving us privacy for the first time that day. I smiled at our reflection in the mirror, a man and a woman locked in a loving embrace. He kissed my ear, sending ripples of heat flooding down my neck.
A knock on the door interrupted us, and Mike withdrew reluctantly. He opened the door, grinning like a schoolboy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“Where do you want this lamp?” Mike’s dad held up a floor lamp, its cord dangling to the ground.
I pushed past Mike, out into the hallway, my face flushed with embarrassment. “It can go in the living room.” I accepted it from the older man, walking it to the front of the house.
Mike ducked out from behind his dad, wearing a wolfish grin. We completed the unpacking together. We had amassed enough furniture to populate the living room, enough kitchen appliances for a modest cook, and enough soap and bodywash to fill the shower caddy. Mike’s dad and I sank gratefully onto the couch while Mike worked to connect the television to the dish.
“How ’bout I buy dinner?” Mike’s dad asked. “I think pizza is traditional for a new home.”
I looked at Mike. I hadn’t had that many new homes, but pizza did sound good. Mike nodded his agreement. Mr. Newbury got up and left the living room to place a phone call. The television flickered, and then the warm-up screen appeared, announcing that the dish was updating. I gave him a virtual high five from across the room.
Mike laughed. “Wore you out, did we?”
I nodded sleepily. “A lot of excitement today and moving around. Plus, I think I might be coming down with something.”
“Don’t share it with me,” he joked.
“Hard not to.” I grinned, allowing him to consider all the activities that might get him sick.
“I think I’ll take my chances,” he agreed.
Dad came back into the room, pocketing his phone. He was forever walking in on us in the middle of flirtation. I wondered again what Mike had told him about me. Did he share Lindsey’s views and expect that I would become his daughter-in-law before too long? Or was he familiar with Mike’s charm because there had been other women in the past?
I sighed. It was too big of a conundrum to untangle right now. All I wanted was to relax for a minute in my new home, maybe make a cup of soup and curl up in front of the television. But we still had to return the U-Haul and eat pizza, so I fortified my energy by giving myself a pep talk. Mike’s dad was only being friendly. It was clear that they had a close relationship, and that Mike was moving out from under his parents’ roof. Maybe it was the first time they had been apart. I had to give them time to say goodbye without appearing rude.