Chapter 5
After our fight at the grocery store, Reed and I have returned back to being friends again. Our schedules have clashed somewhat over the past week since he works during the day, and I’ve had night shifts mostly this week. I enjoy spending time with him when we are both home though.
I smile as I think about our conversation yesterday.
Reed came into the kitchen while I was cooking dinner. “We need to talk.”
I turned and looked at him. “Are you dumping me?” I joked.
He rolled his eyes. “We need to talk about what you’re going to do long term. Being a waitress is fine for now, but do you really want to do it for the rest of your life?”
I opened my eyes wider. “Jesus, I didn’t realize I had to decide on my job for the rest of my life,” I said sarcastically back.
“C’mon, Wren, be serious.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. Are you hiring?”
“If you need a job, I’ll give you a job, but what do you want to do? What do you enjoy?” he asked.
I never really thought about it before. “Cooking.”
He smiled. “Can you cook at your restaurant?”
I sighed. “I don’t think they are hiring, but that’s not the same. You have to follow a strict recipe and cook the same things every day. I don’t think I’d be very good at it.”
He smiled bigger at me. “See now you’re thinking. You don’t want to follow anyone’s rules, so don’t.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” I asked.
His smile turned into a smirk. “Be your own boss. What about parties? You’re great at doing those.”
I bit my lip and looked at the floor at his compliment. “Like what? Like a caterer?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, something like that. I mean, my parents have enough rich, snobby friends throwing these types of things all the time. It wouldn’t take long for you to build up a customer base.”
I pushed my hair behind my ear nervously. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll talk to my mom if you want to try. I’m sure she’ll know someone we can do a test run on.”
I stared back at him in shock. “You’d talk to your mom for me? Why?”
He rolled his eyes. “Just say thank you, Wren. Before I change my mind.”
I smiled back. “Thank you.”
My memory of yesterday is interrupted as Reed walks in the house from out back mowing the lawn. “Can you get me some water?” he asks as he takes one of his headphones out.
“What?” I ask as I stare back at him. I heard him, but it takes a moment for my brain to process what he said. “Is it hot out?” I ask stupidly as I continue to stare at his bare chest dripping with sweat.
He gives me a funny look. “Yeah. I just didn’t want to get dirt all over the floor,” he says as he motions towards his grassy shoes.
I quickly fill up a glass and hand it to him. “Thanks,” he says as he grabs it from me.
Instead of turning around and going back to what I was doing, I just stand there and watch as he leans his head back and begins gulping down the water. I watch his neck as his Adam’s apple bobs up and down with each swallow. I watch his chest as it moves up and down as he breathes. I watch his abs as they flex with each swallow. I watch his forearms as he hands me the empty glass, and then I watch his mouth as he wipes away the water dripping off his lips.
I blink a few times to snap myself out of it. I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m attaching myself to him because I’m lonely. Get a grip, Wren.
He didn’t seem to notice my gawking. “You working tonight?” he asks.
“Uh...yeah. The dinner shift. I made chicken. It’s in the crockpot. You’ll just have to cook some veggies if you want something to go with it.”
He raises an eyebrow at me. “You didn’t have to do that.”
I narrow my eyes. “Yes I did. I told you already. If you are paying the mortgage, then I’ll handle the food. If you don’t want me to rely on people anymore, then maybe you should stop trying to make me rely on you,” I snap back.
His smile grows until he bites his lip to hide it. “That’s my girl,” he says, and then he turns and walks back out of the house to finish mowing.
I walk back into the kitchen with a stupid grin on my face. I write Reed a note on the little board on the fridge about the veggies we have, and then I quickly finish getting ready for work.