She stood and walked to the stairs, pulling the blanket behind her. She looked like a little girl.
“Night, Billy,” she said without turning around.
“Night, Renie, I had a real nice night.”
“Me too,” he heard her say as she descended the stairs.
Billy was up before she was the next morning. He was sure of it because he went downstairs and peeked in on her. He closed the door behind him, for two reasons. He didn’t want her to wake up and find him stalking her in her sleep. And, if he hadn’t, he might have been tempted to crawl in bed with her.
Renie rolled over and puffed up her pillow. She was still tired, but the aromas wafting from the kitchen made her stomach rumble. It smelled like bacon. Who would be cooking bacon? Had Dottie ridden over this morning and made them breakfast? She couldn’t stand not knowing, so she threw a sweatshirt over her pajamas, and ran upstairs.
Coffee. Someone made coffee.
When Renie rounded the corner, she gasped at the sight in front of her. The kitchen was a disaster. Bowls, pots, pans, and utensils covered nearly every surface. A trail of flour wound all the way around the island and over to the back door. This couldn’t be Dottie’s mess, but she didn’t see Billy.
“Boo!” he said, sneaking up behind her.
She jumped. “What happened in here?”
“Whaddaya mean? I’m cooking breakfast.”
She walked to the stove. He’d splattered what looked like pancake batter all over it. The look on Billy’s face was so…hopeful, she had to tread carefully so she didn’t hurt his feelings.
“It smells heavenly.” She wasn’t lying. “What did you make?”
“Bacon and pancakes. I was thinking about making eggs too, but I don’t know how you like ’em. Which made me feel kinda bad. You’ve made eggs for me at least a hundred times. I bet you even remember how I like ’em, don’t ya?”
“You don’t remember because I like eggs lots of different ways.” She patted him on the cheek, and he flinched, again.
“Billy, is there a reason you don’t want me to touch you?”
She got a cup out of the cupboard and poured herself some coffee. He still hadn’t answered, and she was annoyed enough to press him about it. “We talked about this last night. I told you it might be too weird for me to stay here. If you’ve decided you agree, all you have to do is say so.”
“I answered you last night. I want you here. I mean Jesus, Renie, look at all this.” He waved his hand around in the direction of his mess. “I made you breakfast.”
He looked dejected. Her natural inclination was to rub his back and tell him how much she appreciated it. Or hug him. But since he flinched every time she touched him, she didn’t.
“Thank you, Billy. When will it be ready?”
“It’s ready now, go sit down.”
“I’ll sit if you stop pouting. You look like somebody kicked your puppy.”
“I suck at this. You cook for me all the time, but all I did was make a damn mess of the kitchen.”
He’d done a good job of making the biggest mess she’d ever seen, but he’d put his heart into it. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“This is the nicest thing you’ve ever done for me, Billy. It’s sweet, and I’m starving.”
He grinned, and when she kissed his cheek, didn’t flinch.
“I’ll even clean the kitchen.”
“Nah, I can’t let you do that, but I’ll let you help.”
Breakfast was good, and nothing was burnt. The pancakes had an odd taste, not bad, just different. She was afraid to ask him what he put in the batter.
“Wanna go for a ride later?” he asked.