* * * *
The baked potatoes were done, so I turned the oven down to keep them warm. The chicken breasts were still sizzling in the pan, and the corn steamed in the pot beside it. I looked at everything, trying to figure out if I'd missed anything.
Outside, a car pulled into the driveway. My pulse leapt. I looked down at my shirt to make sure it was still clean. Yep. White and tight. Just like it'd been from the dryer.
As Gabby walked through door, I slid the two chicken breasts onto their plates.
"Wow," she said. "I didn't know you cooked. It smells great." She closed the door, set her bag on the nearest chair, and moved to stand just behind me. Her scent wrapped around me. Then she inhaled deeply, robbing me of thought for a minute. Had she just scented me?
No, idiot. The food. I'm making dinner. For her. Stay focused.
I bent, pulled the baked potatoes from the oven, and added those to the plates along with a healthy portion of corn. Gabby moved away from me and grabbed us both a fork and knife from the silverware drawer before sitting at the table.
"So, other than cooking, how did you keep yourself busy today?"
Not ready to tell her about the job, I set the plates down and nodded at the last batch of books she'd brought me, which happened to be on the table. I'd finished the last one last night and had them there, ready for her to return.
"You read them all, already?"
I nodded.
"That's a lot to read in just five days. Are you skipping chapters?"
Her amusement confused me, and I looked up to see why that would be funny. She blushed slightly and cleared her throat.
"So, about the beard...are your teeth ready to play nice?"
I laughed. My teeth were ready to play. Nice or not didn't matter.
"Does that mean we can trim your beard?" Excitement filled her gaze.
I shook my head, wondering why she wanted the beard trimmed. This was the second time she'd mentioned it.
Her face fell, and she quickly looked down at her plate. I lifted my nose and tested the air. I'd disappointed her. I leaned back in my chair and studied her. Her interest made me happy; if a trimmed beard meant that much to her, I'd do it. But, I needed to understand why. My gut told me there was something more behind the request than her obsession with my grooming habits.
She glanced up, gave me a weak smile, and lifted another bite.
"This tastes great. Thank you for cooking. Do you have a favorite food? I can put it on the next shopping list."
Why was she changing the subject now? She pushed a few bites around on her plate, her discomfort growing. I picked my fork back up, still trying to figure out what had just happened.
"Actually, let's keep a shopping list on my dresser. When you think of something, you can add to it so I know what to get without guessing."
We ate the rest of the meal in silence. When she was done, she brought her plate to the sink, then returned to the table and started reading from one of her textbooks.
"If you want, when you're done, we can watch a movie," she said as I took my last bite.
I wanted nothing more. I hurried to clean up. When she moved to help, I waved her back to her seat. If she did her work while I cleaned, I'd have more of her undivided attention later.
While I finished washing the stove, Gabby packed up and then hovered in the doorway, waiting for me. Behind my beard, I grinned triumphantly. She wanted me. Sure, it was just my presence she wanted, but I knew there would soon be more.
We moved to the living room, and I picked out a suspense movie. It worked well for snuggling the last time.
"If I scream again when Rachel comes home, no laughing," she said as she curled up on the couch.
I started the movie and sat next to her. As she watched it, I concentrated on her. She immediately relaxed, just slightly leaning against me. Her pulse jumped several times within the first few minutes of the movie. And although I knew it had nothing to with me, my pulse always leapt in response.
I frowned and actually focused on the movie when I felt her shiver beside me. It wasn't that scary. A few minutes later, just as the girl was about to enter the house, Gabby popped up from the couch and went to her room. Tilting my head, I listened to her pull something from her closet.
Gabby returned, wearing a hoodie. She'd been cold. Damn it. I could have put my arm around her.
I spent the rest of the movie mentally beating myself.
When the movie ended, Gabby sprang from the couch, surprising me.
"Hey, Clay. Do you like cookies?" she asked as she left the room.
I stood and followed behind her, wondering what had brought on that unusual question. She opened a cupboard and started moving stuff around, looking for something. I stepped closer, barely an inch behind her, wondering what she was after. There wasn't much in the cupboard.
"Shoot," she said, closing the doors.
She turned and let out a strangled "gah" when she saw me so close. I grinned. How had she not heard me?
"Har-har," she said with a grin. Her pulse raced wildly. "I told you no suspense movies. Life is scary enough without them. Oh, and false alarm on the cookies. We're missing some main ingredients."
If she really wanted to make cookies, why not get what she needed? I held up her car keys and jingled them.
"It's tempting, but unless I want to get a part-time job, I can't afford to keep spending the money I've saved. I've got to stick to the budget so it lasts till spring. If we can manage to keep the heat off until November, I should have cookie money for Christmas. That's when cookies are best anyhow. I'll just need to start wearing more clothes inside."
More clothes? I wanted to groan.
She took the keys from me and put them back in the dish on the counter. I barely noticed. I was the reason she was spending more than she'd planned. The money in my pocket was a good start but only if I used it to help her. I couldn't just give it to her. She'd ask questions I wasn't ready to answer.
Tomorrow, before I went to Dale's, I'd figure out what groceries we needed in order to make cookies. I'd find a way to get everything Gabby wanted.