Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“I agree, absolutely.” Will swiveled in his desk chair to face Jack. “You know,” he said, as if it had just occurred to him. “I have a table and chairs out back on the deck. I was thinking of eating my lunch out there today. Maybe you’d care to join me.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose—”
“Not at all. I’d love the company.” Will felt his cheeks flush, aware he sounded overeager. He shrugged with an exaggerated casualness. “You know, only if you want to. No big deal.”
Jack gave a half-smile and nodded. “Sure. That would be fine. I’ll just grab my lunch out of the truck and meet you around back.”
Will rushed into the kitchen, sidestepping the pallet laden with boxes of the laminate oak flooring he’d picked from the catalogue and Jack had purchased. He stopped a moment, taking in the empty room, which looked much larger now that the dividing wall between the kitchen and dining room had been pulled down. The higher ceiling would only add to the new feeling of space.
He closed his eyes, trying to imagine this hull of a room turning into the beautiful design Jack had come up with for him. Will was spending a pretty penny. He’d known he wanted something elegant but functional. It remained to be seen if Jack could pull it off.
Remembering his mission, Will tried to think of what to have for lunch. He usually ate out, if he ate a midday meal at all, which wasn’t often. Staring into the nearly empty refrigerator, he decided on some cheese, an apple and two bottles of Coke.
Stepping carefully over some nails still left on the floor, he entered the dining room, where the table and sideboard were piled high with the contents of the old kitchen cabinets and drawers. Rummaging a bit, he found a box of crackers. He secured a tray and placed the cheese and crackers on it, along with a plate, a knife and a bottle opener.
When he went out to the deck Jack was already seated at the patio table, a large paper sack in front of him. Will sat across from him, setting down his tray and the bottles of soda. “I brought you a Coke if you’d like it.”
“Well, look at that.” Jack lifted one of the small green-tinted glass bottles. “I haven’t seen a bottle like this in a long time.”
“I prefer cola from a glass bottle.” Will realized he must sound pompous.
“Me too, I guess. I lived on this stuff back when I was a kid. We’d collect the bottles in a wooden crate with slots for each bottle. We’d take them in for the nickels.” He cradled the bottle for a moment, staring down at it. It looked especially small in his large, beefy grasp.
He held out the bottle for further examination. “I got out of the habit of drinking soda years ago. My wife said it was bad for the boys’ teeth so we switched to sugar-free Kool-Aid for them, water and seltzer for me.”
Will handed the bottle opener to Jack, trying to picture the wife and children in his life. As Jack took it their fingers touched and Will felt an electric current of desire flow between them. He glanced sharply at Jack, who was focused entirely on the bottle. Whatever current had been flowing, it was definitely on a one-way path.
Still, Jack was opening up more than he usually did, perhaps because they were sharing a meal. Jack uncapped the bottle and took a long swig of the cola. With a satisfied sigh, he offered, “That’s good. Nice and cold.”
“I’ve got plenty more in the refrigerator.” In fact there were only two. He made a mental note to buy more. He watched as Jack unrolled the top of his paper bag and pulled out a large sandwich wrapped in foil.
“Must be nice to have a wife to make you lunch every day.” Will was reminded of the lunches his mother used to pack for him when he was in elementary school.
“Oh.” Jack’s face crumpled as though he’d received a blow. “I’m a widower. My wife died two years ago.”
Without realizing what he was doing, Will reached out a sympathetic hand, touching Jack’s bare forearm. Jack looked down at his hand and Will snatched it away. “I—I’m so sorry, Jack. I just assumed—I mean, you’re still so young, to lose your wife…”
“Yeah. It was sudden. An aneurysm. Apparently it ruptured in her brain. Five minutes later she was dead.”
“Oh my God, that’s awful. Were you there when it happened?” The words slipped out before he could censor himself.
“Yeah. She woke up with a really bad headache. I thought she was getting a cold. I went down and made her tea. She took one sip and—” Jack’s voice cracked.
“I’m sorry. Please, you don’t need to talk about it. It must still be very painful to recall.”