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)
17
MIKE
Istayed awake to watch television on the set that Tammy had brought from Austin. It had been so long since I had a working TV, I almost forgot what it was like. I watched a handful of nature shows and something called Naked and Afraid. There was nothing in the fridge and only a couple of slices of pizza on the counter, so I called it a night. As I was brushing my teeth, there was a knock on the door. I opened it curiously to find Tammy in her pajamas.
“I didn’t get to brush my teeth,” she said.
I made space for her at the sink, and we tried not to laugh as we shared a ritual familiar to intimate couples everywhere. I spit before she did, rinsing my mouth and stowing my toothbrush in its cradle. I eased out of the room, giving her privacy. I went to my room but left the door open. Back home I had been religious about my privacy, but that was because my mom was so intrusive. I didn’t mind if Tammy came in unannounced; in fact, I would prefer it.
I climbed into bed and set my alarm. I looked up to see Tammy standing at the door. Her pajamas weren’t sexy, just a top and bottoms made of comfortable fabric, but I couldn’t help thinking she looked even cuter than usual in them.
“Are you up?” she teased.
“Do you want to text each other?” I asked.
“Sure.” She came over and hopped into bed beside me, pulling out an imaginary phone. “I moved into my new place today.”
“Really?” I left my real phone on the bedside table and picked up an invisible one. “Me too. What are the odds?”
“I really like my new roommate,” she said, still looking down at her hands.
“Me too.”
She gave up the game and grabbed my extra pillow, fluffing it before lying down. “I know everyone’s telling us to take this slow.”
I draped an arm across her belly, lying sideways so I could study her. “We can take it as slow as you want.”
“I don’t think we’re in any danger of getting hurt,” she continued.
“I don’t think so,” I agreed.
“I hate car shopping.” She changed the subject, turning toward me and snuggling against my chest.
“Everyone hates car shopping.”
“Hmm,” she mumbled, unconvinced.
I looked down to find her dozing, somewhere between dream and reality, curled up in my arms. I turned the bedside light off and lay back, fighting waves of exhaustion. I just wanted to stay awake a little longer to savor the feeling of her in my bed. But all the moving and the driving, combined with pizza and television, made for a long day. I finally succumbed and slept like a rock.
The next morning my alarm went off, waking us both up. I checked the time and cursed.
“What’s wrong?” Tammy said groggily.
“I set my alarm,” I said, rolling over to pull her against me. “I forgot I was taking the day off.”
She snuggled her perfect body against mine, undisturbed by either the alarm or my reaction to it. “Two preschoolers make much more noise than a cell phone,” she explained.
I kissed her ear, propping myself up on an elbow so I could kiss one of her eyelids. “I like this. You don’t need your own bed. I’d rather sleep together.”
She turned to face me, tilting her chin up for a kiss. “I like it too.”
We lay circled in each other’s arms and fell back asleep for another hour. Tammy woke me up when she crawled out of bed, ducking from the room. I rolled over onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. Had I just convinced her to abandon her own bed? Could life get any better? I rolled out of bed and got dressed. We had a whole day of car shopping ahead of us and no food in the cupboards. I found Tammy eyeing the leftover pizza.
“Let’s go get brunch,” I suggested. “We can pick up a few groceries and hit up a few of those cars afterwards.”
She nodded, smiling gratefully. “One of the guys texted me back. He can show us the car at one.”
I sidled up to her, wrapping my arms around her and kissing her on the nose. “Maybe that will be the one.”
“I hope so,” she sighed.
“Let’s get something to eat,” I decided.
We drove to the diner. I decided to chance seeing Polly if she was working. Gina would help me explain that the timing just hadn’t been right and that there were no hard feelings to be had. Besides, I couldn’t avoid the place forever. They had the best food, and they were one of the only restaurants in town.
As soon as we walked in, I knew I had made a mistake. It wasn’t Polly waiting to ambush me. Sitting in a booth next to the door, where he could observe all the people entering the establishment, was Porter. I flinched.