Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
5
Ed
I strain the spaghetti into the sink and toss it back into the pan before mixing in some ground beef and steaming red sauce.
“It’s not much,” I tell Susie. “I’m usually here on my own so my cooking’s never been fancy.”
She smiles gently.
“No, it’s totally fine and I appreciate the effort. You didn’t have to cook at all, like I said. I can just eat a granola bar or something.”
That makes me huff.
“Hell no because who can survive on granola bars? I’d probably collapse from hunger or even worse, get up in the middle of the night like a ravenous beast before raiding the fridge.”
Susie giggles.
“Would you eat peanut butter straight from the jar?”
I wink at her.
“Yeah, because that’s my regular MO. I do that even when I’m not a ravenous beast.”
Susie laughs again, and the sound warms my belly because I want her to be happy. It’s weird because I just met the woman half an hour ago, but it’s important to me that she’s safe and comfortable.
Cool it, the voice in my head warns. You could be getting taken as a patsy. But I shush the voice because I’m having a good time, and besides, I am hungry. “Spaghetti’s ready, if you’d like to join me at the table,” I call.
Susie immediately flips off the TV and seats herself at the small kitchen table I have tucked into the corner. It’s rickety and old, but it does the trick. Then, I set two steaming plates of pasta on the table, as well as some salad, dressing, and even a side of corn. Susie sniffs appreciatively.
“OMG, this smells amazing. Thank you again, Ed.”
“Of course,” I say in a gruff tone, seating myself. “Dig in, honey.”
We begin to eat, and I have to say that the pasta hits the spot. The tomato sauce and ground beef stick to my ribs, making for a hearty meal. Plus, Susie’s hungry too judging from the way she’s attacking her noodles, so I let her focus on eating for a bit. But then we hit a mid-way point and she looks up at me, smiling while putting her fork down.
“So what is EarthMatters about, Ed?” she asks in a soft voice. “Just wondering.”
I grin ruefully while twirling pasta on my fork. “It’s an environmental consulting firm actually. We help companies find ways to be more environmentally friendly because it’s in vogue these days. Then, we use the money from that to combat policies that hurt our cause.”
Susie nods.
“Wow, so you’re like a super-hero defending our planet.”
I chuckle. “Well, I don’t know about that, but environmental protection is something I’m passionate about, and has been for a long time. When I was ten or so, my mom brought home a blue recycling bin, and I became quite the Nazi about everyone doing their part. My family said I’d terrorize them if the recyclables weren’t sorted and cleaned right.”
Susie giggles then.
“OMG, really?”
I grin again.
“Hell yeah. It’s only gotten worse over time too. Now, I have three different recycling bins, as well as a compost pile.”
Susie’s eyes go wide.
“In an apartment though? I thought compost piles had to be maintained outside.”
I shrug.
“Not necessarily. There’s a special pail I use, and it’s tucked under my kitchen sink. It works and there’s no smell or anything.”
Susie nods, marveling with wonder.
“That’s amazing. Maybe I can even get one for my dorm room, although of course, we do most of our eating in the dining hall.”
I grin.
“Then I’d just stick with that. There’s no sense in having a compost pile if it’s only the occasional apple core. But yeah, maybe the cafeteria has a compost pile. A lot of large institutions do now.”
Susie nods.
“I’ll ask and see.”
We go quiet for a few moments and I watch Susie surreptitiously over the rim of my glass. It’s hard to believe this young woman is related to my high school girlfriend because Nanette had a flirtatiousness about her that never quit. Even when we were together, I’d catch her talking to other guys in the hallway, pressing her books to her enormous chest while twirling a strand of blonde hair around one finger.
But Susie seems to be the opposite. She’s quiet and reserved, shooting me shy looks from beneath her long lashes on occasion. But now that I’m getting a chance to really look at her, I can see some similarities. Both mother and daughter have full, pouty lips, creamy skin, and large busts. Of course, Nanette wore tight-fitting sweaters to show it off while Susie’s dressed in a baggy sweatshirt, but it’s clear that they’re similarly endowed. My cock twitches again in my pants, and mentally, I command it to go down. Thank god for this table otherwise I’d be scaring my guest. But Susie merely turns to me and smiles sweetly.
“Do you find it stifling to work where you live? Does it become hard to unwind, seeing that you’re so close to your office all the time?”