He pointed at the stuff she’d carried in. “What’s all this?”
“Plants, of course. No office is complete without them.” At his grimace, she swatted a hand. “These are easy to care for and they’ll totally brighten the space. And they’re not too girly.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I have zero sunlight. They’ll be dead in a week.”
“This is a ZZ plant and this is a peace lily. Both are excellent for little to no natural light. I chose them knowing that you were currently living in a closet.” She chuckled as she said it and arranged the pots on his bookshelves. “There’s a handy little card next to each of them with instructions about watering. I kept it simple.”
She turned to face him and his heart tumbled. He had no idea how he’d managed to go so long without seeing her beautiful face.
She smiled. “What?”
“I can’t get over how much I missed you.”
She nodded.
He took her hand. “No. Like really missed you. We talk and I feel it every time we hang up, but seeing you now, it’s like a kick to the gut. Not seeing you fucking sucks.”
Her fingers stroked his jaw. “You just got a huge promotion and the project is demanding. I get it. When I opened the flower shop, I didn’t do anything but sleep and work. And sometimes, I didn’t even sleep. That’s why I suggested that maybe this wasn’t a good time to start a relationship.”
Oh, hell no. She was not going to break up with him when they’d come this far.
“But we decided to make this work, so here I am.”
Kevin was turning into an idiot. Never in his life had he spent so much time worrying about what a woman thought or how she felt or whether she was about to break up with him. With his thoughts racing, he kissed her again. Other couples managed this without a nervous breakdown. They could too.
When he pulled away, he asked, “You’re doing okay with this?”
“Not really. I need to spend time with my boyfriend. It’s hard to have a relationship with someone if you’re never together. I need to be with you physically. I need to date.”
His stomach sank. He’d figure this out.
“That’s why I’m here. I know you don’t have a ton of time, but everyone has to eat. Dinner is served. I figured you’d be tired of pizza, so I got Chinese.” She began to set the food on his desk.
“Wait.” He glanced around, and then grabbed the bag from her. “Let’s do a picnic.”
He plopped on the floor. Patting the spot next to him he said, “Carpet’s clean. Brand-new.”
She sat beside him and they opened the cartons of food.
“This way, we can share.” He held a forkful of fried rice to her mouth.
She looked at his thigh brushing hers. “I’m sure that was your first thought.”
“You naked is always my first thought. Touching you my second. If I get to my third thought, I’ll be really uncomfortable, so tell me about your day instead.”
She burst out laughing, and Kevin knew they had to find a way to spend more time together. He wanted to be able to come home to her and tell her about his day and hold her throughout the night.
Why the hell couldn’t he?
“What do you think about spending the night at my apartment?”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
She looked up from her carton of food. “I can’t stay here that late.”
“I’ll give you my key. Go home, pack a bag and go to my place. You can crawl into my bed and wait for me.”
“How are you going to get in if I fall asleep?”
“I have a spare.” He thought of the magnetic box Jimmy had made him put under his car long ago.
“You sure that won’t be weird for you?”
“What?”
“Having me in your house when you’re not there.”
“I don’t have anything to hide.” He leaned over the food and kissed her lips. “I really want to spend the night with you.” Another kiss. “And wake up with you.”
“Okay,” she whispered, a little breathless.
Yeah, they’d figure this out. There was no way he was going to lose her again.
* * *
Kathy was glad she’d surprised Kevin at work. The impromptu picnic on his office floor was a much-needed break for both of them. Now she stood in her apartment trying to figure what to pack. It shouldn’t be so difficult. It was one night. And she’d probably sleep naked. So all she really needed were clothes for work tomorrow.
But then she started to think about taking a shower. Should she bring some shampoo and conditioner? Kevin probably didn’t even know what conditioner was. What about a toothbrush? Just because she had an extra for him didn’t mean he’d have one for her. It wasn’t like this sleepover had been planned.
Why did everything stress her out so much?
After shoving some clothes into a bag, she went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. She grabbed a tube of chocolate chip cookie dough and cut it open. Cookie dough had been her go-to stress reliever for years. She’d been eating it since she was old enough to sneak the package and open it by herself.
She remembered the first time her mother had come to her apartment and found the open package in the fridge. Her mom had questioned why Kathy hadn’t finished baking them. For a few minutes, Kathy had felt like a nine-year-old all over again, trying to figure out the right words to say to keep the peace. Then she admitted the truth: she had no intention of baking them. She liked the dough raw.
Her mother of course threw a fit because raw dough could make her sick. Kathy had let her ramble with the litany of horrible illnesses that might befall her. She’d been tempted to take a bite right then in front of her mom, but she didn’t have the guts to do that. Moira would have. Kathy wished
