Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Chapter 18
* * *
Valentina
We sat on the floor in the living room eating Chinese.
When I’d gone to set the table, Ford put the plates back in the cabinet and brought the bag to the living room instead. He then pulled out the coffee table to make room for us to sit and tossed two pillows on the floor.
I was never good at eating with chopsticks, but he gave me a lesson and opened his mouth wide to test my skills. Of course I bumbled the saucy Szechwan shrimp, and it splattered all over his white T-shirt. That turned out to be a good thing, because he’d tugged it off for the rest of our meal.
God, he was more delicious than the food—and Chinese was one of my favorites.
I managed to get three grains of rice into my mouth. “I spoke to Ryan this afternoon.”
Ford’s chopsticks were halfway to his lips, and he stopped. “Your son?”
I shook my head. “I wish. We have to get some work done on our support pilings, and he wants to be here when the contractor comes to give an estimate.”
“When’s he coming?”
“Tomorrow at two. I just wanted to let you know before he showed up.”
He nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
We talked and passed takeout boxes back and forth. I loved how at home Ford seemed in my house.
“There’s a music festival coming up in a few weeks on Randall Island,” he said. “I thought maybe I could get us tickets. One of the guys from Backstreet Boys is playing.”
“I’d love that. I’ve always wanted to go to a music festival. It’s actually on my list.”
Ford fished a piece of cashew chicken from the container in his hands and held it out to me with his chopsticks. I opened my mouth and leaned forward to take it, but he pulled it back before I could grab it and gave me a quick kiss instead.
“Your list?”
“Eve made me a post-divorce list of things I need to do.”
“Nice. What else is on it?” He fed me the piece of chicken and dug one out for himself.
“Going to Rome, getting a dog, keeping my Christmas tree up for a few months after Christmas—just stuff I always wanted to do that my ex was against.”
It dawned on me that our little shopping spree touched on another item on my list. It was totally inappropriate dinner conversation, and something outside my comfort zone to talk about with a man. But today had been so much fun, and I knew Ford would appreciate my sharing, so I decided to be bold.
“And…anal.”
Ford started to cough. I thought he might be choking on the piece of chicken he’d just put in his mouth. His face turned red.
“Oh my God, are you alright?”
He pounded on his chest with his palm and reached for his beer. Sucking a big gulp down, he coughed some more before speaking with a hoarse voice. “Are you kidding me? You can’t say you have anal on your to-do list while I’m chewing.”
“Oh. Sorry. I thought you’d appreciate that, especially with our purchases today.”
His eyes darkened. “I need to see this to-do list. Better yet, I volunteer to help you check off every item this summer.”
“You don’t even know what else is on it.”
“Don’t give a shit. I’m here to serve.”
I giggled, and I really wasn’t a giggler. “Such a Boy Scout. Always prepared to lend a hand.”
He shook his head. “Shit. Is that what they did in Boy Scouts? I thought they helped old ladies cross the street. If I’d have known there were anal beads and porn involved, I would have joined.”
We laughed as Ford’s phone rang. He glanced down to the caller ID, and his face looked torn about taking it.
“It’s Devin. My CFO.”
“Take it if you need to.”
“You sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all. I’ll clean up and open some wine.”
While Ford took his phone call, I put away the leftover Chinese food and opened a bottle of wine. Pouring two glasses, I stayed in the kitchen to give him some privacy.
When he finished, he found me looking at the calendar on the refrigerator. I was holding up the July page and looking at the month of August when he snaked his arms around my waist and kissed my shoulder.
“Got plans coming up?”
“No. I just realized it’s only six-and-a-half weeks until Labor Day already.”
“You worried about finding a job by the time school starts? You get your results next week, right?”
Of course I was worried about finding a job. But that wasn’t what was weighing on my mind at the moment. Only six-and-a-half weeks left. What the hell was I waiting for? I’d already missed out on almost half the summer. Tick tock. Tick tock. It was time—now or never. I’d invited him to stay over tonight, yet oddly, it wasn’t until this very moment that I decided I wanted him now. Never was the story of my life, and I wanted to live a little.