Page 80 of No More Hiding
He pulled into the pizza place. “Stay,” he said to Sammie as he cracked the window and got out. It was twenty degrees and calling for snow this weekend, but he wanted his dog to have some air.
When he went in, there were a lot of people in line and he’d have to wait. He should have figured and ordered it to be delivered, but that was always unreliable on time. Especially on New Year’s Eve.
He listened to people in line gossiping and told himself he was glad that he didn’t know enough people to be part of this or even care enough to pay much attention. Then he had to remind himself, that wasn’t true. He’d kept to himself in White Plains, but more people seemed to know about him than he thought. He just never heard it. Didn’t Melanie say she’d heard he wasn’t doing well? Or had she been making that up?
Since it was the truth it didn’t matter at this point. Besides, it was in the past. He was doing better and he was going to continue to.
“Elliot,” he heard, walked up and got their dinner, paid and went out to the SUV. Sammie was in the driver’s seat looking like she was ready to go.
He put their dinner in the back of the SUV, opened the front door and scooted her over to get in.
When he pulled into Vivian’s driveway, the lights were on in the house, so he hadn’t beaten her there.
He clipped Sammie’s leash on her harness, got out of the SUV, then went to the back, putting his bag with clothes over his shoulder, then grabbing the pizza. Vivian had started buying food for Sammie and kept it here now so that was one less thing to bring.
“Hi,” she said, opening the door for him. “You can pull in my garage if you want. I think we might get some snow tonight.”
“Oh,” he said. “I thought it was next week.”
She grabbed the pizza and his bag; he let Sammie loose and hung the leash up. “They are never right,” she said.
“I’ll move it in now just in case.”
He came through the kitchen once he was parked and saw the table set and Vivian putting food and water in Sammie’s bowl.
Frozen in place, Brent stared at the scene in front of him. He’d never thought he’d be in a situation like this.
Seeing a homecoming or a life that he never had and wished he could get more of it.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You’re standing there like you saw a ghost.”
“Sorry. Just watching you be a homemaker.”
She laughed. “I’m not so sure how much of one I am with you bringing dinner tonight.”
“It’s not that. It’s us. How we are with each other. How I’ve never been this way with anyone else before.”
“I could say the same,” she said, moving into his arms. “You’re gruff to most people. You don’t want to talk to anyone but me or Sammie. You don’t like to leave your house and I’m positive your vitamin D levels are crazy low.”
He grinned. “Most likely. At least I don’t think I look like Casper anymore.”
“You kind of do, but it’s winter so you get a pass. But I still love those things about you.”
They didn’t say they loved each other often. Only a few times since they’d said it at Thanksgiving. To him it meant more this way. He was guessing it did for her too.
“And you have no problem putting me in my place,” he said, “which is something I love about you. You’re a lot like Rob that way.”
“And we know how much you loved your best friend,” she said. “I know his anniversary is coming up.”
“It is,” he said. “It helps having you in my life. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be with you and help you be fine,” she said. “Now let’s eat before Sammie starts barking.”
The dog’s food was still on the counter where she’d left it when he interrupted Vivian filling the bowls.
When dinner was cleaned up, he said, “I’ll find a movie to watch. I know you pay bills on Saturday nights. Then we can snuggle in for the night.”
“I paid them on my phone today. My computer isn’t working at all now. I think it crashed. I’ll see if I can bring it somewhere. If not, then I’ll have to get a new one.”