More than Exist(35)

I loved the peace. The simplicity. The lack of pressure, stress, or feeling the need to always have something planned.

Watching Matty play with the dog, ride his horse, or help his dad fix the fence may seem like a boring way to spend a Sunday, but I found it to be incredibly fulfilling. And other than a few moments here and there, the need to drink wasn’t overcoming me the way it used to.

I was happy here.

I was whistling a tune while I breaded chicken to fry, when the phone rang in the kitchen.

It had taken me some time to get used to having a house phone again, and usually when it rang, it was Luke calling to say he was going to be late, or Hank asking me to set a place for him for supper.

“Hello,” I said, tucking the phone between my ear and my shoulder so I could remain on task.

“Hey, Belle,” Luke responded. He never said who was calling; he didn’t need to. The chills that covered my body the second I heard his voice were telling enough. “The Super Bowl is on Sunday, and I wanted to see if you could put together a spread for my Pa and some of the guys.”

“Yeah, that would be fine, I can run to the General Store and get what I need, if we don’t have it.”

“Well, I’m taking Matty to his mom’s tomorrow, for the weekend, so if there’s something you need, you just make me a list and I’ll pick it up.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“See you in a bit,” he replied, then hung up.

I put the chicken in the hot oil to fry, then put the potatoes in the oven to bake. I was making twice-baked potatoes, and corn to go along with the fried chicken. Neither Luke nor Matty were great vegetable eaters, so the salad I always made to accompany dinner often went untouched.

As I worked I thought about what I could serve a bunch of guys for a Super Bowl party.

I picked up my cell phone and called Ginger.

“Hey, sug,” she said after the second ring.

“Hi, Ginger, how are you?”

We’d been able to chat a couple times since my arrival at Luke’s, and texted just about every day.

“I’m good. Just showered and had my coffee. I’ve gotta couple new girls to train tonight,” she replied.

“Okay, well, I won’t keep you, but I was wondering if you had any suggestions for Super Bowl food. There will be a bunch of guys here, so nothing fancy. Ricky wasn’t a big football fan, so it wasn’t something we ever celebrated, and I’m kind of at a loss.”

“Guys are easy. Just throw out some chips and dips, summer sausage and cheese, and maybe some Buffalo wings, and they’ll be good to go.”

“Yeah?”

“Totally. I have a recipe for this seven-layer dip that my Aunt Beth always used to make. I’ll text it to you once we hang up.”

“Thanks, that’d be great!”

“I miss you, Belle.”

“I miss you too. I wish you could come visit.”

“Hmmmm, maybe, I’ll see what I can do.”

“That would be awesome!”

We chatted for a few minutes, then we both had to hang up and get back to what we were doing.

I was just pulling the twice-baked potatoes out of the oven when Luke and Matty walked in.

“It smells amazing in here,” Luke said, causing me to flush with happiness at his compliment. He always said something nice about my food. “Matty, go get washed up.”

“Kay, dad.”

“Thanks, it’s just about ready,” I said, as I moved to give him access to the sink.

I made the plates and set them at the table, then we all sat down and began to eat.

“I taught Joe to fetch,” Matty said after he took a bite of chicken.

“You did?” I asked, catching Luke’s grin over the top of Matty’s head, and answering it with one of my own.

The connection was familiar, after a few weeks together, it seemed Luke and I were often sharing unspoken moments together. Lately though, whenever he’d catch my eye for one reason or another, I found my body reacting. It was becoming more and more pronounced.

Like now, after sharing eye contact and a smile with Luke, my heart was pounding, palms were damp, and it felt like my stomach was aflutter.

I looked away quickly and focused on Matty, careful to avoid looking at Luke too much during the meal, without it looking like something was wrong. It was exhausting, and by the time I cleaned up, I was ready for some alone time.

“Ready, Belle?” Luke called out.

“Um, I’m going to stay in tonight,” I replied, and I noticed him look at me sharply. This was my first time not joining them on their walk since I arrived. “I have some emails to catch up on,” I added lamely.

Luke’s eyes narrowed, but he simply nodded and turned to go, allowing my excuse to pass. I waited to hear the door shut behind them, they scurried off to my room and closed the door behind me.