Romance Impossible(44)

The old sofa was already pushed close to the door, with the new one in what I assumed was its proper spot. It was still shrouded in plastic, but from what I could see, it was a definite upgrade.

"Here," I said, "I'll take the end by the door. I don't mind walking backwards."

"Fine with me," Jill said, letting out a puff of air in the direction of her forehead, which carried an errant lock of hair out of her eyes. "Thank God we're on the first floor, at least."

She lifted her side without so much as furrowing her brow. I don't know why it surprised me; I'd seen her heft heavy food crates and cases of wine without breaking a sweat. She was stronger than she looked.

We had the sofa loaded in no time. Anti-climactic, overall, though I wasn't sure what I'd been hoping for.

"You want a coffee, or something?" Jill asked, brushing her hands off.

"If you're having some anyway," I said. "Not if it's any trouble."

"Of course not."

I followed her back inside, and sat scratching Heidi behind the ears while Jill fiddled with the coffeemaker. A warning bell was going off in the back of my head, but I stubbornly ignored it. We can handle this. We're both adults.

She had to move a pile of junk mail from the other chair before she sat down.

"Thanks again for this," she said, looking at the mail, rather than at me. "I know, you keep saying it's no big deal, but..."

I shrugged. "To be honest, I hoped it would work as an olive branch of sorts."

"I thought that was what the boxing match was for."

"Well." I smiled at her, and she smiled back. "I think that may have taken on a life of its own, to be honest."

Jill blushed, the pink tinge on her cheeks making me wish I could throw caution to the winds. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "At all."

Careful, careful.

It always seems so innocent, that moment when two people suddenly acknowledge a mutual attraction. Why hide it, after all? Why not just talk about the elephant in the room?#p#分页标题#e#

But after that, nothing's ever the same.

After that, things happen. It's unavoidable.

The silence was starting to stretch too long. I heard Heidi yawn in the corner, and took the opportunity to ask about how Jill had found her. A rescue, it turned out, which didn't surprise me - she had almost certainly saved the sweet-faced girl from a short, brutish life in the ring. She beamed with pride when she talked about her dog, and I felt a little twinge of jealousy. Pets were one more thing that my lifestyle simply didn't allow.

We talked for a long time, and I had a feeling she would have let me stay longer. But I had work to do, and she probably had plans as well. But I didn't ask.

After we said goodbye, she stood in the doorway for a long time, watching me as I drove away - and, I suspected, for some time after.





***



After I got home, I pulled out my phone, and finally started looking at all my notifications. Barbara had texted me five or six times. I scrolled through them, leisurely, knowing she would have called if it was something truly important. I was right. It was the usual stuff, some observations on annoying people in line at the store, a funny picture of her cat...

Normally I would have answered as soon as I got them, but after I tapped my thumb in the reply box, I realized that trying to think of a response was taxing. After a few minutes I set the phone aside.

It could wait until tomorrow.





CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Risotto





Risotto is deceptively finicky for the impatient chef. Care must be taken to tend it constantly, no matter how tedious.





- Excerpted from Dylan: A Lifetime of Recipes





***





Jill





***





"How's your...headaches?" My new doctor was flicking her eyes up and down my chart, looking for anything that stood out, I suppose.

I cleared my throat. "Actually," I said, "I haven't had one in a while."

"Well, that's good news." She smiled distractedly, flipping a page. "Did you work on your...uh, stress management?"

In my mind's eye, I saw Max pitching backwards after I'd punched him right in the face. I saw the sheen of his skin, accenting every muscle in his body, and the snaking tattoo that I didn't dare look at for long enough to understand.

"Yeah," I said. "I guess you could say that."

"Great." She smiled. "Well, whatever it is, keep it up."





***



Before I even walked into the kitchen, I knew something was wrong.

At first I couldn't place it, but then I realized. Max's coat was still hanging up by the door. And sure enough, when I walked in, he was nowhere to be found. Liam was dutifully chopping his vegetables in the corner.