Warren reemerged refreshed and ready to cook. Within no time carne asada steak sizzled in a large cast iron skillet with the most mouthwatering aroma wafting into the air. Jolie readied the shells and accompaniments and placed them on the table. By the time she was done the meat and sauteed onions and peppers were perfectly browned and ready for the table.
She felt a flash of recognition at the ease and familiarity she felt sitting down across the table from him to eat. She and Luke hadn't gotten the opportunity to share a meal too often but the memories of the few occurrences were fond and painful. She shook it off the thought and dove into the steaming, spicy meat before her.
"This is really good!" she exclaimed.
"It's even better with this guacamole and pico de gallo!" They both looked up and chuckled around mouthfuls of food. Warren raised a hand and Jolie met it for a high five.
She was floored for a moment by the skin to skin contact. His hands were warm and slightly rough. She shook off the observation and returned her thoughts to the food.
Once all of the tacos were gone Jolie got up to retrieve the cake and a cup of coffee.
"How can you drink coffee at this hour? Won't it keep you up?" Warren quirked a quizzical eye at her.
"Habit. I worked graveyards for so long I got used to evening coffee. It doesn't seem to affect me too badly. I sleep fine." She cut into the cake and placed a thick slice on his plate.
Warren shoved a large bite into his mouth and chewed slowly. After a while he swallowed. "So good."
Jolie smiled with pleasure and cut into her own piece. "So I got a job today."
"I'm doubly impressed! Where?"
"The little second hand shop on the corner of 7th and Linden?" She gestured half heartedly with her fork.
"Oh, Estelle's place! That will be a good place to work. She is fair and sane. So does that mean you are staying for a while?"
It took her a second to swallow before she could answer. "Well, James called and it's going to take at least 3 weeks before my bike can be done and a lot of money. That puts me in the middle of December. According to Google, you guys will likely be covered in snow at that point so I figured it might be better to hold out here until spring.'
Warren ignored the sudden spike of happiness he felt at the prospect and told himself it had to do with the cake.
"Makes sense." He shoveled in another bite.
"So I've got a couple calls in on apartments. There weren't many options in the paper, especially furnished ones."
"Why?" She stared at him in confusion. "Why don't you just stay here?"
She stared at him like he'd grown a horn.
"I couldn't do that. It's one thing to help a friend of a friend out for a couple of days. It's a whole other thing for me to pretty much move in here. You don't know anything about me."
"I don't see how? I know enough and I'm a good judge of character. I have the room, it just sits empty over there. I'm hardly home and everything you could need, I pretty much have. I'm willing. You can even pay me if it makes you feel better."
Jolie shook her head. "I don't want to intrude on your whole bachelorhood thing."
"My 'bachelorhood thing' as you put it consists of the occasional Sunday football game gathering of men and beer. I hardly think you'd really impede that. In fact, they will be happier here if you happen to bake something, not that you would be obligated to or anything." He winked her way and slid another piece of cake onto his plate.
The little red head at the grocery store flashed into her mind.
"What about women? It would be quite the conversation for you to explain to a lady friend that you have another woman living in your home." She pointed the fork at him to punctuate the thought. "I know how they think. No matter how innocent you claim it is, they won't be comfortable with it."
The thought that crossed his mind was far from innocent. She had a small smear of chocolate on the bottom edge of her lower lip and he desperately wanted to get it for her. With his tongue.
"Well, I don't have a girlfriend and haven't had one for a few months now. I'm too busy for dramatics. If I meet one worth my attention I'll cross that bridge then."
"You keep mentioning how busy you are, so what is it that you do?"
He recognized her smooth attempt at changing the subject but decided to roll with it, for now.
"I own an indoor shooting range and a gym here in town. I'm currently down a bookkeeper and until I find a replacement I'm a busy guy. Mostly because I hate doing paperwork and I find any way possible to procrastinate."
"A gym? Makes sense." She'd been staring at his arms and couldn't help the thought that popped past her lips into the air. Her face colored with embarrassment.
"Thanks." He shot her a crooked grin. "So how about $100 a week? You buy your own groceries and clean up after yourself. We swap off cooking every other night but you are in charge of desert because I can't do this." He pointed at the Boston creme.
She mulled the idea around in her head. It was a really comfortable room and bed. She had her own bathroom. If today pointed at all toward his habits he really wouldn't be around much. She felt a tinge of unhappiness at this thought but quickly followed it with the logic that the less she saw of him the better. She already found herself enjoying his company too much and that wasn't something she was willing to explore.
The rate was more than reasonable and he was right about the stuff. It made no sense to buy a ton of stuff to make herself at home and then have to sell it or leave it behind in the spring. Warren's kitchen was perfect. The walk to work couldn't be more than 20 minutes which was totally doable.
All the arrows pointed in the direction of this being a good deal for her. Only the little red head marred the landscape. It was one thing to bother Warren with his permission but she didn't want to be a thorn in anybody's side. Warren had said there wasn't anyone though, so maybe they were just friends? Regardless, it was none of her business and she had to trust Warren knew what he was doing. Nothing he'd shown her thus far led her to believe he was a bad guy. Quite the opposite.
"Ok. If you are sure..." He nodded in the affirmative. "We have a deal. I will make desert but I'll have to get a membership at this gym of yours if all I'm going to be doing all winter is sitting around and eating."
"I'm sure we can work something out on that end as well." He smiled wide and goofy. "Get it? Work something out? At the gym?" She winced at the lame joke but couldn't help but laugh at how well he'd pleased himself.
"Oh dear, I think the cabin fever has set in and the snow hasn't even fallen." She rose with the remainder of the cake and moved to wrap it up.
"Hey!" He sat up straight with a pout.
"You've had enough. You'll be ill. This is real cream and sugar and eggs."
She smiled. He really looked like he was going to pout but suddenly an idea must have come to mind.
"Do you know how to make good fudge?"
"Yes. I have a recipe from my grandmother."
"Can I have that for Christmas? Just a pound of chocolate fudge all to myself?"
Jolie stared at him in amusement. "Ummm sure?"
He sat back looking quite happy as Jolie wrapped up the rest of the dinner items and put them in the fridge.
"Well, I'm going to go take advantage of that bathtub now and then I'll probably pass out so I'll just say goodnight now."
"Ok. Sleep well. See ya tomorrow." He moved to the couch and flipped on the television to some show with a lot of men in hunting gear talking about guns.
Jolie grabbed her pajamas and went to the bathroom. She waited while the tub filled and stared at herself in the mirror. She hadn't done it often over the last few years. She was a little weather worn but not too bad. She thought she still could qualify for pretty.
The red head, Noelle, popped into her head and Jolie promptly shook her back out. She was none of Jolie's business. Whatever Noelle had going on with Warren was none of Jolie's business. In truth, Warren was none of Jolie's business and the sooner she got that ingrained in her head the better.
With a sigh she pulled her thick hair up on top of her head and pinned it in place with a giant clip. She stepped into the giant old claw foot tub and sat back allowing the water to rise up to her chin. It felt amazing.
It was crazy that Warren had this nice old house with a giant claw foot tub. Only females really understood the joy of a deep, cast-iron tub. The rest of the house was warm and well cared for as well. The wood floors glowed and smelled of lemon and beeswax and the kitchen was set up just how a woman who liked to bake would set it up. He bed spread and shams were a cream and navy vintage patchwork. She wondered if maybe he had inherited the house from a female relative? He hadn't mentioned any family at all yet.
She thought of her own family, long gone. She'd been alone since she was sixteen. Of course there had been a very nice foster couple for the two years after the fire until she was eighteen but she'd never really gotten close to them. She'd moved on to college and never spoken to them again.
The closest thing she had to family was the guys at the Sheriff's office, their families and Luke's regiment. She kept in touch sketchily through email and the occasional Facebook photo. A small handful had her phone number.
Luke had been the first and only person to make it through all the layers of Jolie's armor. She sniffed involuntarily, fat lot of good that had done her; it had just created a bigger hole.
The warmth of the hot water seeped through her bones and relaxed her whole body. Her thoughts became fuzzy and disjointed. A couple of nods of her head signaled her it was time to get out and head to bed. The last thing she wanted was to be the gal who drowns in the nice guy's house who's doing her a favor. How was that for a show of gratitude?
Suddenly her mind supplied her with a picture of Warren lifting her naked body from the tub and carrying her to her bed. She didn't know where it came from but it made her face much hotter than the water had.
Shoving the unwanted, yet strangely erotic, vision from her head she toweled off roughly and donned her pajamas. When she left the backroom the living room to her right was dark and quiet. Warren must have headed off to bed himself. She padded across the cold wood floor to her room and crawled into the warm blankets and shortly after into oblivion.