Chapter 56

She leaned against the arched doorway between dining room and living room and watched. Three days, they'd been home THREE days and he hadn't made it further than the couch. In his boxers no less, which drove her insane. The man in a pair of boxers did deadly little things to her insides.

She sighed and turned away. She had too much to do to just keep standing there ogling the damned man. Moving into the kitchen she reached into the cash jar. They needed groceries in the worst way. As her hand come from the recesses of the jar her eyes went wide. There was nothing there but a slip of paper? She studied the paper a moment, a frown growing.

Turning, she jerked open cabinets and refrigerator only to find everything damned near empty. Shannon! She took a deep breath and called out to the living room with a voice that nearly roared. "Richard!"

He jumped, "What?" he called back his eyes still glued to the TV. Damn this was great, just sitting at home, well her home., but it felt like his too. He never left, but still, just sitting at home day after day doing NOTHING it was almost heaven!

Damned slug. She walked back to the living room and shoved a piece of paper in his face. "DO YOU know what THIS IS?"

He took the offending piece of paper and perused it "Yeah I sent it to Shannon"

Her eyes rolled, "You know that left over stew you had for supper last night Dork?"

"yeah... it was great babe!" he smiled and handed the check back to Mel.

"It was the last bit of anything in the house to eat. The cash jar is..." she started to pace, her brows furrowing as the anger grew, "Empty. There are unpaid bills in the bill drawer. SHE didn't cash the damn check!"

"Well yeah I see that." He frowned as he watched her pace "Well maybe she was just waiting until she got back?"

She closed her eyes and exhaled hard, 'To pay bills that are overdue? Obviously I can't trust her to be responsible." She turned towards the bedroom, "get dressed, someone kept me from getting a job, I can’t cash that check and we need groceries. Or you can sit here hungry."

"Ok ok ... groceries..." He sighed and got up "Look... she was probably just excited to see Jon I mean, shit it was forever. Can't blame her ya know." He walked into the kitchen, looked in the cupboards, the fridge, sighed and went to dress.

She slipped into a nicer pair of jeans and shirt before turning. "Maybe, she's never been logical. I just worry about her, even now." Shaking her head she watched as he dressed, a grin starting to grow, "but now that i have ya dressed you get to do chores."

"Chores?" He frowned, "thought we were grocery shopping and paying bills??"

She laughed quietly, her head tilting as a grin began to grow. "Oh we are, then you're mowing, and fixing a door a certain size thirteen kicked in that hasn’t been repaired yet."

He sighed, "Shit." She had him there. "Ok princess lets roll," he chuckled and walked to the kitchen counter, grabbed up the bills and stuck them in his back pocket. "Got the grocery list honey?" he crooned overdramatically.

She tapped her forehead with a smile. "Right here, but you get to choose what you're cooking."

"Ok no problem," he grinned.

She held back the laugh. Hell he acted just like a husband, from sitting half naked on the couch, to the roll of the eyes at the idea of chores. She'd given him two days of vacation to get slap silly bored and ready to go party, but they were on their third day and the most exciting thing he'd done was shower. He'd not even shaved and had the cutest little goatee/mustache thing going on. Party boy was showing his homeboy side and she liked it. A lot.

"Well I'm ready are you?"

He grabbed the keys "you wanna drive?" he winked.

"We taking your car or mine?"

"Mine."

She snorted, "What's wrong with my Beetle?"

"I don’t fit in it," he frowned.

"Oh right cuz you're so abnormally tall with all those scrawny legs. I keep forgetting who you are. Ok muscle car it is then." She winked and started for the door her laughter whistling over her lips. Damned legs weren't scrawny no more, but she just had to tease him.

He stuck his tongue out at her back "I'm driving." He followed her out the door grinning.

She bit her lip and dug the hole a bit deeper. "Just remember Red's on top."

"Hush woman."

"Greens on bottom." She glanced over her shoulder and winked.

"Yeah yeah I hear ya." He unlocked the passenger door, opened it for her then walked around to unlock his before getting in.

She leaned over as he settled himself into the seat. "Awww you're pouting."

"You're mean to me," he stuck out his bottom lip as he started the engine.

She leaned closer, "But I always make up for it." Her lips brushed over his ear only to buzz along his chin, "repeatedly."

"Yes you do" he grinned and leaned over to brush her lips before he reversed and pulled out onto the road

She laughed through the entire two hours, from bill paying to grocery shopping he never turned it off, that charm. Clerks in the grocery store, assistants in the utility department, everyone bar none simpered, oohed and ahhed over the man. God she wanted to slap them all silly.

They arrived back home, full trunk of groceries in tow, bills paid even a couple of rented movies tucked under her arm. He unlocked the door and loaded the first of the groceries to the kitchen table.

As he unloaded the bags she started swiftly putting the groceries away. "Have you talked to Jon the last few days?"

"Um.. nah .. I thought they'd be here by now" he called as he made another run to the car for more bags. When he came back thru the door he continued "I can't believe Shay ain't called either"

"She's too wrapped up in that control freak you call a friend," she smiled and finished the last of the bags. "So you get to mowing, and I'll cook."

"Jon ain't a...." he snapped his lips shut, " eh .. yeah ok.. I'll mow... what’cha gonna make?"

She glanced up, innocence in her very gaze. "Apple pie."

His face turned nearly as green as the apples from Anderson’s Orchard, “Damn Mel..."

She waggled her brow, "Ahh hell I can't do that to you, but you do need to get over that you know. Its peach, and we're having baked chops ok. No apples. Promise."

His eyes perked back up. "I like peach! and chops!!, I'll go mow..." he leaned over and kissed her. "See ya soon honey!"

She busied herself in the kitchen, occasionally stopping to watch through the window, allowing the sight of sweaty yard mower to do exactly what it did. Drive her nuts. God that man could even SWEAT and do shit to her physically. One day she was sure she'd understand how a dorky skinny kid grew up to make her insides mush. Maybe.