Chapter 4
Four
Jack brought in the last bag and added it to the pile in his living room.
“Is that it?” Kayla asked.
“Yes.” Even with regular exercise, Jack was out of breath from hauling her bags inside. “Did you leave anything in your apartment?”
“Very funny,” Kayla said.
“I’m serious.”
Kayla placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. “You want it to look like I live here, right?”
“Right.” He just hadn’t expected there’d be this much stuff.
“I’ll unpack and put everything away,” Kayla said.
“Do you want help?”
She shook her head. “You’ve done enough. Just go about your normal routine. Pretend I’m not here.”
There wasn’t anything normal about this. “The master bedroom and bathroom are right down the hall.” He pointed toward his bedroom.
“I know where it is. I’ve been in your bedroom before, remember?”
He racked his brain but couldn’t recall when. How could I forget something like that?
“It was your July 4th party,” she prompted. “You were drunk, so I’m not surprised you don’t remember.”
He scowled at her. “I was not drunk.”
She raised her eyebrows. “At one point, you came out of your bedroom wearing a patriotic Speedo. I was the one who marched you back into your bedroom and made you change.”
“You’re making that up!” He had a vague recollection of wearing the Speedo, but he didn’t recall her part in it.
“Anyway, that was the only time I was in your bedroom,” Kayla concluded.
He still couldn’t believe she’d be living with him for the next six weeks. It was daunting and exciting at the same time.
Kayla broke into his thoughts. “Just because I put my stuff in your room, that doesn’t mean I’m sleeping in there.”
“I thought we covered this already.”
“Your parents won’t know the difference unless they have a bad habit of sneaking into your condo in the middle of the night.”
He glanced at the stairs. “So you’d rather lug your stuff up and down the stairs every day?”
She sighed. “I’d rather not be here at all, Jack, yet here I am.”
He didn’t expect her to be ecstatic, but it still stung.
“It’ll be fine,” she said, like she was trying to convince them both.
“Go ahead and unpack, and I’ll read or watch TV or something.”
“What do you usually do on a Saturday afternoon?”
“It depends on the day, and whether I’m alone or not.”
Kayla grinned. “What would you do if you had a woman over?”
“You’re a woman.”
She shook her head. “Not a fake girlfriend. A real one.”
Jack scratched the back of his head. “I’m not sure. It’s been a while since I’ve had a woman over.”
Kayla gazed at him for a long moment, and then averted her eyes. “I better get started or I’ll be at this all night.”
All night was an exaggeration, but Jack watched the lengthy film, Braveheart, while she unpacked. Kayla came into the living room as the credits rolled.
“Are you ready for the big reveal?” she asked.
Jack turned off the TV. “Sure.” He followed her down the hallway and into his bedroom. Pointing at the bed, he said, “What in the hell is that?”
“It’s a reading pillow,” she explained.
“No. Not that! The other thing.”
Kayla went over to the bed and picked up the item in question. “This?”
“Yes.”
“It’s my Squishmallow.”
“Your what mallow?”
She sighed. “Haven’t you ever seen these before? They’re everywhere!”
“No, I haven’t. What animal is it supposed to be?”
“It’s a koala. Geez, Jack. It’s like you live under a rock.”
He ignored the insult. “What is the purpose of a Squashmallow?”
“It’s Squishmallow,” she corrected. “I cuddle with it at night. It’s comforting.”
“Interesting. How come I never knew this about you?”
“Why would you? It’s not like I carry it around.”
“I’ve been in your apartment before, and I never saw it.”
“I usually hide it before company comes over.”
Jack scratched his chin. “Why is it on display now?”
“Because, if I’m sleeping in here—which I’m not, but it’s supposed to look like I am—I would have it on my bed,” she said, like it was obvious.
“Would you do this with a real boyfriend?” Jack asked.
“Yes, because a real boyfriend would accept everything about me, including my—”
“Squashmallow,” he finished.
“Squishmallow,” she corrected again. “But don’t worry. I’ll hide it when your parents come over.”
He wasn’t a fan of having the stuffed animal on his bed, but as she kept reminding him, she wouldn’t be sleeping here, anyway.
Jack turned his attention to the dresser.
Kayla had shifted his few things to one side and displayed hers on the other side.
He walked over and perused the mirrored tray containing an assortment of perfumes and lotions. “Do you really use all these?”
“Yes. I choose a perfume based on my mood.”
“Which one did you choose today?”
“Angel,” she said, innocently fluttering her eyelashes.
Her silliness eased the tension, and he burst out laughing.
Then, they moved on to the walk-in closet.
Earlier, he’d cleared out some space for her, but it hadn’t been enough.
His clothes were jammed together and hers took up most of the space.
Likewise, his shoe rack now contained a variety of high heels, boots, and sneakers, mostly in shades of black and white.
“Before you ask—yes, I really wear all this stuff,” Kayla said, brooking no argument.
Next, they went into the attached bathroom.
There were two sinks, and Jack had rearranged things so she could use the drawers and cupboard under one of the sinks.
The drawer space wasn’t enough since there was an array of products on the counter.
Glancing at the tub, he saw more products, including bubble bath, shaving cream, and a pink razor.
Through the glass shower door, he spotted body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and a big purple pouf.
“It’s a loofah,” Kayla explained.
“Can’t you just use your hands?”
“The loofah removes dead skin cells.”
“Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Kayla chuckled. “You act like you’ve never been around a woman before.”
“I’ve been around plenty of women, but none that had this much stuff!”
“You probably didn’t stick around long enough to see all their stuff,” she countered.
Kayla was right. Thus, the reason his mom had given up on having grandkids.
“When was the last time you had a girlfriend, Jack?” Kayla eyed him so intently he squirmed.
“Not since college.”
“Well, now you do!”
Jack played along. “Well, girlfriend. After all that unpacking, you must be hungry.”
“How’d you guess?”
“Because I know my girlfriend, and she likes to eat.”
“Aw. You do know me.”
He smiled. “I would make us something, but I’m low on groceries.”
“We could go grocery shopping together.”
“Or we could order Chinese food.”
“Sure. I’m easy,” Kayla said.
Jack smirked at her until she caught on.
“I didn’t mean it like that! I meant, I’m an easy-going girlfriend.”
“One who chooses perfume based on her mood and has more products than the local drugstore.”
She grinned. “Whatever, Mr. Perfect.”
“You said it, not me.”
Kayla rolled her eyes. “C’mon. Let’s order Chinese.”
They went into the kitchen, and Jack opened a drawer that contained an assortment of carry-out menus and other miscellaneous items.
Kayla peered inside. “Is that your junk drawer?”
“Yeah, why?”
“It’s neater than any junk drawer I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s why they call me Mr. Perfect,” Jack teased.
“Mr. Perfect and Ms. Easy-going. We make a wonderful team.”
We’ll see about that, Jack thought.