Chapter Eleven
“Okay, I’m almost done,” came the reply on the other side of the door.
She had cracked it just a bit to speak through but kept Reese’s privacy. Steam drifted out along with the scent of something sweet and light.
“Take your time.”
She shut the door. When she turned to the rest of the apartment, it didn’t feel normal. The sound of the shower running while she was on the outside of the bathroom was new.
A meow sounded from the direction of the couch. Walking over, she was greeted with Hester squeezing her fluffy body out from under it.
“Hey, little lady. What do you think of our guest?” She scooped Hester up into her arms.
Hester gave her the cat equivalent of a scowl.
“Yeah, I get it. She’s a bit of an ice queen, but it just means she needs a little patience. You should have seen her with the clients the other day. She held her own against a man twice her size and then somehow got all of them engaged right after. You can tell she loves them.”
Hester did not look convinced.
“You’ll just have to trust me. Plus, she’s pretty hot when she’s pissed off.”
She rubbed her head a few times as repayment for having to deal with a stranger, then went to her bedroom to change out of her work clothes.
As she was exiting her room after throwing on some maroon lounge pants and a white T-shirt, she heard the shower stop and the curtain being pushed back.
Her mind drifted to the fact that the woman was completely naked on the other side of the door.
Wet and clean and smelling so good. It had been a long time since a naked woman was that close.
“Damn it,” she swore low, taking deliberate steps to the kitchen, the farthest she could get from the bathroom. Thoughts like that would do her no good.
Instead, she turned on the Bluetooth stereo on the counter and selected a mellow ’90s alternative playlist. “Rain King” by Counting Crows filled the space.
Matty liked routine. And that was exactly what she kept to, even with Reese in the apartment.
Once she got home, she would change, feed Hester, then start dinner, preferring to have it done by six so she could relax or make it to a meeting by seven, depending on the day.
Her meals were planned on Sundays when she would go to the grocery store with Bette or Kerrie, or borrow a car.
The meals were based on that week’s sales and what she had left over from the week before.
She was very careful with her money. It was the first time in her life that she had a steady income and even a small savings.
She double-checked the meal calendar on the front of the refrigerator.
She knew what it was but couldn’t resist a double-check, just to be sure.
Southern-style goulash. She planned to make a big pot so she could eat on it all weekend.
Matty didn’t mind leftovers. Actually, she liked them.
It gave her comfort knowing it was something she didn’t have to worry about.
As she was gathering all the ingredients needed, the door to the bathroom opened, but Reese didn’t immediately come out. It took a few minutes.
She was peeling the outer layer of an onion when she looked up at the sound of footsteps, her pulse elevating.
She’d never seen this version of Reese before.
Her auburn hair was damp, leaving it a darker shade than usual.
Gone was the full face of makeup. Instead, her skin glowed.
Matty’s eyes trailed lower, taking in the gray T-shirt that was loose everywhere but the breast area, showing off their soft, rounded shape.
The hunter green leggings gave Matty a view of ample thighs that looked like the perfect place to rest her head while reading.
Her bare feet felt oddly intimate, and the pretty pink nail polish seemed to only add to the down-to-earth version of Reese.
Not addiction counselor Reese. The real Reese.
Or at least as much of the real Reese as she would let Matty see.
“Feel better?” she asked, swallowing hard as she tore her eyes away before she looked like a hormonal idiot.
“Much. Thank you again.”
She chanced a look again, sending Reese a soft smile. “Not a problem.”
Silence hung between them. The only sound was the chopping of the onion. The rhythmic hit of the knife against the cutting board felt like the tick of a clock, seconds going by. Matty was about to speak to break it up, but Reese beat her to it.
“This is such a cute place you have,” she complimented, moving closer to the kitchen island where Matty was working. She dropped her bag on it.
“Thanks. I really like it. The neighborhood is quiet, and I like living close to Kerrie, Bette, and Kenny. It’s nice. Do you live far from here?”
“No, not really. I’m just over on Third Street.”
“Which side of Springer?” Springer ran directly through the middle, cutting the streets in half.
Reese let out a halted laugh. “The rough side. It’s not as bad as it once was, though.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen some of the properties being restored.” She turned to the stove, adding the onions to the ground beef in the pan. She would add the garlic once the beef was browned and the onions were translucent.
The music changed to another song, “Two Princes” by Spin Doctors.
“Wow, I haven’t heard this song in forever,” exclaimed Reese.
“I love this one too.” Glancing back, a rush of warmth spread out through her chest and into her belly.
The image caught her off guard. The controlled and stiff woman was swaying to the beat, her hips moving back and forth. A relaxed smile graced her face, her head tilted up with closed eyes. It was a breathtaking sight.
As if she could feel the weight of Matty watching her, Reese’s eyes opened. She ducked her head, her cheeks flaring red. “I love listening to the old stuff. I just can’t seem to get into modern music much.”
“Same. It doesn’t feel like it hits home as well.” The pan was sizzling now. She began to break up the meat into small pieces with a spatula.
“Right?”
She heard Hester’s feet scurry across the floor.
“I don’t think your cat likes me.”
“Don’t take offense. Hester doesn’t like anyone. Well, she likes me, but that’s just because I rescued her and feed her pretty much on demand.”
“You rescued her?”
“Yep, literally. She was a stray at the rehab. I got a call from my boss asking me to go to Tindle Street. A kitten was stuck in the ductwork in Swallow. I was the only member of maintenance small enough to crawl in there. She was so tiny. We think the mom moved her up there or something, but we never saw her. She was covered in dust and was starving. I hand-fed her with a little dropper. She’d come to work with me until she didn’t need daytime feedings. We’ve been together ever since.”
Reese’s light hazel eyes softened. “That’s so sweet. I love that.”
Matty shrugged as she started adding seasoning. “I think we both needed each other.”
“I get that. Um, well, I guess I should go. I’ve taken up a lot of your time and resources this afternoon.”
That set an alarm off inside Matty. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t want her to leave so soon. They were getting along, and it was surprisingly nice to have someone in her space. It took the edge off how empty it could feel, even with Hester there.
“You could stay and have dinner if you want. I’ll have plenty. I’m making goulash.”
Reese licked her lips, her eyes drifting to the pot. For a brief second, Matty thought she was going to take the offer, but then she shook her head. “No, I’ve overstayed enough. Thank you, though.”
Disappointed, Matty nodded curtly. “Not a problem.”
They exchanged smiles, and Reese exited the apartment. Matty was left with the feeling that something had been left unfinished. She wanted to spend more time with this woman, and she wasn’t sure why, but she started searching for an excuse to speak to her again.
Snapping her fingers as an idea hit, she grabbed a pen and ripped a piece of paper from junk mail in just a few seconds. It felt very ’90s to be scribbling her phone number down by hand and then even more so by running out the door to wave Reese down as she was backing up.
The window rolled down. “Yeah?”
Nervousness suddenly filled her. What was she doing?
She didn’t go after women. She kept them at a distance, but there she was holding her number out to Reese, who took it with a curious tilt of her head.
Matty shuffled her feet as she rubbed the back of her neck.
“Um, look, if you need someone to take a look at your shower, I would be happy to.”
“Oh, well, um, thank you. I’ll let you know.”
“Okay. Yeah, okay, well, I need to get back to the stove.”
She was halfway to the door when Reese called out to her. “Have a good evening, Matty!”
“You too,” she called back. She knew she’d spend the rest of the evening thinking about the turn this day had taken.