22. Chapter Twenty-Two
And the entertainment report during the news said, “Love Is in the Air execs confirm that their stars are in fact seeing one another. It goes against the reports we’ve heard that the duo doesn’t exactly like one another and has been known to throw props at each other. This will be interesting to watch unfold.”
* * *
I’ve ordered the pizzas and let Loki inside. We’ve had a talk. No jumping. No barking. No running.
The moment he hears the bedroom door open, he runs down the hall, barks, and I hear Christina shriek when Loki jumps up and licks her face.
“Dammit, Loki,” I say, running toward the bedroom.
To my surprise, Christina is crouched down, Loki’s head is on her shoulder, and she’s petting him.
“Okay, so he didn’t eat you,” I say.
“He surprised me, but I’m not in heels anymore or a pristine dress. If he messes up your clothes, I don’t care.”
That makes me chuckle.
I notice that her toenail polish matches her fingernails. I didn’t think about her being barefoot if she took off those heels. She doesn’t seem to mind, so I won’t say anything.
Christina stands, and Loki moves in next to her as if he’s her damn dog. I think he’s confused.
“What I don’t understand is why you gave a sweet dog the name of a villain,” she says, her hand rested on Loki’s head.
I shrug. “I like Loki more than Thor.”
She nods. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” She’s grinning, and there’s a hint of something sinister to it. I like this playful side of her.
“I ordered the pizzas,” I say.
“I didn’t realize I took so long to change.”
I scan another look over her. She has the T-shirt tucked into the sweatpants, but only in the front. The pants are rolled down at the waist, and she’s somehow managed to roll the cuffs of the legs so that they are cropped at her calf, and they look amazing. I can’t imagine any other woman on the planet taking that much time to look perfect in a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.
“Can I get you something to drink, other than water?” I ask, noticing that she’s holding the bottle I gave her earlier.
“I can wait for the beer you promised me when we have pizza.”
And that reminds me, I’d better text Milo to get some beer.
I invite her out back to sit on the patio. The weather is mild and sunny. Loki runs through the yard, and we sit at the table under the patio umbrella. Milo promised to get beer and a bottle of wine. He laughed when I told him who I had at the house. Wait till he sees her in a pair of my sweatpants.
“Is that the only book you’ve written?” she asks me as she watches Loki chase a squirrel out of the yard.
“Yes and no,” I say, and that has her turning her attention back to me. “I’ve got a drawer full of unfinished manuscripts, and a folder on my computer with even more of them. I have a few movie scripts I’ve started, and a play.”
“No kidding?”
I shrug. “It clears my mind sometimes.”
Christina nods, twists the cap from her water, and takes a sip. “I do yoga—to clear my head, that is.”
“Do you do a lot of yoga?”
She laughs. “I do. I would assume you spend hours writing.”
“I do.”
“Both are lonely hobbies,” she says, and again that nags at me.
I’m not lonely, but I know she is. This town isn’t made for lonely; it’s made to be on the move all the time. But I can see how when you’re not in the spotlight, you could get lost.
I suppose I’m a bit surprised that she and I are in this mess we’re in. I don’t make appearances to stay relevant, except for the fan conventions.
I’m lucky to have the cushy job I have that makes it so that I don’t have to do talk circuits and radio shows and podcasts. She, on the other hand, is paraded around so that her parents stay relevant, but they don’t pay her any mind.
Loki tires of chasing the squirrel and comes toward us. But instead of coming at me, he walks right to Christina and lays his head on her lap.
“I’ve never been around a dog,” she says.
“Never?”
“No. I wasn’t allowed pets growing up. I did consider it though, when I texted you about what kind of dog Loki was. I thought maybe it would be nice to have a dog around. I mean, my place is so big, and it’s just me.”
“We’re not home with him as much as I’d like us to be.”
“Do you share the dog?” she asks.
“He’s mine, but really, it takes both of us. Milo’s schedule is a bit more normal, if you will.”
Christina’s hand moves over Loki’s head, and I think it’s as soothing for her as it is for him.
“What does Milo do?”
“Financial advisor,” I say.
She nods thoughtfully at that.
Loki raises his head and looks toward the house. He barks once and Christina looks at me.
“Milo’s home,” I say. “He’ll have the beer and the pizza.”
I stand and offer my hand to her. She takes it, and when she stands, we’re flush together.
Her eyes lift to meet mine. A beat passes between us. There’s no doubt we both consider kissing, but Loki bumps into our legs and we step apart.
We follow the dog back into the house where Milo is setting the boxes of pizzas on the table.
He lifts his head, ready to say something snarky about cheese pizza, no doubt, but his mouth turns up into a wide smile instead.
“Hey,” he says, and I take Christina’s hand in mine, and she moves in next to me.
“Hey,” I say, a little stern so that his smile softens. “This is Christina Malloy.”
Milo holds out his hand to her. “Milo Wilson,” he says.
Christina shakes his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Thanks for picking up dinner.”
“Sure,” he says, scanning a look over the two of us in our lounging clothes. “It looks like I’m overdressed. Don’t start without me. I’m going to go change.”
He passes by us and to his room.
We decide to eat dinner on the back porch. Once the sun goes down, it’ll be cold, but for now I want to bask in it.
Milo throws Loki’s ball out into the yard with one hand and then eats with the other. I know that Christina is waiting for him to mess up which hand he throws with and which hand he eats with, but Milo has been doing this for years. He’s very skilled.
“So, are you slumming today?” Milo asks Christina as she takes a bite of her pizza, which I’m glad to see she’s eating. I expected her to pick off tiny pieces and maybe make it through a quarter of a piece. She’s on her second slice and I’m cheering her on, internally.
“Why is that? These are his clothes,” she says, as if maybe Milo is criticizing her wardrobe.
“I mean just hanging out here. I’m sure your place is nicer.”
She exchanges a look with me, but I shake my head. I’ve never discussed her place with Milo.
“I was invited. Besides, I wanted to meet Loki,” she says.
“He’s not quite as evil as his namesake,” Milo says as Loki brings back the ball.
“I wouldn’t think he’d try to kill his own brother,” she says, and I grin at her. “I told you I know all about Loki now,” she says, confirming what she’d told me about knowing who Loki was.
Knowing she sat through a Thor movie makes me want to kiss her again. I don’t know when I’ve been prouder of someone. She’s eating pizza, has Marvel Universe knowledge, and is sitting in the backyard in sweatpants, drinking a beer. I’ve corrupted her, and I couldn’t be more pleased.