Page 37 of A Daddy for Christmas 3: Nova
“Yup,” he said, chuckling at me.
“I’d like to try a Paloma,” I declared. “But would it be possible to get a grapefruit soda too?”
“Absolutely,” Ezekiel said. “Shocked Robbie doesn’t have a refrigerator full of them.”
“Ech, someone’s been buying them up as soon as they hit the shelf at the market, and you know how I feel about the big grocery store; I only go in there when I have to.”
“Ahh, gotcha. Well, let me get this food going,” Ezekiel said. “You picked a good time to drop by; we were just coming off a rush.”
“No worries, we’re not in a hurry,” Robbie declared.
“You never are, my friend; that’s one of the many reasons I loved it when you stopped by.”
“How have I never known about grapefruit soda?” I muttered as Ezekiel stepped away to prep our food.
“It’s not as common a flavor as lemon-lime or grape or even pineapple,” Robbie said. “Even peach is easier to find these days, thank goodness; that’s another of my favorites. If I could find a good sour apple soda that didn’t taste like liquid candy, I’d be all set. I want crispness and flavor, but I don’t want it to taste like syrup.”
“Does that mean you’ve found a sour apple soda that didn’t live up to your expectations?” I asked.
We were shoulder to shoulder, with the scent of buttery lobster drowning out the sea salt smell of the ocean and Judas Priest pulsing from the radio.
“Once or twice,” he explained. “Though I have come across a sparkling apple soda that was downright amazing. I love trying new things, though, so the journey is as much fun as discovering one I want to stock the fridge with.”
“I can’t wait to share in those journeys with you,” I said.
He slid his arm around me and tugged me as close as he could without pulling me off my stool.
“May all of our journeys be spicy, flavorful, and packed full of memories we’ll reminisce about for years to come.”
We clanked our water glasses together in a toast commemorating our declaration, and I giggled when my gurgling, grumbling stomach picked that moment to agree with the sentiment. I hoped that this would be the first of many celebrations at Ezekiel’s crab shack. Until today, I’d forgottenhow much I missed commemorating even the littlest triumphs, not to boost my ego, but because it was nice to take a moment, smile, and let myself feel good about the things that had gone right. Seeing Robbie so happy for me and having him remind me that we all deserved a bit of joy and fun made me feel like I was back in college again: unjaded, enthusiastic, and eager to see what the future had in store for me. Resting my head on his shoulder, I melted into the hug and nearly fell over, but it was worth it to feel like the old me again. One with a bright, shiny, hopeful future ahead.
Chapter 16
(Robbie)
Four Weeks Later
“Awe, we may have to get a two-seater to put in here just for the kitties,” I said as I paused in the doorway of the living room to see Piper curled up with Squik, Pesto, and Bobby.
“Would that be okay?” Nova asked as he wiggled under my arm so he could see them too.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” I asked. “The kitties deserve a comfortable place to sit too.”
“Then we should definitely find something to fit them, now that they are finally getting along.”
“Exactly.”
“You’d never know that just last week they were still giving each other the stink eye and hissing as they passed each other inthe hall,” Nova said as I hugged him close. “I’m glad they finally decided to like one another, and that Megan could get them to my vet for me before my vacation was over, so they’d have the proper vaccines to be able to be released to me at the airport. I don’t know what I’d have done if they’d gotten placed in 120-day quarantine.”
“Visited them as often as you were allowed,” I replied as I pressed a kiss to his cheek. “But I’m glad that didn’t happen.”
It hadn’t made sense to have him get his own place when we’d been steadily planning all the things we wanted to do once he’d relocated to the island. He’d packed and shipped everything that wouldn’t fit in the four suitcases he’d flown with, after selling what little furniture he’d had in his apartment. He said my whole surfer chic vibe would be a welcome change, especially when there was nothing he needed that I didn’t have, save for a desk. I’d rearranged my office so I could fit a second desk in there for him, as well as a pair of shelving units to match the one I used, so he’d have a place for anything he needed. Thinking about it now, I chuckled at the memory of Nova’s response when he saw what I’d done.
Not that I plan to do much work from home, but thank you for making me a space for if I needed to or just had ideas I wanted to play with.
“Since they’ve got the couch occupied, how about you and I take the UNO deck out back?” I suggested. “The last box has been broken down and bundled, and I just whipped up a fresh batch of mango tea.”
“I’ll grab the cards if you’ll pour the drinks and snag the box of clam strips we picked up from the crab shack.”