“We were. I was anyway.” He was still smiling, and it was authentic and warm and soft. Like the real Carter. “I was afraid it was over.”
“It’s not. At least I don’t want it to be. I’ll do better. I’ll try not to be so prickly.” She looked around the office, noticing three empty coffee cups on the desk and the packaging from a take-out lunch place in the trash can. “When did you get into work this morning?”
Carter shrugged. “I don’t know. Five or so.”
“Carter! That’s crazy. It’s after eight now. You’ve been working here for that long? Have you taken any sort of break?”
“No. There’s always so much to do, and...” He gave another sheepish shrug. “There didn’t seem to be anything better to do since you were mad at me.”
“I wasn’t mad at you!” She was smiling now. She had no idea why, but she couldn’t seem to stop. “And that’s not an excuse for working yourself to exhaustion. No wonder Lincoln was worried. Is there anything else you really need to do before Thanksgiving tomorrow?”
He thought for a minute, his eyes focused on his computer. “Not really. Let me just finish this email, and then I’ll pack up to leave.”
“Good. I’m going to clean some of this up. No need to let all these used coffee cups sit around for days until someone comes in to clean.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Carter said as he went to sit back down at his computer.
Ruth ignored him. She picked up the coffee cups and a fork that had gotten pushed near the edge of the desk. Then she took the trash bag out into the larger waste can in the kitchenette for the office suite.
By the time she’d come back, Carter was finished with the email and was turning off his computer and packing his briefcase.
They made their way downstairs together, saying good night to the security guard as they left. After a brief discussion, Ruth followed Carter’s car back to the Wilson house. His mother was out with friends—at a meditation evening, Carter explained—so they warmed up some pasta and made garlic bread and ate their dinner on the sofa in front of the television.
They didn’t talk very much. Both of them were really tired. But it was nice just the same. Easy. Comforting. Carter went to find them some ice cream in the freezer for dessert, and Ruth really enjoyed it.
They watched a trendy sitcom on streaming, and Ruth giggled and snorted at the jokes. She ended up falling asleep and woke up an hour later with her head on Carter’s lap.
He didn’t appear to mind. He was slouching down on the couch, one hand softly stroking her hair.
She shouldn’t let him do that. It wasn’t really appropriate for their relationship. But she was too sleepy and it felt too good, so she closed her eyes and enjoyed it instead.
No one except her mother had ever done that for her before.
It felt like he was taking care of her, and she liked it so much. Needed it.
She must have drifted off again because it was really late when she woke up the next time. This time the show had stopped running because the app had popped up a screen asking quite impertinently if they were still watching. She was still sprawled out in his lap, but he wasn’t stroking her hair any longer. Ruth adjusted so she could look up at Carter, and she smiled at what she saw.
He was sound asleep too.
Five
THANKSGIVING AT THE Wilson house wasn’t like any Thanksgiving in Ruth’s experience.
For one thing, they had a staff that handled all the meal prep and serving, so the day wasn’t about cooking from the moment she woke up in the morning. For another, the television wasn’t blasting constantly with the parade and endless football.
It was nice. Quiet. Lincoln and Summer were there, as was a gentleman Mrs. Wilson had been dating for a couple of months. Everyone was friendly and polite, and Lincoln kept them entertained with his banter and stories. The food was delicious, and there were three different kinds of desserts. It didn’t feel as intimate and domestic as holiday meals usually felt to her (she felt more like a guest than anything else), but it also had none of the hassle and conflict she was used to.
It was pleasant. Easy. Ruth had no complaints.
They ate at two in the afternoon, and by six Ruth was so full she couldn’t