to twist what I'd said back into something that didn't sound like I was fishing for answers, "I just thought you might still need it. That's all."
An uncomfortable knot had formed in my stomach at the possibility that this might have been my only chance at finding out what she thought of the whole thing. The whole "I'm obsessed with thinking about you with other men," thing. And that I might have just blown it.
"Nope," she shook her head and smiled. Then she stared at me. Was that too serious of a stare? "I got what I wanted." She held that stare for longer than she should have. Either that, or I was now going completely crazy. I had made myself completely crazy.
But wait. She got what she wanted. I could go back up there and just check the history. Just check where she had been. What she had done.
"Okay. Good," I said, backing away slowly and trying not to make a run for the stairs.
She got a strange look on and shook her head, but smiled.
I was up there in four seconds flat.
Recipe website.
Weather.
Reddit.
Nothing. There was nothing there, so she hadn't seen it, right? I swapped the window to the one with the message. It was still there. She could have seen it.
Hey baby. Send a picture and some details?
I had to come up with a plan.
"Think John, think," I muttered, pressing a fist against my lips. There had to be some way of figuring out if she'd seen it or not. Of course there was. There was a perfect way.
"Hey baby. Send a picture and some details?" I said quietly. I would just drop it into some conversation. Say it as a joke. Watch her. If she'd seen it, even if she didn't want me to know, I would see it in her eyes.
"Hello?" Sam's voice came from down below.
"Sam!" I said, coming down the stairs to see him standing just inside the door. "Come on in! You want a coffee?"
"Ya, I'll have a coffee sure."
"What brings you over?" I asked, rinsing out the stale coffee from the pot.
Sam looked side to side, like he was ready to tell a secret and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his strange behaviour. "She here?"
"She's doing the laundry downstairs. What's up?"
He leaned in over the counter and pulled me close. "I'd watch it with that fella ya have here. Ran into him up the road. He's got a real fancy for that wife of yers."
Sam's eyebrow went up. His words sent a shudder of jealous agony through me.
"Sam, what are you talking about?" I asked, trying my best not to let my paranoid excitement show.
"Well it was just the way he was talking..."
"Hiya Sam!" Rebecca's cheerful voice rang through the kitchen.
Sam straightened up and smiled and turned with outstretched arms until she curled up under his beard in a hug.
"How are ya lass?"
"Good," Rebecca answered, "What are you two whispering about up here?"
"Oh there's a bit of a thing going on around town about Mary Weavers, you remember her?" Sam changed subjects effortlessly, like he'd had it all prepared before he got here. Body of a bear but gossiped like a grandma.
"Yeah," Rebecca answered, crinkling her nose in confusion at why we'd be talking about Mary Weavers.
"Turns out she's been trying to get a man she met on the internet to come out and visit her. Her kids found out and were furious. Now they're flying in to, she says, set her straight."
"Man she met on the internet?"
I was on her like a hawk. Watching those eyes, watching the way the words came off her lips.
"Some guy she met on some internet website, chatting and the like. Her kids think he's just out to scam her, though what he'll scam her
of
I'm not too sure. She still owes me for a few grocery runs I did for her. Never mind. That's all. Where's that coffee?"
As soon as he turned around he made a face like "Gee did we get away with it?" and I saw my own opportunity begin to float away.
Desperate, I blurted the words without thinking. "Ha! Ha! Right, so how does that work, was he just like 'Hey baby. Send a picture and some details?'"
Sam's brow went up in genuine confusion
An uncomfortable knot had formed in my stomach at the possibility that this might have been my only chance at finding out what she thought of the whole thing. The whole "I'm obsessed with thinking about you with other men," thing. And that I might have just blown it.
"Nope," she shook her head and smiled. Then she stared at me. Was that too serious of a stare? "I got what I wanted." She held that stare for longer than she should have. Either that, or I was now going completely crazy. I had made myself completely crazy.
But wait. She got what she wanted. I could go back up there and just check the history. Just check where she had been. What she had done.
"Okay. Good," I said, backing away slowly and trying not to make a run for the stairs.
She got a strange look on and shook her head, but smiled.
I was up there in four seconds flat.
Recipe website.
Weather.
Reddit.
Nothing. There was nothing there, so she hadn't seen it, right? I swapped the window to the one with the message. It was still there. She could have seen it.
Hey baby. Send a picture and some details?
I had to come up with a plan.
"Think John, think," I muttered, pressing a fist against my lips. There had to be some way of figuring out if she'd seen it or not. Of course there was. There was a perfect way.
"Hey baby. Send a picture and some details?" I said quietly. I would just drop it into some conversation. Say it as a joke. Watch her. If she'd seen it, even if she didn't want me to know, I would see it in her eyes.
"Hello?" Sam's voice came from down below.
"Sam!" I said, coming down the stairs to see him standing just inside the door. "Come on in! You want a coffee?"
"Ya, I'll have a coffee sure."
"What brings you over?" I asked, rinsing out the stale coffee from the pot.
Sam looked side to side, like he was ready to tell a secret and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his strange behaviour. "She here?"
"She's doing the laundry downstairs. What's up?"
He leaned in over the counter and pulled me close. "I'd watch it with that fella ya have here. Ran into him up the road. He's got a real fancy for that wife of yers."
Sam's eyebrow went up. His words sent a shudder of jealous agony through me.
"Sam, what are you talking about?" I asked, trying my best not to let my paranoid excitement show.
"Well it was just the way he was talking..."
"Hiya Sam!" Rebecca's cheerful voice rang through the kitchen.
Sam straightened up and smiled and turned with outstretched arms until she curled up under his beard in a hug.
"How are ya lass?"
"Good," Rebecca answered, "What are you two whispering about up here?"
"Oh there's a bit of a thing going on around town about Mary Weavers, you remember her?" Sam changed subjects effortlessly, like he'd had it all prepared before he got here. Body of a bear but gossiped like a grandma.
"Yeah," Rebecca answered, crinkling her nose in confusion at why we'd be talking about Mary Weavers.
"Turns out she's been trying to get a man she met on the internet to come out and visit her. Her kids found out and were furious. Now they're flying in to, she says, set her straight."
"Man she met on the internet?"
I was on her like a hawk. Watching those eyes, watching the way the words came off her lips.
"Some guy she met on some internet website, chatting and the like. Her kids think he's just out to scam her, though what he'll scam her
of
I'm not too sure. She still owes me for a few grocery runs I did for her. Never mind. That's all. Where's that coffee?"
As soon as he turned around he made a face like "Gee did we get away with it?" and I saw my own opportunity begin to float away.
Desperate, I blurted the words without thinking. "Ha! Ha! Right, so how does that work, was he just like 'Hey baby. Send a picture and some details?'"
Sam's brow went up in genuine confusion
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