The next morning Junior called into work and told his boss he had something extremely important to do and wouldn’t be able to make it in. Thankfully, things had been caught up recently, and he was told they could handle things without him for a day or two if he needed it. He felt relieved and took the next day off as well. There were times such as that when he knew he was very fortunate to have the job he had.
When he turned his phone off and laid it on the coffee table he felt his smile spread and his heart hammer. When he sat up from the couch a slight dull pain spread quickly through his back; his muscles were sore from the previous day’s workout. He knew he had overdone it and that he would feel that way. He thought the next time he would go a little easier and be sure to go to the jacuzzi afterward.
His thoughts left his physical dilemma and went directly to Sam, who was currently lying in his bed, sleeping. Once she arrived the night before, they sat and talked. Time slipped away into the early morning and they agreed she should stay after all. They had a difficult time saying goodnight to the other, but eventually she turned as her eyes held his and her tired smile was just as lovely. They held hands as long as they could as she walked into his room; he stood in place and watched her disappear. He didn’t want to sleep on the couch as she was in his bed, but the last thing he wanted to do was disrespect her.
Standing, he painfully shuffled to the door of his bedroom and peered in on her. What he saw made his heart feel like it moved out of its normal position and made him lean against the door frame. She was incredibly gorgeous as he stared at her. She had changed into a pair of shorts and one of his t-shirts and was spread across the bed almost sideways. Her hair was flayed out, partly covering her face, and he almost laughed as he watched her unmoving form. He had half a mind to grab his cell phone and take a picture of her because she was so cute. Instead, he turned and left her alone as she was obviously tired from her drive and then staying up late talking.
As coffee brewed he thought about when the moving truck with her things was supposed to arrive. He remembered she said something about them being there between noon and three o’clock. It was early yet, so they had time to get coffee and breakfast before they needed to go to her house. If she wasn’t awake by nine he would wake her up.
Around eight-thirty he started making breakfast. He threw some diced peppers and cheese in a bowl full of beaten eggs while bacon was frying in the skillet. He opened the can of biscuits he had in the refrigerator and put them in the oven. He hoped by the time everything was ready she would be up and joining him. He wasn’t disappointed.
As he was retrieving the bacon from its grease and placing it on a plate with paper towels, she shuffled into the kitchen. He hadn’t heard her walk into the room, so when she stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, he was startled and almost dropped the bacon on the floor.
“Well, good morning, sleeping beauty! You caught me off guard.”
“Good morning. Sorry about that.” She smiled as she hugged him tight. “The smell of the bacon woke me.”
He set the plate on the counter, turned in her arms, and took her within his. He gave her a kiss on her forehead and she hummed into his chest. His grin spread like wildfire as he gazed upon her freckled face. She was still half asleep and her hair was a mess, but he loved every part of her.
“I was going to wake you soon. I thought a good breakfast would be good for us both. How did you sleep?”
“I slept like a baby and thank you for making breakfast. Do you need any help?”
“Nope. I got this. You get some coffee and sit there looking pretty.”
Laughing, she did as he suggested without argument.
“You know I shouldn’t eat bacon, right? I mean, I love it, but it isn’t good for my heart.”
“I do, and this is actually turkey bacon. It’s not bad for you and it’s pretty tasty. I think you’ll like it.”
***
Sam
Sam sat cross-legged at the dining room table sipping her steaming coffee and grinning at him. She couldn’t help thinking how cute he was and more importantly how thoughtful he was. It meant a lot to her. She watched him stirring the eggs into the skillet and checking on the biscuits. She hadn’t had a man cook for her in a long time and it felt good.
“What time do you think the movers will be at your house?” he asked with his back to her.
“They told me between noon and three o’clock, but we’ll see. I want to be over there around eleven-thirty in case they decide to surprise me and get there early. So, after I eat and shower I’m going to head over. You are going with me, right? Oh, wait! How come you ain’t at work?”
He laughed and started scooping helpings of scrambled eggs onto their plates. He grinned at her and answered, “Just noticing that, huh? I called in today, and I’m taking tomorrow off, too. My boss said it’s fine. I’ll use a couple sick days. No biggie.”
“Why, thank you, kind sir.”
“You are quite welcome, madam,” he returned. “I have to get the biscuits. They should be ready.”
Sam turned and faced the table, waiting with her elbows on the edge. She watched him as he removed the biscuits from the oven. She could see the muscles in his arms and back as he twisted and turned and could tell he had been working out. She had always known he was a handsome man, but she was so in love with Chris for so long, Junior’s good looks never did anything for her. Either that, or she never took the time to notice. Things had dramatically changed and she appreciated what she now saw in a much different light.
Junior was a very attractive man. She took more notice to his blonde hair and deeply set blue eyes, to his deep voice and smile. She remembered how she felt the night before as they held each other and talked. She was tired last night, but not so much to where she didn’t notice her emotional and physical reactions to his kisses and being in his arms. They talked about taking it slow and they both meant it, but she was grateful for how he made her feel. She continued observing and waited until he was sitting with her with two glasses of orange juice and a plate filled with the canned biscuits. They gave thanks to Jesus for the food, another day, and a new beginning before they started eating.
“How much vacation time do you have?” she asked as she stuffed a slice of bacon in her mouth. “Must be a lot.”
“Well, I’m blessed and very grateful for where I work. I’ve been there a little over eight years and I have three weeks of vacation a year, plus forty hours sick time if needed and six paid holidays. That’s pretty good in my opinion.”
Nodding her head as she chewed, she agreed, “Yeah, I would be thrilled to have that if I worked for a company. I’m grateful that I don’t have too, though. I am so excited about being able to open my own place. I have a lot of work to do before that though, but it wouldn’t be happening at all if it wasn’t for the money Chris left me and from the insurance companies.”
She didn’t think before she spoke, and as soon as her words left her mouth her heart skipped a beat and she looked at Junior. His reaction was slight, but he didn’t say anything. She sensed he was cautious. It made her wonder more about how Chris came into so much money, but she chose not to mention it again until some other time.
***
Marion
Marion watched from the corner of the room as they ate. She hadn’t had to do more than pray for either of them. There wasn’t anything else she could do besides lay her unseen hands on them and help by sending the loving power that was the grace of God Himself. She could sense things were going to get difficult for them, and she wished she could somehow step in to keep them from ruining what God wanted for them.
She heard Sam bring up a serious topic and how Junior looked when she said it. Her heart went out to them both and she would pray hard for God’s grace and guidance. If things didn’t go as planned or if they got sidetracked somehow, it could ruin everything. She wasn’t as concerned about her wings or how it would make her look. She was worried about the love that would go wrong. Love was the most powerful gift in all the universe. Theirs would not be lost. Not if she had any say in the matter.