Reece's Haven

58

"Your body fits mine perfectly, as if God had moulded it just for me..."
– Nautica

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~ D O R O T H Y ~

March 1998

The door bell rings and I open the front door. A middle-aged delivery man stands in front of me, carrying a large bouquet of various flowers.

"Miss Sherman?" he inquires.

"That's me."

"These flowers are from Mr. Reece Walker," he informs, handing me the bouquet.

"Thank you," I say, smiling.

"Have a good day."

"You too."

I shut the door, shaking my head, amused, yet baffled, by how Reece always successfully manages to order fresh flowers for me just when the previous ones begin to wilt.

I head to the kitchen, where mother is washing dishes.

"More flowers from Reece?" mother asks with a smile, watching me admire the bouquet.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" I say.

"They certainly are. He has good taste, and I'm not just talking about the flowers," she says, shooting me a pointed look.

I roll my eyes at her implication, placing the bouquet on the kitchen counter.

"The lasagna should be ready in half an hour. Would you like to invite Reece over for dinner?" she asks. "It would be nice to have dinner with someone."

She and Linda are attending a musical theatre tonight, with the other members of their Book Club. They most probably will stay out till very late.

"He's busy tonight. He has some errands to run," I reply, to which she nods in understanding.

My thoughts drift to Dave. I have a feeling that Reece is meeting him tonight. Even though it has been a month since Reece returned from Paris, he has not revealed his secret yet. Honestly, I have no idea how I managed to be so patient for so long, but I guess the fact that his secret has the potential to harm our relationship helps me with that.

I mean, I'd rather we drag on this beautiful, little world that we created than to have it crash and burn to ashes.

"He is good for you, isn't he?" mother says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Better than good," I say, to which she smiles widely.

"I've seen the way he looks at you," she says.

"And how does he look at me?"

"Like he never wants to look away."

***

"The flowers are beautiful," I say on the phone, sitting on a sofa in the living room.

Mother has just left with Linda, leaving me alone in the house.

"Surely not as beautiful as you," Reece says.