Robbie opened the front door and the smell of dinner cooking met him. It made him smile and laugh. He'd promised Laura home cooked meals when he retired only for both of them to discover he was incapable of cooking. Even following a simple recipe was beyond his skill level. She'd been good natured about it and stepped in to fill the void exclaiming she had no plans to spend the rest of her life eating takeaway.

"Laura, I'm home."

"I'm in the kitchen, cooking your dinner."

He joined her in the kitchen, "Can I make it better with a glass of wine?"

Nodding toward her glass, "Way ahead of you."

"Anything I can do to make it better?"

She turned toward him, "A kiss might do the trick."

He pulled her to him, dipping her then kissed her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, gripping him tightly. He tightened his grip on her, deepening the kiss. When the kiss ended, she smiled at him, "What was that for?"

"Can't I just kiss my wife?"

"Anytime you want."

He kissed her again, softer, his hand stroking her cheek. "I love you, Laura."

"Robbie, what's wrong?"

Shaking his head, he released her. "Nothing, love."

"Out of sorts from a hard day of teasing James? Or perhaps tired from keeping ahead of his pesky questions? Go on up and change, we have about fifteen minutes before dinner."

"Actually, no."

She gave him a quizzical look, "No to changing?"

Pulling on his tie, he shook his head. "No to James. Not one single question. He thanked me again for dinner on Friday then went about his day."

"That's a good thing, right." She reached for him, lightly stroking his arm. "Perhaps he just decided to wait."

"No, that's not like him. He doesn't give up."

Turning back to her cooking, she shrugged. "Or perhaps, he's just lulling you in. Making you think he's given up."

Robbie thought about it for a moment. "You're a genius, love. That's exactly what he's doing." He wrapped his arm around her waist kissing her lightly on the neck. "I'm off to change. I'll set the table when I get back."

Laura nodded, turning to watch him go. She was pleased he seemed mollified by her answer. However, she felt certain something was amiss. James didn't just give up on things. She reached for her phone to call Jean and Robbie returned.

"Love, how do you feel about a walk after dinner? A leisurely stroll, holding hands, chatting."

Removing her hand from her phone, she smiled at his easy resilience. "That sounds lovely."

"I bet that gelato stand will be open."

Her laughter filled the room, "Is this about spending time with me or gelato?"

Smiling back at her as he set the table, "I'm a complex man, love. Who says it can't be about both?"