"Do you have everything you need?" Jude asked, hurriedly, pouring Tommy more juice.
He watched her in a daze as she scurried from the island in the kitchen to the breakfast nook, back and forth getting things, and getting ready for work all at once.
"Jude," he said, grabbing her arm. "Please have a seat, you're making me extremely dizzy."
"Can't have a seat," she smiled, putting in an earring. "I have to get out of here in 7 minutes before I'm late…and then I will be murdered, and we both don't want that do we?" she said, taking a sip of her juice and setting the glass back down on the table. "Didn't think so."
Before he could reply she was out and about, rushing through the house. "No, wouldn't want that," he smiled, finishing up his strawberry pancakes, bacon, and eggs that Jude had so graciously prepared for him.
He sincerely wanted to complain about the habit she was developing of cooking for him. He was perfectly capable of fixing a bowl of cereal in the little kitchenette in the pool house. But he figured if she genuinely wanted to cook him pancakes, who was he to stop her?
"Okay, I gotta go," she said, grabbing a piece of bacon and a blueberry bagel. "Every number that you could possibly ever want is on the pin board over there," she reminded him, jerking her thumb in the general direction it was in the kitchen.
"Keys on the hook," she said, pointing off in another direction. "Security code is written down on the table in the foyer.
"Jude," he sighed, standing up and taking his dishes to the sink.
"You don't have to do that, I'll be home on my break to check up on things," she said, as she filled her thermal mug with hot tea.
"Jude," he sighed, again rolling his eyes while his back was turned to her at the sink.
"Yeah," she asked, after a bite of her bagel.
"Coddling," he said, throwing an easy smile over his shoulder at her. "You're going to be late girl."
"I'm showing hospitality, not coddling, but I'm going," she said, grabbing a paper towel. "You're sure you're going to be okay?"
"Jude," he chuckled, grabbing her briefcase and purse off the countertop. He placed his hand on the small of her back gently pushing her in the direction of the front door. "I'm going to be fine."
"Are you sure," she asked unsurely, grabbing her thermal cup, as he pushed her. "I would stay home another day with you to help you get acclimated, but big—no HUGE meeting this morning at G-major, I sort of can't get out of it. We're meeting---"
"Jude, I'll be fine," he said cutting her off and handing her briefcase and purse to her as he opened the door. "I'm leaving as soon as you get out the door anyway. I have a physical therapy appointment."
"Okay, but I'll stop by around one o'clock anyway, okay? Bring lunch perhaps?"
"Okay," Tommy nodded, gently, pushing her out the door. "See you later,"
"See you," she exhaled, "Have I mentioned lately how good it is to have you around again?"
He nodded, smiling. "Bye, Jude."
"Bye," she said, a little breathlessly before turning and walking down the stairs and down the sidewalk toward her car parked in the driveway. He shut the screen door, and stood there and waved as she backed out the driveway. She honked the horn once, before speeding off down the street.
Tommy shut the door, locking it before returning to the kitchen to straighten up a little. He snorted, as he thought about Jude insisting that he leave the huge mess. If he had, she would have had a hell of a time trying to get the egg white off the counter. As he finished up by wiping off the cabinets and returning dishes to their respective places, he grabbed two pieces of leftover bacon and headed off to guesthouse.
Remembrance perked up from her place on the patio sofa as the whiff of bacon wafted over to her nose. She instantly got up, nearly tripping Tommy as she rushed into the house ahead of him.
"Sure, come on in," Tommy laughed, as the dog sat right in front of the couch, her eyes pleading for some bacon.
"Jude said you were getting fat girl, no table scraps," Tommy explained, to the dog, but she continued to look at him sadly. Tommy sighed, calling the dog to him and handing her the bacon. "Hell, you only live once." He quipped, stroking Remembrance's silky, caramel coat.
With the remote to the plasma television in hand, he flopped on the couch and settled on ESPN. He was on his way into a deep sleep when Remembrance barked and licked his face.
"Rem, you and your doggie breath," he groaned, sitting up. Remembrance patted over to the door and sat down looking at the door longingly.
"Perhaps I shouldn't have given you that bacon," he murmured, as Remembrance shot through his legs like a rocket. He watched in bewilderment when he saw the dog rush and knock a young boy to the ground.
"Holy shit," he whispered, rushing over to the scene and grabbing Remembrance by the collar.
"Are you okay," he asked, but he could see the answer—the boy was laughing and petting the dog's coat, and Remembrance wasn't attack him like he had originally thought. "What are you doing in my yard?" Tommy asked, as the boy stood up and adjusted his glasses.
"Your yard," the boy responded, looking at Tommy from head to toe dexterously. "What are you doing here?" he asked, snidely, and then added, "Jude's newest male conquest?"
"Conquest?" Tommy repeated, narrowing his eyes. "Um, no."
"So what are you doing here?" he asked, adjusting his glasses once again.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm Jude's good friend," he replied, smugly. "And you are?"
"Also a friend," Tommy answered, uncomfortably. He felt as if he was being either audited or on Candid Camera.
"Just a friend, uh?" the boy nodded, brushing Remembrance away from the pocket of his cargo pants. "I thought you might be her father or something…"
"Her father," Tommy exclaimed. "No, I'm not her father!" he chuckled nervously, eyeing the boy suspiciously.
He could have escaped from a mental institution or something. Her father? He must be deranged. Her father?
"I'm afraid we might have gotten off on the wrong foot," Tommy laughed, extending his hand. "I'm the Tom Quincy."
The boy shrugged, declining Tommy's hand, and standing up on his own. "I'm the Benjamin Grayson Jr." He scoffed, brushing off Remembrance who was still biting at his pocket.
"Oh…the dog walker," Tommy clarified, his eyes glancing over him, from his messy mop of curly blonde hair to his glasses perched on his nose to his navy blue A&F hoodie to his matching sweat pants and Nikes. "Yeah, Jude mentioned you."
The boy peered over his glasses at him, his eyes piercing his. "She did?"
"Yeah," Tommy replied, slightly amused. "She said you were her 10 year-old dog walker."
"I'm 13," he snapped, digging out a leash from the other side of his pocket. He was quiet as he snapped the leash around Remembrance's neck. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a peanut butter sandwich and handed it to her.
"I'm sorry, there's a big difference right there…" Tommy patronized.
"Yes, there is," Grayson replied, looking at Tommy from head to toe.
And my sarcasm is wasted on you…
"I thought Jude said Remembrance wasn't allowed any human food," Tommy commented, as he watched the dog lay on her stomach tearing into the peanut butter sandwich.
He grinned, innocently. "What are you doing here while Jude's at work again?" he asked, his curiosity apparently getting the best of him.
"She's letting me stay in her pool house for a while," Tommy clarified.
"Are you and she having sexual relations?" he asked, smirking.
Tommy eyes widened with shock. He couldn't believe the boy actually had the guts to ask him that.
None of your business, you little weasel.
He decided to change the subject instead of exhibiting violence. "I thought Jude said Remembrance wasn't allowed any human food," Tommy commented, as he watched her flash her doggie grin as she finished the last of the sandwich.
Grayson shrugged nonchalantly. "About you and Jude," he probed.
"None of your business," Tommy replied, slowly.
"Hey man," he said, throwing his hands up in the air. "I just wanted to let you know that you were just her newest boy toy…"
"Do I look like a boy to you?" Tommy asked rhetorically.
"No," Grayson replied wide-eyed. "I told you, I could have mistaken you for her father…"
"How old do you think I am," Tommy asked, mildly curious. "On second thought don't answer that…"
Grayson began to saunter out the entrance of the gate, Remembrance in tow.
"Hey, wait up a minute," Tommy called, following Grayson out the back gate. "What do you mean her 'newest boy toy' anyway?"
"Just what I said," Grayson paused, shrugging.
"You're saying Jude has a lot of guys around here?" he questioned, walking along down the driveway with the boy and the dog.
Grayson shrugged again, "I don't think that's any of my business."
Well, none of its any of your business, you little ass wipe.
"I just didn't want you to develop a huge head over Jude paying you a little attention," he confided.
What the hell? It's junior high school all over again. Wow.
"Oh really?" Tommy smirked. "And why not?"
"Because you're nothing special. She'll be over you like this," Grayson said, snapping his fingers. He threw Tommy a sympathetic look and a wave over his shoulder as he and Remembrance jogged down the driveway. "Later dude."
"Later dude," Tommy mocked, rolling his eyes.
You thought I forgot, didn't you? No, I didn't. I have to thank the people who make writing this worth my time and energy by reading AND reviewing.So...to blueyes8907, burninsecretskept, pixiestix16, FreakEmoWriter17, Tommy4eva, bookworm0408, smileon, Erin McKinley, Tanya50801, Tommys my 21, Duddley111, and LittleZurawski...thanks so much for taking the time to review.