Page 54 of A Match Made In Fall

"Night. Good to see you."

The rest of the family say their goodbyes, and then it's just Isabella and me.

I glance at her. "Are you heading home too?"

She shrugs. "I don't have to if you want some company, but I understand if you want to be alone."

Normally I would want to be alone, but since she’s here, that’s not the case. "I can give you a ride home later."

Her smile grows. "Okay."

We walk out toward the parking lot together. For the first time all night, the knot in my chest doesn’t feel as tight.

"Do you want to come over for a little while?" I ask. I kind of just want to relax in my own home, but I’d love for her to be there with me.

"Sure," she says.

A wave of calm comes over me. If anything can make me forget the game, it’s spending time with this amazing woman.

“Wow, your place is a lot neater than I expected.”

I grin. “Thank you. I wish I could take credit for it, but it’s all because of Suzanna.”

“Who’s Suzanna?”

“She’s a wonderful lady I hired to help keep the chaos to a minimum. She comes once a week and cleans up after me. She even offered to do my laundry, but I couldn’t subject her to that level of horror.”

Isabella laughs. “That’s very considerate of you.”

“Well, I’m a considerate guy,” I tell her.

Her smile widens.

“Can I get you something to drink?” I ask, opening the refrigerator and waving like a game show host. The shelves are fully stocked with a wide variety of beverages and food.

“Very impressive and so organized,” Isabella points out.

“Suzanna picks up groceries for me,” I admit. “I pay her extra because I absolutely despise grocery shopping. I don’t have the patience for shoppers who take up an entire aisle while they try to choose a cereal. I’d rather clean the house.”

She laughs. “Really? That’s interesting.”

“I know it sounds weird, but we all have our little quirks, right?

She nods. “That’s true. And I’ll try one of those fancy bottles of sparkling water.”

“You got it.”

I grab two bottles and twist off the caps while Isabella wanders through my apartment.

“This is a beautiful view,” she calls from the living room windows.

I join her, handing her the water bottle.

“Thank you. It was one of the two things I wanted when I moved in. I wanted to be close to the arena and have a good view.”

“That’s smart, since you spend so much time at the arena.”

“Exactly.”