Page 25 of Over Time Advantage

He shakes his head. “No. Babies aren’t exactly on her mind right now.”

“You should do it sooner rather than later. Look at everything you’re doing for her. She must know you love her. Tell her about your willingness to have children. It could be why she’s holding back, at least in part.” Dropping my bowl and spoon into the sink, I point to his small wine cellar and smile as I ask, “Any particular bottle I should take to my room, or do I have free rein?”

He raises an unamused eyebrow. He knows I love fucking with him and taking good bottles when I don’t know anything about wines and would be just as happy with the cheap stuff. “I got you a case of that nasty shit you liked in Italy. It’s on the bottom right of the cellar. Stick to that section,” he commands with both authority and disgust. “It has appropriate wines for your palate.”

I giggle, knowing that means it’s the crappy wine section. “Thank you.”

Making my way back to my room with the bottle and a glass in hand, I grab my phone and settle into my bed. I see Lloyd has already asked if I’m available.

Diane: Sorry, got caught up with a mean bowl of rum raisin ice cream. I’m here now.

He writes back immediately.

Lloyd: I thought maybe you’d fallen asleep.

Diane: Nope. Not without my wine and Lloyd.

Lloyd: How was your day, angel face?

He started calling me angel face, and I swear it makes me blush like a schoolgirl every single time, especially since he’s never even seen my face.

Diane: It was long and exhausting.

Lloyd: Want to talk about it?

Diane: Nope. We’re not talking about our jobs, remember?

We agreed to avoid work conversations weeks ago. We generally avoid topics that would make it easier to find out who the other person is, both enjoying the anonymity of our relationship.

Lloyd: Okay, but just know I’m here if you want to talk. Any Thanksgiving plans?

Diane: My ex, my daughter, and some extended family and friends. You?

Lloyd: My ex and my son. It’ll be small.

Diane: Not your daughter?

Lloyd: Unfortunately she has plans with friends.

I’ve gathered in our conversations that his relationship with his daughter is strained, and it’s upsetting to him. He usually goes a bit quiet when I bring her up, though I can tell he’s proud of whatever she does. I decide to lighten the conversation. I need playful banter tonight.

Diane: Who’s your celebrity crush?

I see three dots for a long while. I’m sure he’s overthinking it. He tends to do that at times.

Lloyd: I can’t say I’ve been asked that very often, but I loved the movie Varsity Blues when I was in college, and I love Landman now, so I guess I’ll say Ali Larter. Such a natural, timeless beauty.

I nearly spit my wine out. People have been telling me for well over twenty years that she’s my doppelgänger. She’s a little older than me, and I’m a bit curvier than her, but I can see why people would say that.

She also wore a whipped-cream bikini very famously in Varsity Blues. Countless football players in high school, who were also obsessed with that movie, asked me to don that bikini. It used to annoy me.

Wow. What are the chances that she’d be his crush?

Diane: Was it the whipped-cream bikini that sucked you in?

Lloyd: Ha ha. There’s not a man in the world who hasn’t fantasized about that, myself included. What about you? Who’s your celebrity crush?

Mine is a little weird because I’ve met him. I don’t think I’ll give Lloyd a name.