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We stayed that way for a little more time until Dan finally got to my house, his arrival heralded by Buddy’s incessant barking. Grandma took one look at him and with a trace of annoyance in her tone, she said, “Took him long enough to get here.”
I shot her a warning look but she just shook her head. “I’ll be in my room if anybody needs me.”
Dan and I watched as she slowly hobbled back to her room. “Why do I get the feeling that she doesn’t like me very much?” he muttered. He looked at Buddy, who was still growling at him. “Your dog, too.”
He rolled his eyes and took me into his arms. I leaned into his strength and breathed in his scent deeply.
“Let’s order takeout and watch a movie,” he suggested. “I don’t want you having to prepare dinner when you’ve been through so much today.”
I beamed up at him as he dialed for Chinese. I didn’t really like Chinese food but Dan loved it. Besides, I didn’t have much of an appetite after what Oliver did today.
We invited Grandma Margaret to join us and she did, but she returned to her room soon after eating.
We ended up on the couch, watching an action movie Dan had been wanting to watch for ages but never had the time to. I wasn’t one for action movies, but the fast pace and sound effects took my mind off of Oliver.
Before the movie could start, Buddy leapt up onto the sofa to squeeze himself in between us, pushing Dan to the other side. He grumbled a little but Buddy started to growl and the movie was starting, so he let it go.
I sighed inwardly as I let my mind run away with the movie. Our lives weren’t perfect and I wished Dan spent more time with me. He wasn’t exactly as romantic or affectionate either. But at times like these, I was happy I had his strength to lean on. When it mattered, Dan always did his best to show up.
Oliver had been gone for more than ten years. He had no right to turn my life upside down with his arrival.
I wasn’t about to let him.
“Babe?” I asked. “About the veranda roof, do you think you could take the weekend off so we can start working on it?”
He looked at me with annoyance clearly written across his features. “Really? You’re bringing that up now? In the middle of the movie?”
“It’s just that—”
“I really don’t have the time for it, Amanda,” he snapped. “You’re really starting to annoy me about that damned roof.”
I bit my tongue and turned my sullen gaze back to the screen but I was hardly paying attention to the movie. He must have noticed my sudden shift in mood because he began to change his tune, although the words remained the same.
“Why don’t you just call a company about it, babe?” he suggested. Although his tone has softened, I could still make out the tinge of annoyance in it.
“You don’t understand,” I told him. “It’s too close to my heart to just hand it over to some stupid company. They won’t be able to appreciate the sentimental value in it and I’m afraid they’ll end up changing too much and there’ll be nothing of Grandpa Frederick left in there.”
I saw him roll his eyes at my explanation. Like, he reallyrolledhis eyes.
I felt like choking him. If I was Elle, he would probably be a corpse right now.
“Amanda,please,” he muttered snidely. “How can a fucking roof be close to one’s heart?”
I was already having a bad day with Oliver bursting in on me with his horrible accusations earlier. I honestly didn’t have the mental capacity and the patience to deal with Dan’s attitude right now.
Whatever it was, I ended up launching one of the throw pillows at him, earning me an incensed glare and an annoyed “Hey!”
I didn’t care.
“If you don’t give a damn about the things that are close to my heart, then just shut the fuck up!” I yelled at him, before I stormed off for my room, leaving him alone in the living room with his stupid movie playing on. Buddy barked at him, too, before following after me.
If he doesn’t get it. Fine!I thought angrily to myself, as I changed into my bedclothes and slipped under the covers.
“Buddy! Come here, boy!” I called out for my faithful companion, patting the space beside me on the bed. “Come sleep beside me. That insensitive cad can sleep on the couch by himself tonight!”
CHAPTER SEVEN
OLIVER
