Page 91 of Finding Elodie
“Yeah, you are. And speaking of your apartment, I should probably tell you that when I’m stressed, I cook. And before you ask, no, nothing weird happened here. I didn’t sense anyone following me or anything like that. I had no bad vibes, but I was worried about you and the guys. I couldn’t help but stress about something going wrong on your mission. So there’s enough food in your freezer to feed us for weeks. Oh! I know, we could bring some to the others! I’m sure Slate wouldn’t mind getting a casserole. And Midas might like the meatloaf I made.”
Mustang leaned down and kissed her again. She was smiling at first, and he loved feeling her happiness on his lips. He pulled back and took her hand and continued toward his truck. “No one’s getting my food,” he told her. “I’m not ready to share all that deliciousness with my team yet.”
Elodie giggled. “It’s only food, Scott, we can make more.”
“Nope. You made it, it’s mine.”
“You’re selfish, you know that?” she asked with a grin.
“When it comes to you and your food? Absolutely,” he said without remorse. “What else did you do while I was gone?”
Mustang made sure to check out the area as he approached his truck. Nothing stood out as being suspicious. There were groups of people walking around the docks, to and from the boats, a couple of men with fishing poles set up at the end of one of the docks and, as always, a few homeless men and women hanging around in the grassy areas under the trees nearby.
He held open Elodie’s door for her and waited until she got settled, then walked quickly around the truck to the driver’s side.
When he put on his seat belt, he glanced over at Elodie and saw she was staring at him with a huge grin on her face. “What?”
“Nothing. It’s just…you look good. Healthy. I was worried about that.”
“About what?” Mustang asked as he started the truck.
“About you not eating right. Sleeping in the dirt. Pushing yourself too hard.” She shrugged. “I know it’s stupid. You’re a SEAL. You’ve trained to do all that stuff. But that doesn’t mean I don’t worry about it.”
Before he pulled out, Mustang reached over and put his palm on Elodie’s cheek. She immediately leaned against him. “Except for the lying in the dirt part, I worried about the same things with you. I don’t know how it happened, but you’re so far under my skin, El. And I like you there.”
“Same,” she said with a smile.
Mustang ran his thumb over her lips briefly, then forced himself to pull back and concentrate on driving. He could sit there with her all day, but he’d rather get her home.
“So…you didn’t answer my question,” he said. “Anything else interesting happen while I was gone?”
“No,” Elodie said with a shrug. “I worked; some tourists were a pain in the ass, but most were cool. I cooked; I already told you that your freezer is stuffed full. And I may or may not have bought a new chair for your bedroom.”
Mustang frowned. “Babe, I don’t want you spending money on me.”
“I didn’t,” she insisted. “I did it for me. Kai took me to the huge swap meet thing at the stadium one afternoon, when I was going stir crazy. I was really careful though, and we didn’t stay long. I saw the chair and couldn’t resist. It’s got the most comfortable cushions and you just sink into them. It’s ugly as hell, I’ll warn you right now. I need to get it reupholstered to cover up the orange and brown flowers that are all over it, but I figured I could do that later. I put it right in front of the window in your bedroom, and it’s amazing to sit there with the window open and listen to the waves. And…it’s big enough for two.”
Mustang could picture her sitting there in his mind, and he couldn’t wait to share that chair with her. “How much was it? I’ll pay you back.”
“You will not,” she said forcefully.
“Whoa,” he said in surprise. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
She sighed. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to jump down your throat. It’s just that you’ve done so much for me, Scott. You’ve made me feel wanted and cherished, which I needed…you have no idea how much. A chef is usually in the background, and only thought of when something’s wrong with the food. And in New York, I was just the hired help. Then I was on the run, trying to stay under the radar.
“But you saw me. Me. You’ve asked for nothing in return for all your kindnesses, and I hate feeling as if I’m mooching off you. When I saw this chair, I knew it would be perfect for that spot in your room, next to your bed. I don’t want you to feel as if you have to pay for every little thing. I’ve been on my own for a very long time; I don’t want or need to be a kept woman. Okay?”
“Okay,” Mustang said immediately. “But you need to understand that it’s not in my nature to let you pay for shit when I know how little you have. I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just not escaped my attention that you have very little in that room you rented. I want to give you the world, El, and I don’t want you spending your hard-earned money on me. If you want to buy something, by all means, go for it, but be forewarned, I’m never going to be comfortable with you spending a ton of money on me.”
“I understand. This chair was as much for me as it was you, though. Same goes with food. I don’t want you getting weird when I come back from the grocery store with ten bags full of food.”
Mustang pressed his lips together. He didn’t want her spending her own money on food they’d both eat, but he understood where she was coming from. “How about this, when we shop together, I pay. When you’re on your own, I won’t complain when you pay.”
“Are you going to let me go to the store by myself when you’re not on a mission?” she asked.
It was a very insightful question, and it told Mustang that she knew him pretty well already. “Yes?”
She laughed. “Right. We don’t have to hash everything out right this second, but as long as you realize that I’m in my thirties and not twelve, and expect to contribute to our relationship and not mooch off you, we’re good.”
