Awkward Romantic (Lahja)

[Abe Milton]

It would take a much dumber man than Abe to miss the clues Lahja was leaving, but Abe would admit that it had taken longer than it should have for him to get the hint. Part of this, he knew, was not accidental. This was his first relationship since the death of his wife, and even then he’d never been particularly good at the whole courting thing. Relationships had been few and far between for Abe, who would have one serious partner and never take it well when the relationship ended. After his wife, Abe had honestly expected never to find anyone again. And then, eight months ago, Lahja had waltzed into his life and turned everything upside down. Where he was conservative, she was bold and liberal. Where he had lived a life living by the rules, she definitely had not. But they’d experienced loss. They both worked hard. And so slowly, they’d come to an understanding of a sort, and Abe grew to like the sensation. The physical aspect of it had been a little tricky for Abe to navigate based on his faith, but there weren’t really any rules for widowers, and eventually they’d fallen to the wayside. Still, by no one’s definition could the relationship be called “fast,” or even normal. Abe had been content with that. But lately, he’d gotten the impression Lahja was not.

For one thing, she kept talking about closet spaces, and having a spare drawer to put his clothes. Abe, who had traveled often for his job, was puzzled. He always had a suitcase standing by with whatever he needed and had since his early thirties. Then she’d started cleaning out her garage to leave a space for his car. Lastly, there had been a lot of flyers lying around for vacationing spots. That last one had been the hint that had finally clicked in his head. And even then, it had taken some time, seeping through Abe’s admittedly thick head and finally prompting him to think less like a long-term widower and more like…well, an FBI agent. Then he’d left the running of the restaurant to his staff for a little and had retreated with a cup of coffee to the lounge to think about it.

Lahja obviously wasn’t happy with how the relationship was progressing. Or, to be more accurate, the speed. The question was, was he? He’d become rather settled into his bachelor ways. His wife would’ve been ashamed of him. Amused, but ashamed. He wasn’t sure what he was ready for. But it was time to start thinking about it.

So he invited Lahja over for dinner. He did that often. Because she usually craved comfort food, he made some of his best mac and cheese and a deliciously chocolatey dessert. He was still working on it, apron casually tied around his waist and the sleeves of his dark brown shirt rolled up to his elbows to not get them covered with the flower that had enveloped his hands, when there was a ring at the door.

“It’s open,” he called. He hadn’t given her a key yet. That would be the first step, even if it was hard to let another woman into what had been his wife’s abode. He had it resting on the counter. He knew Amber wouldn’t have minded—she would’ve admired her, and been grateful to her for shaking her husband out of his old school ways—but it wouldn’t make it easier. Not for a little, at least. He offered her a smile as she entered. “I’d hug you,” he said, “but I’d get you covered in flour. Thanks for coming. Feel free to take a seat. There’s some white wine in the fridge and red in the cabinet. You know what to do.”

[Lahja Morgan]

Throughout her life, Lahja had never been the sort of woman that anyone would describe as patient. With her horses should could wait for days to get the smallest response from them, but away from that world she did not see any point in putting off until tomorrow what could be done today. Bolshy, independant, stubborn and impatient were all words that had been used to describe her over the years. And yes, even selfish. Perhaps her rather spoiled upbringing was the cause of her inability to just wait to get the things that she wanted, but it had very rarely let her down in the past, even when in the long term it had lead to eventual disappointment.

Lahja was not letting the shadows of the past haunt her any more. The years since her husband had left her had been marked by casual flings and pitifully short dead-end relationships. They'd had their fun moments, sure, but they would not set the course for the rest of her life. She had decided what it was that she wanted.

She understood Abe's hesitance and unwillingness to progress, she really did. Whilst her loss had been nowhere near as brutal as his, she had still suffered loss and knew just how difficult it could be to find a path through the void left by it. The hints had been subtle at first, but as the weeks had progressed it had become more and more clear that Abe just wasn't getting it. She didn't really mind if he moved in or not or anything like that and she truthfully didn't want to rush him; she just wanted a sign that he was capable of moving forward and that they wouldn't be stuck in this maybe-maybenot forever. She knew it would probably seem pushy and insensitive, or (there's that word again) selfish, but she was quickly approaching the time of her life where, if she wasn't happy and settled, she never would be. She had found something, or more specifically someone, that made her happy. She just wanted a sign that it wasn't simply going to be another relationship cul-de-sac.

Despite the quiet unvoiced frustrations, Lahja was still genuinely happy and excited when the invite for dinner had been made. She had made sure to finish up early on the yard, leaving Nicole to finish feeding and settling down the horses so Lahja would have plenty of time to wash away the grime of the day and change into something slightly less comfortable than jeans and a shirt but definitely much more presentable.

She had arrived a little early, dark hair loose and falling in soft curls, a short crimson summer dress worn over leggings and heels. The delicious scent of the cooking food made her stomach growl in appreciation as she entered the house, and she wandered through to the kitchen with a warm smile on her lips. "That's fine, I'll just make sure to get two hugs from you later instead." The flour, however, did not stop her from planting a soft kiss on his cheek as she went by to retrieve said wine from the fridge. "Thank you for inviting me. I could use a break; this time of year is always so very hectic. Besides, you feed me. That's always a bonus." She chuckled softly, fetching two glasses out of the cupboard and opening the bottle. After filling the glasses she slid one across the worktop towards Abe before settling on one of the stools, legs crossed at the ankles. "I would offer to help, but I'm sure you would much rather it actually be edible."

[Abe Milton]

Was it wrong and chauvinistic of Abe to like that Lahja dressed up for him still? His wife certainly hadn’t, but he hadn’t minded. With her it had been easy to love her for not. She’d trusted him enough to let her guard down, for him to see what she looked like without all the trappings. And that wasn’t to say he disliked Lahja dressed down. He liked her in just about anything (or nothing). It was just flattering that she still viewed him as important enough to dress nicely. And that dress was definitely stunning on her. He quite liked that she was here early too. Abe liked promptness. That was leftover from his FBI days, when too many people would show up late just to prove they weren’t the boss. Or overly early, to catch him unawares. Not too late and not too early. It was just perfect. He offered her a warm smile that most would’ve found foreign to his features. Customers certainly didn’t get smiles like that, and while employees were gently encouraged, it wasn’t with particular warmth. Lahja was one of the few, and for that reason many of the staff had approached Lahja quietly to thank her for making their boss be a little less…severe. If Abe knew about it, he hadn’t said a word, but there had been a quirk in his smile that had indicated he wasn’t entirely clueless.

“I’m always happy to feed you,” he said. “It’s not like I spend all day in the kitchen.” His voice was dry but one eyelid shivered in a wink. Abe’s sense of humor was a little hard to spot. It required a magnifying glass and a willingness not to take anything personal. “What makes this time of year so hectic anyways? It’s quieter than me for summer. Less people come out looking for food. They’re all in school or work.” Which made business slower, but they still did well enough. They’d gotten a reputation as a date place. It meant the waiters got good tips—gotta love men eager to impress their dates—and they had a steady stream. The food still required work, and he turned his attention to it as she poured the wine, rinsing his hands so he could whisk the ingredients together and then carefully scrape it into the bowls he’d put into the oven. He muttered his thanks for the wine, although it was entirely possible he hadn’t seen it at all. It was easier to focus on the food than it was on her. Food was simple. Well, mostly. Cooking was. Add enough spices and you could make up for mistakes—so long as you didn’t burn it. Baking, however—you got one thing wrong in baking and the whole thing could go bad. Rather like this.

He could feel his shoulders tensing and forced them to ease. Lahja wasn’t like that. He could handle this, and he would. It wasn’t worse than an interrogation, right?

Yeah, because that was totally a good comparison to make. He breathed in and out again and, once the lava cakes in potentia were in the oven, washed his hands, rolled down his sleeves and took off the apron before settling next to her with his glass of wine in hand. He raised his in a toast.

“To dinners in August,” he said, then took a sip. When he put the glass down, he was staring at it thoughtfully.

Well, now or never.

“Lahja,” he said. “I couldn’t help noticing that you’ve been—leaving a lot of hints around lately.”

[Lahja Morgan]

It was rare that anyone saw Lahja looking less than well dressed. Good appearances were an important part of her work but they were an equally important part of her life and who she was as a person. Even when just working around the stables she always had her hair styled neatly and a light dusting of make-up on, but there was a difference when she was making a real effort. Clean jeans and a nice blouse didn’t compare to a summery dress and heels, and she always made an effort to look good for Abe, even when she was actually wearing very little at all. It pleased her to be pleasing, and she adored the effect that it had on him. The way that with little more than an ‘accidental’ skirt rise or ‘slipped’ shoulder strap she could cause such interesting expressions to cross that normally do businesslike and detached face.

Sometimes she liked to entertain the notion that she was helping him, in some way. That her presence and attitudes were helping ease him out of his rigid mindsets and become a bit more open with the world around him. His staff seemed to believe she was helping, if the whispered words some of them had shared with her had been any indication, but she knew better than to fully believe them. She just desperately hoped that her efforts were not too little, too late. “It seems to me that you believe that if you spend more than a few hours away from the kitchen something awful will happen. I am doing you a favour, really.” She chuckled lightly as she fixed the drinks, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of home cooking. “Summer is wedding season. So many brides wanting to be taken to the churches in horse-drawn carriages, so many horses to get looking magical, endless hours of carriage cleaning. And then all the proms and summer birthdays and christenings.” She rolled her eyes lightly, her words falling short of actual complaints. Lahja was lucky in that her job was her love, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She loathed the relative quietness of the winter season.

Lahja smiled softly, her tone gently teasing. “If you need more work to do, I could always order enough salads to keep all the horses fed for a week.”

Settling down on the stool, Lahja enjoyed watching him working in the kitchen. She held absolutely no culinary skills herself, but sometimes it was rather soothing watching Abe going through the motions of it. He did seem a little quieter and tenser than usual but she didn’t mention it, and offered him a warm smile as she returned his toast when he settled next to her. “Dinners in August, and for many other months to come.”

Lahja took a long sip, enjoying the cool refreshing taste, and glanced over at Abe as he spoke. The uncertain tone of his voice was not at all reassuring, and a quiet sigh left Lahja’s lips as he said what was on his mind. It was true, and there was a part of her that was relieved that he had noticed, but she had a feeling this was not going to be easy. Somewhere in her mind a voice told her to pretend she didn’t know what he meant, to let him try to explain what he thought was going on, but she dismissed that thought immediately. She had far too much respect for him to do that.

Taking another drink while she tried to gather her thoughts, Lahja swallowed slowly before speaking again, her voice quiet, and she rested one of her hands on top of the closest of his. “Abe… I hope you know that I am happy. Happier now than I have been for a very, very long time. I enjoy what we have, and your company is very precious to me… I just…” She sighed softly again, brushing her hair behind her shoulders, away from her face. “I just would like to know if… if there could be more than dinners, somewhere down the line. I don’t want to rush you, I really don’t. I just… would like to know if you think there could possibly be something more, eventually. I know it hurts to think about; it hurts me, too, and I am truly sorry if I have upset you. I just… would like to know if you think it will be possible for us to move forward, some day.”

She let out a long breath as she finished speaking, trying to remain outwardly calm, but it felt like she was awaiting a verdict from a judge and it would be difficult to miss the deeply concerned look on her face. It was out. It was said. What happened now was up to Abe… and Lahja would be lying if she said she wasn’t afraid of what he would say.

[Abe Milton]

It was true, it didn’t take much to catch Abe’s eye. Part of it was because he’d grown up in a conservative Jewish household where sleeves were worn down to wrists and ankles. Part of it was that he hadn’t actually been dating all that much since his wife had died. And part of it was because of the deliberateness with which Lahja did it. He knew most of it wasn’t accidental. After all, he had been with the FBI. But she took such pleasure in surprising him that he didn’t let on. Besides, it wasn’t like he minded the view.

And as for being changed—he didn’t know about that. But he was certainly enjoying himself more. And he truly enjoyed her company. For him, that was certainly enough. “Something awful does normally happen,” he said, voice mild, to cover up the fact that his hands had slipped slightly with the flour when she’d mentioned ‘weddings.’ And he thought he’d gotten over that reaction when he was a far younger man. Apparently not. “You haven’t seen the kitchens after my staff is done with them and I didn’t watch. Scary. Besides, you feel the same way when you leave your stables too long.”

“It sounds like you enjoy it,” he said. “I do a lot of catering for weddings too. Maybe we’ll be seeing each other around. I’ll make sure you and your staff are fed.” He chuckled. “Even if I don’t have the comfort food that you’re used to.”

“Salads?” Abe looked bemused and a little bit horrified. “For horses?” Then he eyed her, and laughed. “You would. You love them enough. But I might have to put my foot down for that one.” Abe just didn’t share the fondness for animals that Lahja possessed. He was trying for her sake but it didn’t work wholesale.

But for a moment, just a moment, his smile softened, and he looked at her with a true warmth that was quite rare on his features. “To many more to come,” he agreed. “I look forward to them all.”

She was talking a lot. Nervous? He couldn’t remember a time when he’d seen Lahja truly nervous. But she was now. And he was too. For different reasons, perhaps. He was nervous because she was lovely and stubborn and warm and everything that he hadn’t had in his life for several years. She was nervous because she thought she was scaring him away by pushing him. Was she? He wasn’t sure. He wanted this. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous about the whole thing.

He wasn’t naturally a man who followed instinct. When he’d been with the bureau, he’d followed the rules and logic rather than what his gut was telling him. He’d done fairly well that way. It was only in the kitchen that he followed his impulses. But he let himself do it now, reaching out a hand and laying it along the line of her chin, then sliding it up to smooth his hair from her face. “Lahja,” he said, then chuckled softly. “I’m not very good at this. Never was. But I want there to be more dinners in the future. And more…everything.” He released her and sat back, idly running a finger along the rim of the glass. But his gaze on her was steady. “I miss my wife,” he said at last. “Probably not…what you want to hear right now, but it’s true. But I can’t keep living with her memory. And I can’t keep acting like a timid boy. I—would like there to be more than dinners. But I’m never gonna be good at saying it, even though I know you need to hear it. So.” He shrugged and reached out, fetching the key and then taking her hand to fold the key into it. “How about we start like this?”

[Lahja Morgan]

The summer was always manic for Lahja, and precious moments spent away from the stables were cherished for every moment. With the flurry of weddings and proms and lavish summer birthdays, every weekend and most weekdays were booked up solid, with the few remaining days being used on rota as much needed breaks for the horses and staff. However, in reality there were no such things as days off on a stable yard. Even when there were no events booked there was always stalls to muck out, feed to be distributed, fields to tend and horses to groom, and that was not even including the very few rare times she got to take her own horses out on the competition circuit. It had been months since she’d been able to take her private horses to a dressage show with any kind of respectability and standing, and she missed it dearly.

However, she would have quite happily missed any event that was happening tonight in exchange for getting to spend the evening with Abe, however strained she might have felt about things lately. Lahja smiled softly, her tone light and gently teasing. “I can’t for a moment believe your staff are anything but as meticulous as you. Surely you beat them with a spoon if they leave things a mess, no?”

Lahja gave a small nod as Abe said that it seemed like she enjoyed the busy atmosphere that came along with summer. “I do. It is tiring and means I have no time for my none-work horses, or myself, but I can’t deny that it is exciting. Besides, I need the summer madness to keep things afloat in winter.” She gave him a warm smile, a sight that was far more common on her features than it was on his. “I hope we do run into each other sometime.” The smile turned slightly cheeky. “It would be nice to have something other than the thermos soup we normally end up with.”

Abe’s laugh was a very pleasant sound to hear, and Lahja smiled and chuckled easily. She was well aware that animals were not his thing, and she could easily understand him perhaps being a little intimidated because they were such an intense presence in her life. Still, the toast was pleasant and it pleased her to see him looking at her with genuine warmth that usually seemed far too absent on his features. It was such a shame that he was often so stoic and reserved; smiles suited him wonderfully.

The brunette was indeed nervous, and it was unsettling because it was nervousness fuelled by emotions that she hadn’t really felt before. With her husband she had never been afraid of pushing him away, largely because he had never really presented her with a barrier to push against. Rejection wasn’t something she was used to, and yet the fear of it was pulling at her now. If it was too much for Abe and he pulled away then she would let him go, but it would be with no small amount of sorrow.

Lahja sat in worried silence as Abe spoke, her eyes flicking from his face to the worktop and back, clearly anxious in a way few had ever seen her before. His touch on her face was warm and comforting, but did little to ease the worry that knotted her stomach and pulled at her chest. However, his words quickly ebbed away that fear and replaced it with a wave of relief. She kept respectfully quiet, letting him finish, and giving a small understanding smile as he admitted that he still loved his wife. Some might have been upset with that admission, but Lahja could understand to an extent. For as much as she detested Joshua for splitting up the family and stealing her son away, she did still sometimes miss him. She could only imagine how much harder it must be for Abe.

The key was met with slightly wide eyes, but then her expression relaxed into a genuinely relieved smile with a quiet breath of a laugh as the tension escaped her. Long fingers closed around it, and she lay a hand on top of Abe’s as she met his gaze fully. “I think… this is an absolutely perfect start.” Lahja had always prided herself on being a strong, independent woman who was not easily swayed by the actions or words of others, but there was a dampness in her eyes that she quickly attempted to blink away before she spoke again. “I know that you miss Amber… and I know that you still love her. I don’t want to change that, not ever. She is still an important part of your life, and of what makes you who you are. I thank her for that.” She stroked her thumb over Abe’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I don’t want to replace her. I’d just like to be a new part of your story.”

[Abe Milton]

Abe laughed. “Beat my workers with a spoon? That would dirty the dishes. No, they aren’t as meticulous as me and they don’t observe the rituals that I am required to. Besides, restaurant people are inherently lazy. I just grew up doing it so I can get away with it because I know exactly how much I can be lazy.” This was a complete lie. Abe was never lazy. Oh, he had been when he was younger, but he hadn’t been since then. There were too many things to do and get done and for once, most of them were things he wanted to do. Therefore he did his best and worked his hardest always, because that was just what Abe did when he was truly interested in something.

Yes, even though Abe wasn’t the most comfortable with animals he would try his best to become more accustomed to them. For her sake. Besides, she always made them seem so tame. Together they could handle it, couldn’t they? And she put up with his occasional efforts to teach her how to cook. To his mind, that made him even.

If she had rejected him because he loved his wife, Abe would have been disappointed, but would have coped because he had to. He wasn’t going to stop loving Amber because she was gone. She had died. She was still a part of him—an important part of him. He wasn’t going to let her go yet. Nor should he. But Lahja understood that. Even seemed to sympathize. Abe would never be able to express to her how much of a relief that brought him. So when she smiled at him, he smiled back at her, thin but honest and warm, to show that in the best way that he could.

He was not an open man naturally, but he couldn’t help a whoosh of breath from escaping him as she accepted what he had said and his gift. His lips curved up. “Good,” he said, then laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “I was terrified that you—I don’t even know. Is that strange? I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous.” He chuckled. “I’ve never been very good at this.”

He shook his head. “I’m glad that you don’t want to change this—but it does have to change all the same. She’s not here, and living off her memories isn’t going to help me. And I don’t want you to be pushed to the side by a…” He hesitated. “By someone no longer here. But thank you. It means a lot to me that…you understand.” He smiled and clasped her hand in his. “A new part of the story. I would like that. Is this…okay with you? You don’t have any problems?”

((Sorry this is so short.XD))

[Lahja Morgan]

Lahja had of course never worked in a kitchen environment – heck, she’d barely even cooked in her own kitchen, never mind a professional one. However, she loved hearing Abe talk about his almost as much as she enjoyed watching him cook. It was one of the very few things that he seemed to get truly passionate about and she felt like she could sit and listen to him for hours. Lahja chuckled lightly. “I do not for one moment think you are lazy. I have seen you running around the kitchen here. I can only imagine how much more you would be at work.”

Granted working in a home environment could produce very different behaviours; Lahja working around the stables with the carriage horses was a world away from working with her private horses. However, they were still handled with the same professional practicality that came from a lifetime of experience, and she found it hard to imagine Abe being that much different. Of course the line of work was not at all similar, but they both enjoyed their jobs and took great pride in them; laziness just didn’t really have a place in their world.

Rejecting Abe because he still loved his wife was not even a thing that had crossed Lahja’s mind as a possible option. In a way Lahja did still love Joshua, even if it was in a ‘I would stab him in the crotch with a steak knife if he came within ten feet of me’ way. He had been her first real love and was the father of her son, and she sometimes doubted there would ever be a time when she didn’t sometimes miss him. However, that was absolutely nothing compared to the loss that Abe had endured and she could fully accept that this wasn’t something he would ‘get over’. He would carry that loss with him his whole life, and she accepted that. She just hoped that over time the burden of his pain would ease.

Lahja’s smile was soft and sweet, and she reached over to gently stroke Abe’s cheek. “It isn’t strange at all. Honestly, I was scared too. For a moment…” Lahja took a slow breath, composing herself as she let the hand caressing his cheek settle gently back down on the table. “For a moment then I thought I was about to lose you.”

She wasn’t entirely sure what would come from the subtle hints she had been leaving, but Lahja could not have guessed that Abe would be so very open and honest with her. Yes this had been very difficult for them both, him more so than her obviously, but it filled her with a quiet contentment. It felt like turning over to the next page, and she could not have asked for more than that. “I do understand, and I am very, very happy to start this new chapter. For both of us.” She gave his hand another gentle squeeze, smiling softly at him. “I am very okay with this.” A quiet chuckle left her lips as she tried to reassure him by lightening the mood a little. “And the only problem I have is that the delicious-smelling food is still in the oven.”

[Abe Milton]

Abe laughed at that. That was another thing that was rare—outright laughter. His wife had been good at getting it out of him, but she’d been a rare and beautiful thing. He’d always been serious. Actually, his parents had called him outright sullen as a boy. But with Lahja he felt at ease. That, and she was very good at teasing him. He liked that. He enjoyed being made fun of. He was aware that probably made him strange. “C’mon now,” he said. “You’ve seen me at work. You know I can laze like the best of them.” A lie. The only time he was “lazing” was when his leg was bothering him and he was forced to sit down, or when he was playing bartender and was waylaid by a very chatty customer. Then he’d be forced to sit down and listen because old service habits died hard. “Besides,” he added. “You’re exactly the same when it comes to your horses.” He smiled. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that at all.” While he might not have been the biggest fan of the animals, he fully supported her work and admired her devotion to it.

He wouldn’t call his burden painful, however. More of an ache. At first it had been hard. But they had prepared themselves for the loss and now it was more of a missing piece rather than a gaping hole. He’d learned to live without her. He missed her, yes, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have room for someone else.

Admittedly, the lesson had been a bit harder to learn than he currently portrayed it as. But he got the feeling she knew that too, even if she didn’t talk about her divorce much. The two weren’t exactly the same principle but…somewhat similar. Losing a large part of your life, someone you’d planned to spend the rest of your life with, no matter how it happened, resulted in similar scars.

He caught the hand as it lowered and squeezed it, offering her another smile. “Lahja, I’m not going to lose you for that,” he said, then grinned. “I’ve gotten too used to having your company overnight. And to talk to whenever I’m frustrated by my employees. And, well, for just about everything. If you don’t mind it, I plan on, uh, keeping you for a long time. Just…adjusting slowly, that’s all.”

“Good.” He leaned in to kiss her, letting it linger because, well, why not? Then he pulled back and laughed. “Of course.” He released her, grabbed an oven mitt, and very carefully pulled the food out. “Now here’s a question. When do I get a key to your place? Or shall I settle for a drawer? I’m very picky about my clothes.” A total lie. They were neat, yes, but he was anything but obsessive.

[Lahja Morgan]

It was so good to see Abe laughing and relaxing. He was often so stoic and reserved; the complete opposite of her in many ways. Lahja didn't mind that of course, but it was good to see him smile properly. She chuckled lightly. “You do know that 'laziness' is the opposite of 'industrious', yes? They are not synonyms, and you are far closer to the latter.” She could not deny that she was the same way with her work though, and her narrow shoulders gave a soft shrug. “I know I am.” Her smile was warm and lightly teasing as she took another sip of the wine. “Between our collective non-laziness, it's a wonder we find any time for each other at all.”

Lahja would be the first to admit that sometimes that did prove a little difficult. Whilst their schedules didn't clash too severely there were times when they were both too tired or too busy to do much more than quick meet-ups. Lahja was doing her best to try to make it easier, though, Slowly she was delegating more and more of the workload to her team, especially to Natalie the assistant manager who lived on-site in a converted barn. Of course, being the person she was Lahja still took on more than her share of the workload, but it was allowing her more free times to do more of the things she wanted to do, be it sewing, playing with her horses or spending time with Abe.

Abe's reassurance that they were not about to lose one another was a relief, and Lahja let out a quiet laugh at his next words. “I like how you mentioned the overnight company first. You have your priorities well figured out.” Her tone was light and teasing, but her smile was bright as he continued. “I am glad to hear that, because I don't plan on letting you go either.” She gently rested her free hand on his arm, stroking it gently. “There is no rush; we can go as slowly as you like. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was pushing you. I just wanted to be sure you would be willing to have more than just dinners, one day.”

Lahja returned the kiss softly, smiling against his lips and already missing the contact as he gently pulled away again. She watched him begin to get the food out and stood to retrieve some plates from where they were kept. Lahja laughed brightly at the comment about the drawer, setting the plates down ready for him to load up. “A meagre drawer? You can have an entire room to yourself if you want one.” That was one of the problems with living in a large country home. When you have no family around you, it gets awfully empty and quiet. “I'll get a key cut for you tomorrow. I need to go and get some fabric, and the store is right across from the haberdashery. There's already a spot in the garage for your car, so it'll be okay when winter comes around.” Lahja stepped behind him, planting a soft kiss on the back of his neck. “Can I come back tomorrow to drop it off?”

[Abe Milton]

Abe shrugged. “Oh, people say that,” he said. “But it’s completely possible, especially to be lazy and industrious on different topics. For example, I’m pretty industrious when it comes to work, and pretty lazy when it comes to other things.” A pause which then grew longer as he tried to think of an example. “Although I’m not sure exactly what I’ve been lazy about recently,” he admitted. “But I’m sure I’ll think of something.” He winked at her, then chuckled. “It’s true. We should combine forces. It’ll be the only way to see anything of each other.”

Which was actually a thought. After all, she managed parties. If he could do catering—but they’d just talked about keys and drawers and closets. Doing a joint business was a different kind of insanity. He knew that from years of working with independent businesses. Because it was true. That would be one of the few times they actually managed to see each other. It was food for thought but perhaps not immediate thought.

He couldn’t help, despite being older and not exactly limited in experience, blushing slightly. Then he laughed. “You know you don’t mind. And I think my priorities are precisely in order. I’m only a man. Not my fault that it comes up first.” He was mostly joking. That had not been his main priority at all, although he’d admit that it had contributed. A bit. Okay, a lot. He shook his head and caught her hand. “Lahja, one day you have to stop apologizing for ‘pushing’ me. I’m a stolid old man now, and pretty conservative. You push me out of my comfort zone.” He shrugged. “I like that. So start thinking of it as doing me a favor, all right? Even when I’m groaning.”

“Entire room to myself?” His eyes lit with mischief, and he grinned at her. “But what would be the point of that?” He chuckled. “But for the record, you’re welcome to one too. I guess we both have a lot of space.” Her next comment made him pause, and he tilted his head to the side and studied her carefully, moving back to look at her. “You’ve been thinking about this for a while, haven’t you?” His smile was crooked. “I’m sorry. I should’ve noticed earlier. But yeah, you’re welcome to. Now try this.” He held out a spoon. “And let’s move on to happier things.”