thanking Oliver profusely for his help. Oliver shrugged and stayed silent until I was opening my door.
“Thank you. Again. Thank you so much, Oliver. I can never repay you. You’re so nice. Thank you,” I said to him. I put down Jenny then and hugged him tight. He didn’t move an inch, and I dropped my arms and stepped away, embarrassed by the closeness I felt and he apparently didn’t. “Anyway,” I said, walking backward, “Thank you. You’re the best.”
His eyes fell to my legs and lingered there. I sensed an impending insult and decided to beat him to the punch. “My ex-boyfriend says I look like a Holstein cow. Isn’t that spot on? Ha! Spot!”
“What a keeper.” His voice shook as he said, “And no. Not fu nny.”
I put Jenny into the apart ment and slammed the door shut.
Oliver
Every time I thought about Delaney, I had to close my eyes, swallow, and take a deep breath, and think horrible, untrue things about her, just to keep my balance.
Delaney
A few days later, Oliver knocked on my door, and I opened it to find him looking lively, if a little unkempt. His face was covered in dark stubble, which was already graying a bit near his sideburns, and he was wearing wrinkled khaki pants and a flannel shirt with his ugly shoes. “Laney,” he said as he strode past me into the kitchen. I watched him walk past with his long, rangy legs, in his awful clothes. He looked fantastic.
“Hello, Oliver. Come in. My home is your home. Go ahead and grab a cookie.”
He returned a minute later with an overflowing plate and a large glass of cold milk, and settled in on the sofa. He started eating and patted the spot next to him as I stared. “Come. Sit.”
“What?” I eyed him.
After he swallowed two cookies, he said, “I’m not working night float anymore.”
“Good for you.”
“So I can’t run with you any longer.”
“Ah, that’s where you were yesterday. Sleeping like a normal person.”
He stopped with a cookie halfway to his mouth. “You went ru nning without me?”
“Of course.” I leaned back onto the couch cushions, tucking my legs underneath me as I picked up the remote control. “Want to watch something? I saved a documentary on the evolution of dogs for you.”
He turned his body toward me. “Laney, I thought you weren’t g oing to go running in the dark.”
“Why do you care?” I grumbled.
“I was going to ask you to switch to evening runs.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I like the mornings.”
“Laney.” He sounded like he was trying to keep exasperation out of his tone. “I’m trying here.”
“Yes, but trying to do what?”
“Be nice. For you. You’re a nice person, and so I’m trying to be nice, too.” He shook his head again and dipped a cookie into his milk as he leaned over the coffee table.
I softened at his words. “Okay, we can run in the ev enings.”
“Thank you.”
“So, documentary?”
“Sure.” He put his feet on the table, and I immediately moved toward my laptop so he’d avoid kic king it. “Were you working?”
My cheeks heated as I remembered what I was doing online. “No. Emily was over earlier and she was just showing me stuff.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Showing you stuff?” His feet kicked off the edge of the coffee table and he leaned forward. “What kind of stuff?”
“Nothing.”
“Does it involve naked people?”
“ God. No! Ew, no no no,” I said, covering my face with my hands. “Ew.”
He sat back again. “Your face got all red and you were vague. It seemed like the obvious co nclusion.”
“Maybe for you.”
“Then what were you doing?” Oliver said.
“I was….” I trailed off. “I can’t tell you.” He stared and smiled. “Tell me. Please,” he said.
“Promise you won’t make fun of me? It wasn’t my idea.”
“I will make no such promise.”
“Fine.” I took a deep breath. “Emily wanted me to sign up for this online dating site. I was making a profile.”
Oliver stared at me
“Thank you. Again. Thank you so much, Oliver. I can never repay you. You’re so nice. Thank you,” I said to him. I put down Jenny then and hugged him tight. He didn’t move an inch, and I dropped my arms and stepped away, embarrassed by the closeness I felt and he apparently didn’t. “Anyway,” I said, walking backward, “Thank you. You’re the best.”
His eyes fell to my legs and lingered there. I sensed an impending insult and decided to beat him to the punch. “My ex-boyfriend says I look like a Holstein cow. Isn’t that spot on? Ha! Spot!”
“What a keeper.” His voice shook as he said, “And no. Not fu nny.”
I put Jenny into the apart ment and slammed the door shut.
Oliver
Every time I thought about Delaney, I had to close my eyes, swallow, and take a deep breath, and think horrible, untrue things about her, just to keep my balance.
Delaney
A few days later, Oliver knocked on my door, and I opened it to find him looking lively, if a little unkempt. His face was covered in dark stubble, which was already graying a bit near his sideburns, and he was wearing wrinkled khaki pants and a flannel shirt with his ugly shoes. “Laney,” he said as he strode past me into the kitchen. I watched him walk past with his long, rangy legs, in his awful clothes. He looked fantastic.
“Hello, Oliver. Come in. My home is your home. Go ahead and grab a cookie.”
He returned a minute later with an overflowing plate and a large glass of cold milk, and settled in on the sofa. He started eating and patted the spot next to him as I stared. “Come. Sit.”
“What?” I eyed him.
After he swallowed two cookies, he said, “I’m not working night float anymore.”
“Good for you.”
“So I can’t run with you any longer.”
“Ah, that’s where you were yesterday. Sleeping like a normal person.”
He stopped with a cookie halfway to his mouth. “You went ru nning without me?”
“Of course.” I leaned back onto the couch cushions, tucking my legs underneath me as I picked up the remote control. “Want to watch something? I saved a documentary on the evolution of dogs for you.”
He turned his body toward me. “Laney, I thought you weren’t g oing to go running in the dark.”
“Why do you care?” I grumbled.
“I was going to ask you to switch to evening runs.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I like the mornings.”
“Laney.” He sounded like he was trying to keep exasperation out of his tone. “I’m trying here.”
“Yes, but trying to do what?”
“Be nice. For you. You’re a nice person, and so I’m trying to be nice, too.” He shook his head again and dipped a cookie into his milk as he leaned over the coffee table.
I softened at his words. “Okay, we can run in the ev enings.”
“Thank you.”
“So, documentary?”
“Sure.” He put his feet on the table, and I immediately moved toward my laptop so he’d avoid kic king it. “Were you working?”
My cheeks heated as I remembered what I was doing online. “No. Emily was over earlier and she was just showing me stuff.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Showing you stuff?” His feet kicked off the edge of the coffee table and he leaned forward. “What kind of stuff?”
“Nothing.”
“Does it involve naked people?”
“ God. No! Ew, no no no,” I said, covering my face with my hands. “Ew.”
He sat back again. “Your face got all red and you were vague. It seemed like the obvious co nclusion.”
“Maybe for you.”
“Then what were you doing?” Oliver said.
“I was….” I trailed off. “I can’t tell you.” He stared and smiled. “Tell me. Please,” he said.
“Promise you won’t make fun of me? It wasn’t my idea.”
“I will make no such promise.”
“Fine.” I took a deep breath. “Emily wanted me to sign up for this online dating site. I was making a profile.”
Oliver stared at me
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