Chapter 7: A Husband with Appointments

Tate's POV

The first wedding gift I opened was a gate latch that belonged to somebody else.

I put it on the kitchen counter beside the screws.

Becca was washing her hands at the sink, her plain ring bright beneath the water.

I watched her turn the tap off with the back of her wrist.

She knew where the towel hung now without asking me.

I had imagined somebody living here before, but not that small, ordinary confidence.

It made the room feel different before she touched anything else.

Then the doorbell rang, and I reached for the latch automatically.

"Unless that is Hallie bringing a gate, you will not need it," Becca said.

I put it down and opened the door empty-handed.

A neighbor stood outside with a box tied in silver ribbon.

He congratulated me, then explained that its hinges had finally arrived.

They were for his shed, which I had offered to repair last spring.

He had thought the box would be useful while we opened wedding gifts.

I took it before I could find an answer that sounded grateful enough.

Becca came to stand beside me with the towel over her shoulder.

"Should we thank him or invoice him?" she asked quietly.

The neighbor laughed because he thought she was joking.

I said we were having supper, and he promised not to keep us.

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