"That means nothing, Mags."
"You haven't been in a serious relationship ever. Well, since Mandy."
He didn't really want to talk about this in the middle of Wal-mart on a Thursday morning, while he was sober. It was more of a drunken Saturday conversation, when he was feeling lonely and vulnerable. "Mags, I have to get going. I don't want to stay in this store much longer than I have to. I was up at 4 AM and I need to get some sleep."
"Sneaking out of her house?"
"No, getting her coffee and doughnuts to surprise her since she thought I'd left town."
"Nice. Good luck with dinner tonight."
"Don't tell Mom."
"I'll think about it." And then before he could beg, she hung up.
"Son of a bitch," he muttered as he stomped off to find the Lego aisle. He grabbed a box of it and then went to the front to pay. He grabbed an early lunch at the food court and then returned to his hotel room to have a nap.
Now he was on her front porch, trying to juggle the flowers, a bunch of yellow tulips, her favorite if he remembered correctly, the lego box, a boxed cake, and a bottle of wine. The door flew open before he could knock and he was faced with a small boy. "He's here," Colton yelled.
"Colton, say hi and let him in. It's cold out," Mandy directed from the kitchen.
"Hi, Mr. Turner. Come in." The line sounded rehearsed.
"Thanks Colton. You can call me Kip."
"He said I could call him Kip," Colton said, already leaving the entryway, leaving Kip alone.
"I heard," Mandy said. She popped her head around the corner, wiping her hands on a towel. She smiled when she noticed he was standing helplessly, his arms full of things. "Sorry, let me help you. And hi."
"Evening," he said. She reached out and started to take the things from him. She stopped in mid-movement when she realized what he was holding. "Thank you."
"And I've be thankful if you took some things from me, so I can shut the door," he said, with laughter in his voice.
She took the flowers, the box and the bag containing the wine. She put the bag to the side and stuck her nose in the flowers. "Thank you," she said again.
He stepped closer to her and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for having me," he said in a low voice. "I thought after my impertinence this morning you'd kick me out."