Ashlyn’s face lit up. “Yeah. There’s this one family who’s working so hard to give their kids everything they need, but they’re young. I can’t imagine having two kids under four and only being twenty-one years old. But Brooklyn is a really good mom, from what I can see. And Curtis and Briar are so damn adorable. Some people would think what I do is depressing…seeing people struggling all the time. But I don’t usually see it that way.”
Of course, she wouldn’t. Ashlyn was definitely a glass-half-full kind of person, another one of the reasons why Slate was attracted to her.
“Yes, the people I see every day are struggling, but aren’t we all? Struggle isn’t always about money. It’s about feeling worthy, about wanting to be loved, about having a chronic illness. There are a million different ways people struggle, and if I can take away just one of those by bringing healthy, free meals to their door, then I feel as if I’d made a difference in their lives, even if it’s a small one.”
Slate nodded. “I’ve seen people so poor they literally have only the clothes on their backs, are sleeping in the dirt, and the only roof over their heads is a couple of boards they scavenged from a junk pile. But they’re quick to offer a space under a threadbare blanket for someone who needs it more than they do. They’ll give away their last piece of bread to someone hungrier, and they’ll greet strangers with a smile. So yeah, I totally understand what you mean. Being poor doesn’t make someone a bad person, just as being rich doesn’t make someone a good person.”
“Exactly.”
Slate couldn’t take his eyes off the woman sitting across from him. For a long time, Ashlyn had been merely a friend of his teammates’ women. The pain in the ass who loved to snipe at him. After spending more time with her, he was surprised the first time he realized bickering and sarcasm were actually signs that she was comfortable with someone. He witnessed the same dry wit and verbal sparring when she was hanging with her friends.
It was around the same time as that revelation when he realized he was physically attracted to her, as well. Now, sitting across from her, eating a meal Ashlyn had gone out of her way to prepare for him, he could admit they were more compatible than he’d first thought.
Slate also never cared about money. Yes, he was glad he had enough to rent his house, to eat, and to buy the few material things he wanted, but he never aspired to have the kind of wealth Aleck had, for instance. Like Ashlyn, he was just as keen to make a difference in people’s lives where he could. And hearing her talk about her clients with such respect made him even more grateful he’d finally gotten up the nerve to ask her out.
Between the way she lit up for him between the sheets and the fact that they could actually have an intelligent conversation, Slate was certain dating Ashlyn would be awesome for however long it lasted.
Just as he finished putting the last forkful of pasta in his mouth, his phone rang.
“Sorry,” he told Ashlyn, reaching for it.
“It’s fine,” she said breezily as she stood and reached for his plate.
“Slate,” he answered, noting it was Mustang.
“Hey. You got time to talk? I was thinking about the North Korean situation, and I had some thoughts that I wanted to run them by someone.”
“Yeah, can you give me ten minutes or so?” Slate asked.
“Of course. It’s not a big deal. I’ll wait till tomorrow if you’re busy.”
“It’s fine. I’m happy to be your sounding board.”
“Great. Call me back when you can.”
“Will do. Later,” Slate said.
“Later.”
As soon as he clicked off the connection, Ashlyn said, “You need to go.”
Slate nodded, standing and joining her in the small kitchen. “Mustang has some things he wants to talk to me about. Work stuff.”
“I get it. No problem.”
Slate studied Ashlyn’s expression carefully for signs that she was annoyed or pissed that he was leaving so soon after eating. He found none. “I appreciate the dinner.”
“Of course. It’s the least I can do. You’re feeding me on Friday night, yeah?”
“Yes,” Slate said.
“Can I ask where you’re taking me?”
“No.”
Ashlyn pouted. “But it’s not Hawaiian, right?”
“You like malasadas. They’re Hawaiian,” Slate said with a small smirk.
“Malasadas are basically doughnuts. They’re fried dough covered in sugar. What’s not to like?” she retorted. “Now poi, on the other hand…” She shuddered
Slate chuckled. “I know better than to take you to a Hawaiian restaurant, even if you are missing out. But you’ll like it, promise.”
“Okay.”
“You still want to meet me at my place? I can pick you up.”
“I’ll come to you. I don’t want to inconvenience you to drive me home.”
“All right. But just sayin’, it wouldn’t be a big deal.”
Ashlyn shrugged. “Nah, it’s all good.”
Slate nodded. “Guess I’ll be going then.”
“Drive safe.”
“Always.”
Ashlyn rolled her eyes as she walked him to the door. “Right, Mr. Lead Foot.”
“I’m not that bad,” Slate argued.
“Um, yes you are. You can’t stand red lights, traffic jams, or anyone being in front of you for more than two seconds. Your impatience gets ten times worse when you’re behind the wheel of a car.”
He couldn’t really disagree. She was right. So he simply grinned.
She shook her head in return, smiling back. “Go,” she ordered. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Slate liked that she wasn’t pouting that he was leaving. He’d pretty much come over for sex, and she seemed okay with that. He couldn’t be happier that they were on the same page.
He stepped closer and gave her a hug. Then he kissed her forehead and turned to leave. “Lock this after me,” he ordered as he unlocked the deadbolt.
“Duh,” Ashlyn said.
She was still a pain in the ass, but Slate could admit that he liked her snarkiness. “See ya.”
“Bye, Slate.”
It wasn’t until he was halfway home that Slate realized he was still smiling.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ashlyn couldn’t remember when she’d had a better week. Her sex life was suddenly amazing. All her clients were doing well at the moment. Even her relationships with Elodie, Lexie, and the others seemed to somehow be better just because she was dating Slate. She was happy. Very happy.
And tonight he was taking her out to dinner. She’d proposed the friends-with-benefits arrangement because she’d had the hots for him for what seemed like forever, but she hadn’t thought they would click as well as they had. She figured they’d continue hanging out with their friends in a big group like they always had, throw in sex maybe every once in a while, and that would be that.
But she was finding that Slate had more depth than she’d given him credit for. She felt kind of bad about that. He was more than the cocky, good-looking Navy SEAL that she’d labeled him.