Page 15 of Checkmate
“Four double stitches, back into the ring,” she muttered to herself, repeating the calming voice of the tutorial. “Chain three and flip.”
“You know, we could just buy you a blanket and save you all this hassle?”
Erica jumped as Alex’s voice came from behind her, looking over her shoulder to see him standing in the doorway with only a towel covering his modesty. “It’s not hassle,” she insisted. “I enjoy this.”
She paused the video as Alex stepped into the room, looking over her shoulder at the small square in her lap. “That’s all you’ve done? You’ve been up here over an hour!”
Erica took a slow breath, calming herself before she answered. “Quality work takes time.”
“Babe, I don’t mind buying—”
“Alex, I know you don’t understand, but I don’t want a bought blanket. This is a hobby for me, and it just so happens I get something out of it in the end.”
“But they take so long,” he insisted. “By the time you’re finished, summer will be here, and you won’t need a blanket.”
“There’s always a need for a blanket,” she said, trying to hide her irritation. “And again, this is something I enjoy doing.”
“How can you enjoy this? It’s so repetitive and time-consuming.”
“You explain your golf. I’ll explain my hobbies.”
Alex chuckled, kissing the top of her head. “Okay. Point well made. You coming to bed?”
Erica glanced at the clock and frowned. “It’s barely even nine.”
“I didn’t say we’d be sleeping.” He winked at her, fingering the edge of his towel. She chuckled and bit her lip.
“Tempting. Very tempting.” Glancing down at her crochet, she sighed. “I just need to finish this row, otherwise all of this work was for nothing.”
“Erica…”
“Half an hour, Alex. It’s all I’m asking.”
“Okay, but if you’re not fast enough, I’ll start without you.” He squeezed her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “Hey, you’re doing great. It looks fantastic.”
With a smile, he left the room, whistling as he went. Erica waited for a moment to make sure he was really gone before hitting play on the tutorial once more.
Erica’s hobbies had been a source of contention more than once. Alex didn’t understand why she would put the effort into making something he could buy for her.
Growing up poor and watching his mother work herself into the ground, Alex had resolved to be the biggest success he could, and make sure his mother never had to struggle again.
Unfortunately, she passed away before Alex could repay her for the sacrifices she made for him.
Now Alex made sure that Erica wanted for nothing, never wanting to relive the feelings of inadequacy he felt after his mother’s death.
Erica found it all overwhelming at times.
Raised by two working parents who taught her the values of hard work and being self-sufficient, she hated feeling like a kept woman. They’d never really struggled with money growing up because her parents tried to be as frugal as possible.
Erica tried to apply their lessons in all aspects of her life, saving money where she could. But Alex was always there, thwarting her efforts.
When she had started a vegetable patch, Alex hired a gardener. If she wanted to create something with her own hands, Alex would buy whatever she wanted to create and ‘save her time’, and when Erica opted to work out at home rather than the gym, Alex had turned their basement into a state-of-the-art at-home gym room.
His intentions were good.
She truly believed he wanted nothing but the best for her. But oh, how she wished he’d listen to her sometimes. Over the years, he had smothered her with unwanted gifts, the majority of which went untouched.
He had built her wardrobe into one of their spare rooms, so big it was full of clothes she would never wear. He’d bought her jewellery that was so expensive it stayed in the house, unworn out of fear. Twice now she had taken her bag collection to a second-hand shop only to find he’d surprised her with replacements.
