An Unlikely Deal (Lucas & Ava)

“This is really good.” Ava soaks up her last bit of stew with a piece of bread and pops it into her mouth.

“Glad you like it,” Doris says. “Sammy had to leave early to go to the hospital, and I hate eating alone.” She laughs. “Sammy’s the handyman, works himself up a pretty good appetite most days, but he’s gotta go see his grandson born.”

“Wow. That’s awesome. Congrats to him,” Ava says.

“Oh, he’s thrilled. Loves him some children.” Doris smiles, revealing the small gap between her front teeth. “Who doesn’t, though, right?”

Ava’s gaze rests on me, and I look back at her. Her brow is furrowed as though she’s trying to weigh something that can’t be weighed.

Apparently having noticed the odd vibe between us, Doris stares at me. I feel a dull flush rising from the base of my neck.

“Children are interesting,” I mutter finally, re-experiencing the particular embarrassment I felt when I forgot my line in a school play.

Doris beams. “’Course they are. Fascinating, when you come right down to it.”

I nod with a neutral smile, but Ava is looking at me like I’m an alien. Damn it. Is “interesting” not the right word? The first word that pops into my head when I hear “children” is “grubby.” And “grubby” elicits “untouchable” and “to be avoided.” I thought “interesting” would be better.

Thankfully, the awkward moment is broken when Doris announces it’s time for something sweet. It’s hard to be anything but happy when presented with a dessert as American as apple pie with huge double scoops of vanilla ice cream.

“Amazing,” Ava says after a bite. “I feel a little disloyal for saying this, but it’s better than Ray’s.”

“Is there anything he can’t make?” I ask.

“Hamburgers.” She snorts, then laughs. “It really drives him nuts that he can’t master them for some reason, and Darcy can.” She takes another big bite. “God, I could eat like this every day.”

“Want to?” I turn to Doris. “Would it be a huge imposition if we asked you to cook us dinner for the rest of our stay? I’d be happy to pay extra, of course.”

“Wouldn’t mind at all.” She pronounces it ah-tall. “I love cooking.”

“Excellent. Thank you.”

“Just so you know, I make a different pie every day,” she says. “Hope that’s all right.”

“Variety makes life interesting,” Ava says.

Doris smacks a thigh with a loud laugh. “Ain’t that the truth!”

We return to our room, and while Ava texts Ray to let him know she won’t be coming home for a few days, I run the bath for her. Doris has provisioned us with a bottle of some scented bubble concoction, and the bathroom soon smells like tropical flowers.

“Mmm,” Ava says, looking at the thick layer of frothy bubbles in the tub. “A man after my own heart.”

Wrapping an arm around her waist, I pull her close. “Never let it be said that I don’t know how to take care of an abductee.”

She’s already shucked her shoes, so I help her out of her outfit, laying her clothes on the toilet seat cover. She sinks into the hot water.

“Ah, this feels sooo good.”

“If only you had some wine,” I say.

“What do you know about bubble baths and wine?”

“All women drink wine when they take one.” I strip, dropping my stuff on the floor, and join her in the tub. “It’s like a law.”

The warm water sinks deep into my muscles. As I settle behind her and spoon her against my chest, she murmurs, “You’re going to smell like flowers.”

“I’d risk smelling worse if it meant being with you.”

She snorts a laugh. “We’re so sappy.”