Page 38 of Kidnapped in Dark Waters
“Something sure smells good,” he said. The air was redolent with the scent of cooking meat.
“That will be your dinner. We have smothered pork chops, crispy fried potatoes and honey-drizzled carrots. We also have corn bread with honey.”
“Wow, that all sounds absolutely delicious,” he replied. “Way better than a meal in a box that you zap in the microwave for five minutes.”
She moved in front of a skillet on the electric burners. “It will be on the table at precisely six o’clock so you have about ten minutes to wait.” She flashed a quick smile over her shoulder.
Despite the smile, he sensed a tension radiating from her, a tension he believed didn’t have anything to do with her cooking dinner. Was it because of the dead bird? Or was he just imagining something that wasn’t there?
The ten minutes passed fast as they small-talked about their days. She told him about shopping at All That Jazz and he talked about a book he’d been reading.
“If you’ll hand me your plate, I’ll fill it,” she said.
He picked up the plate in front of him and gave it to her. The table was already set with a platter of golden corn bread, butter and a bear-shaped bottle of honey.
She filled his plate with one of the chops, a healthy serving of the diced, crispy potatoes and the carrots. Once his plate was on the table, she filled her own and then sank down across from him.
“Dig in while it’s hot,” she said.
“It all looks delicious,” he replied.
“Let’s just hope it tastes delicious, too.”
It took him only a couple of bites to assure her that everything was delectable. For a few minutes they ate in a comfortable silence. That was one of the things he liked about her—silence didn’t intimidate or bother her.
When they were about halfway through the meal, they continued with their small talk. She offered him a second pork chop, but he was too stuffed to even consider it.
“I hope you saved room for a piece of your peach pie,” she said when they finished eating.
“Maybe I’ll have a piece a little later. Right now, I’m just too full,” he replied. He still felt like something was slightly off with her this evening, but he figured if something was going on, she’d tell him in her own time.
Perhaps it was the dead bird. It had to have been shocking for her to discover it on her doorstep. Before he left here tonight, hewould use a paper towel or something to move the bird from her door to someplace in the swamp.
“At least let me help with the cleanup,” he said once they had finished eating.
“The best way you can help me is to stay out of my way. Just sit there and look pretty,” she replied.
He laughed. “I’ll sit here, but I don’t know about the looking pretty part.”
He watched as she efficiently cleared the table and then washed the dishes using a large bottle of water and detergent. It always amazed him when he saw how the people who lived in the swamp had adapted to a life with little electricity and no running water.
“Have you ever thought about moving into town where you would have the convenience of a refrigerator and a dishwasher?” he asked.
“Sometimes it crosses my mind,” she replied. She placed the last clean dish in the drainer and then they moved into the living room and sat on the sofa.
“I think more about it now, since Angelique has moved into town,” she said, continuing the conversation. “She loves it, and I’m not sure if the appeal is because Daniel is there or that she can now take long, leisurely showers and use a dishwasher.”
Luke laughed. “Maybe it’s a combination of all of that. I will say it’s nice to see Daniel so happy.”
“Same with Angelique.”
“I have a feeling Daniel is planning on proposing to her very soon, and I also have a feeling there will be a wedding before the end of the year,” Luke said. “I’m curious,” he continued. “When you get married, which sister will be your maid of honor?”
“Hopefully, by the time I get married Angelique is already married, then I’d have her stand with me as a matron of honor and Monique would be my maid of honor.”
“Good decision,” he replied. “Uh… I don’t know if you realize it or not, but today is the last day of my vacation time.”
She frowned. “Then you won’t be available anymore to be my bodyguard during the nights.”
