Page 74 of Here & Now

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“I know you don’t like him.”

“I wasn’t going to say a word. It’s your decision.”

She nodded and took another drink. “I think we can probably eat now.” She set down the glass and stood.

He stood too. “I’ll set the table.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

“Okay, dishes are in there.” She pointed to a cupboard next to the stove.

As he was getting out the plates, he took her in, fighting an overwhelming urge to touch her, kiss her. It hadn’t been that long ago that he’d held her in his arms, but it felt like it. He felt a buzz of electricity between them, an awareness of each other and their physical attraction.

He recalled that she’d described it to her sister as “temporary insanity,” and he instantly cooled down.

“Silverware is over there,” she said, pointing to a drawer.

He slid it open and took out forks and knives. In the meantime, she scooted past him, opened the fridge, and took out a bowl of salad. They carried everything to the table, and then she went back for the pan of lasagna. She put on oven mitts, and as she was about to lift it, he rushed over to help.

“Let me,” he said. They were standing over the hot stove, but the heat he felt came from within as he gazed into her beautiful blue-gray eyes.

“I would argue, but I don’t want to drop it and ruin our dinner.”

He grinned as she took off the oven mitts and handed them over. He donned them, carefully transferred the pan to the table, and set it on a trivet.

They sat, and he picked up his wineglass. “Let’s have a toast.”

“This feels like déjà vu,” she said with a smile.

He’d almost forgotten they’d had dinner at his house. So much had happened since then, some of it good and some not so good.

She held up her glass. “What are we toasting to this time?”

“To the next chapter.”

“The next chapter,” she repeated and clinked her glass against his.

They each took a drink and then dished lasagna and salad onto their plates.

“It tastes as good as it smells,” he said after the first bite.

She smiled. “It’s my grandma’s recipe.”

“I’d like to hear more about her, unless you’d rather not talk about it.”

She took a deep breath. “It’s probably good for me to talk about them.”

He gave her an encouraging nod.

“She was like a second mom to Ivy and me. Sometimes our parents were too busy working to come here, so Ivy and I came alone. My grandparents would greet us at the airport with the biggest smiles and hugs. It always felt like coming home.”

She paused and took a drink before continuing.

“While we were here, they did everything with us: bike riding, swimming, shell collecting, you name it. But then they got sick.”