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Slumping against the wall, she started to laugh. “You never do stop by, that’s correct. And I’m expecting company any second.”
He sniffed the air. “Your steaks are burning.”
“Oh heck! Come to the balcony.”
She ran the straight shot through the house from the front door to the balcony and flipped the steaks over.
“Wow, you’re having company. I’m so happy,” he said, looking around. “Are you ever going to decorate this place?”
“Thanks. Dad, it might be serendipity that you’re here because the guy is someone I picked up at the sushi place in town today.”
“Oh no, why do you have to tell me this stuff? Is this really something that your old father needs to hear? Oh lord.”
“Stay for dinner, Dad. It’ll give me a chance to check him out.”
“I’ll stay to meet him, but I’m not eating with you. Karen wants to go into the city tonight to eat at some place she saw on thatDiners, Drive-ins and Divesshow.”
“Oh, I wish I could go with you.”
“No, you do not. It’s time you start to socialize again, although I could have thought of a better way to start. It’s not like you to pick up a guy in a restaurant.”
“It was compelling.” The buzzer rang again. “I’ll tell you about it someday.”
She pushed by him and ran to the door, looking through the peephole again. This time it was Ryan.
“Hey, Ryan, come in!” she said, opening the door for him.
She saw right away that he’d showered and had clean clothes on, not that he had been dirty earlier, but just the thought of him standing on the street corner to panhandle made her associate him with dirty clothes. Feeling guilty, she banished the thoughts.
In a low voice, she explained the other person in view. “My father, who never stops by, stopped by. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. It’s actually a reason to think of divine protection. You and I just met, and your dad shows up out of the blue.”
“So if you were a murderer…”
“Exactly, like you said before,” he replied, laughing out loud.
“Follow me.”
Steven was standing in the dining room, watching the steaks grill through the window. “You’d better get those steaks off the heat before you have shoe leather.”
“Introduce yourself, please,” she hissed.
Steven extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. Steven Saint.”
“Ryan Albright, sir.”
“Ryan, I wish I could stay, but I have to get home to take my wife to some taco truck in San Diego for dinner tonight.”
Sofia came inside with a platter of grilled meat. “Dad, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Yes, call me so I know you’re alive,” Steven said, looking at Ryan sidelong. “I guess that isn’t funny.”
“It’s fine.”
They said goodbye and Sofia walked with her father to the door.
“I’m still full of poki,” she said, coming back into the kitchen.
