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Sean had no idea in hell what he was going to cook. That was the first thought he had as he crested the final ridge of the bike path and spied Delaney down the other side of the slope. She was sprawled across the hood of her truck, forearm shading her eyes, either sunbathing or asleep while she waited for him to finish. Her legs looked long and lean, feet planted on the hood, her tank top riding up a little and exposing an impressive set of abs. Sean could almost forgive her easy win, given the view.
Still, she had won, and not just by a little bit. It was clear Sean’s endurance had taken a hit with his neglect, which might’ve been the most disappointing thing about this. For the last painful mile, he was way more angry at himself for letting life get in the way of what used to be his favorite running distance than he was thinking about what sort of dinner he might make for the road warrior snoozing in the sunshine. This was an opportunity, both to get back into a solid running routine and to amp up his cooking skills. He couldn’t very well fix Delaney a grilled cheese sandwich with canned tomato soup to celebrate her crushing victory.
When Sean arrived at the truck and Delaney still didn’t budge, he couldn’t resist. He grabbed his water bottle from where he’d left it by her truck tire and poured a little on her exposed abs. The water pooled in her belly button and slid down over her glistening skin.
“That feels good,” was all she said. No shrieking or jumping up to retaliate. She withdrew her arm and blinked in the bright light. “All done?” She peeked at her watch. “Hoo, boy. Took you a while.”
Sean wasn’t sure what reaction she’d been hoping for but he smiled at her. “I’m definitely all done,” he agreed.
“Good, because I’ve got to be home soon to get some work done.” Delaney smiled and slid off the hood of her truck. She planted her hands on her hips. “What’ll you be cooking? And when can I expect it?”
“You don’t mess around.”
Delaney stretched her arms out to her sides, probably to catch the inviting breeze that was rolling up Sean’s back. “I won, fair and square. And eating is like, one of my favorite things to do, so don’t give me any of that ‘we’ll set up a time at some point’ crap. I want hard, concrete details.”
Sean really wanted to be depressed about the fact he wasn’t going to get his motorcycle fixed for free, but then, he probably would have paid her for her time anyway. “I’m back on shift in a couple days. How about tomorrow night? After your shop closes?”
“Alright. But let’s make it an hour after my shop closes.” Delaney pulled her truck key out of a hidden zippered pocket in her running shorts. “I’m getting a massage from Red. She offered me a free intro massage, which is like, unheard of.”
“Damn. I never got a free intro massage.”
“Guess she prefers girls.”
“Well, she’s not stupid,” Sean agreed. “After all, she prefers the dogs over all of us.”
“True. So...eight o’clock? Should I dress up? Will it be a black tie affair?”
“Don’t push your luck. I’ll text you my address.” Now he had to clean up his apartment and learn how to cook. In twenty-four hours. “Any dietary restrictions?”
And then she said it. Three little words that were sure to take Sean’s culinary expansion into a whole new world of fuckery: “I’m a vegetarian.”
Trinity gave no outward reaction to the random explosions that had been going off all day, but every single one made Tabitha’s body jerk reflexively. Trinity came to her and settled by her side. “I’m okay, Trinity,” she said, for about the fifth time that day. Trinity gave her that look that seemed like she was smiling, mouth closed but lips turned up at the corners. “You’re probably the only dog in the history of the world who can smile.”
Trinity did some kind of tiny dance that involved spinning and tossing her head, highlighting how small she was for her breed. Tabitha laughed and all the tension in her body melted away.
“Just why.” Auntie El pulled a tray of brownies from the oven and shook her head. She set the pan on the top of the stove and fisted her generous hip as she glared out the kitchen window. “When did it start being okay to set off fireworks anytime except after the sun goes down? These fools been cracking things off all day.”
And then some, Tabitha thought. She’d heard random firecrackers all week long and every single one made her body freeze and her heart race. But the smell of chocolate and Trinity’s presence were helping keep the edge off.
“You sure you want to go to the gym?” Auntie El closed up the café curtains over the window, as though this could keep out the sound of the fireworks. “It’ll be dark soon.”
“Working out will help.” Tabitha laid her hand over her chest. “Besides, the music is so loud it will drown out any explosions.”
“Alright.” Auntie El came over to press the back of her hand to Tabitha’s forehead and peer into her eyes. The action was more clinical than motherly, her nursing instincts taking over, even though she’d been retired for years. Auntie El must’ve been satisfied with whatever she felt and saw because she settled at the table with a grunt and lifted the pencil that lay atop this morning’s unfinished crossword. “Those brownies will be cool by the time you’re home.”
Tabitha stuck her face over the pan and inhaled the hot, chocolatey steam. Few things in life could compete with this sort of therapy. Tabitha would eat three, back to back, and Auntie El would take the rest to her Bible study.
“Reverend Stokes asked again today when you’ll be coming back. He wants you to run the Sunday school, like you did before.”
The hot chocolate lost its sweet edge, leaving only a harsh alkaline scent in Tabitha’s nose. It bathed the back of her throat, making it hard to swallow. “I don’t know, Auntie El. Trinity doesn’t like church.”
“Trinity doesn’t like church,” Auntie El echoed with scorn. “How do you know? You haven’t taken her.” She wrote something into her crossword, frowned, then erased it. “I don’t like this baseball-themed puzzle. Ten-letter word forout of left field.”
Tabitha stroked Trinity’s head. She was close by, like she enjoyed the smell of the brownies, too. She counted on her fingers, then said, “Unexpected.”
“Ah.” Auntie El filled the blocks in with a smile. “That’s it.”
“I’ll see you later.” Tabitha secured Trinity’s vest and headed out to the gym before Auntie El could bring up church again.
