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“On grilled cheese?” She opened the can of chilies with a manual opener. “Now you’re pulling my chain.”
“Not on grilled cheese. I’m talking about a sandwich for later, like a late night snack.” He laughed. “Okay, what else haven’t you had? How about a fried bologna and mayo sandwich with tomato?”
“Never.” She handed him the can of chilis and a spoon, which he set beside the package of cheese slices. “You’re weird.”
“Must be because you don’t have older brothers. Mine tried anything and everything, and I came up with my fair share.” Ace put a slice of cheese on each piece of bread. He put liberal amounts of green chilis and added a second slice of cheese over the chilis before putting another piece of buttered bread on top of that, buttered side out.
“I have to admit it looks like it’s going to be good.” Her stomach rumbled again, echoing her words.
“I’ll change you into a more food-adventurous lady yet.”
“I’m adventurous.” She put her hands on her hips. “I love eating out at different types of restaurants and try a wide variety of meals.”
He looked at her with mischief in his eyes. “Prove it.”
“Seriously?” She had to force herself to give him a mock frown, because what she wanted to do was laugh. Why did he make her want to laugh so much?
“Yes, seriously.” He took a spatula out of a jar filled with a variety of utensils. “We can start out with going to that Korean place near the capital.”
She winced. “That’s one place I wasn’t crazy about when I went there. I had some kind of cold soup that didn’t agree with me.”
“You didn’t try the right kind of dish.” He flipped over a sandwich on the grill, and it was nicely toasted on the one side. He scooted the spatula under the second one and it was golden brown, too. “I’ll take you there sometime when we get back.”
“Okay, but you have to beat me at something first.” She tried not to grin but failed. “No free dates.”
“Then this will be a boy-girl night out,” he said. “Not a date.”
She had to laugh. “You’re impossible.”
“That’s not the half of it.” He gave her a quick grin. “I haven’t even gotten started.”
After lunch,Charlee said, “It’s still early. Wanna play something else?”
“How about Mexican Train dominoes?” He nodded toward the game closet. “Mom taught me when I was a kid and we play it now and then. It’s her favorite game.”
“Sounds good to me.” Charlee tilted her head to the side. “Does that mean I have to worry about losing to you?”
He shrugged but smiled. “I play a mean hand, but Mom usually outplays all of us.” He headed to the game closet, brought out the domino set, and returned with it. The box also had a notebook and the round “station”. He dumped the dominoes onto the table and they made sure all the tiles were facedown.
“Two players, fifteen dominoes to start.” He sat and scooted in his chair. “Double twelves.”
He placed the station in the middle of the table. They each picked a train token—Ace the orange and Charlee the blue one.
“Twelves are the tiles with red numbers.” Charlee placed the double twelve tile at the center of the station.
She and Ace drew fifteen tiles each. They moved the rest of the dominoes to a boneyard off to one side. After their trains were to either side of the station, she sat back and set her tiles up on their sides, the numbers facing her so that Ace couldn’t see them. She contemplated her hand, putting her dominoes in a train, the order in which she would play them.
He glanced up from his own tiles. “You go first.”
She placed her first tile, the twelve-eleven, the second highest point tile next to the double twelve. “Glad to get rid of that thing.”
“I’ll start a sidecar.” He placed a twelve-three off to the side so they could play extra dominoes on it that didn’t fit into their individual trains.
The game got off to a good start. “What are you going to bet this time?” Ace asked. “It’s a formality, since I’m going to take the game.”
“Ha.” Charlee glanced up from her tiles. “You cook dinner tonight. Shirtless.”
Where did that come from? She hoped her face wasn’t pink.
