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“Please, it’s just a dinner among friends,” Donna says.
I wouldn’t say friends. In fact, I’d go as far as to say enemies, but I’ll remain mum on that note.
“I mean, only if it’s not too much trouble,” Rory says with a winning smile.
My insides are happy dancing all the way to kingdom come.
“Absolutely.” Donna beams at her husband. “What a happy accident, hm?”
Fred’s eyes flick between Rory and me. If he’s suspicious, I’m sure he doesn’t have any way to substantiate his fears. “Yes, very happy.”
Rory’s eyes meet mine, a flash of heat in his irises. I am suddenly very aware of his attire. Not the usual light brown button-down and rigamarole he needs for sheriffing. But blue jeans and a blue striped shirt that’s unbuttoned just enough for me to see the beginnings of his chest hair.
I look away before I flush.
“Is that all right with you, Constance?” Donna asks. “More the merrier, right?”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I say. “As long as you don’t mind a bit of a history lesson, Sheriff.”
He smiles. “On the contrary. I welcome it.”
The rascal with his dreamy smile and bad acting. He’s supposed to be here making me feel more at ease, not making me red in the face and fluttery in the stomach.
“Anyway, come in, sit, sit!” Donna ushers us back into the sitting room.
The rest of the conversation over hors d’oeuvres is much more pleasant with Rory present. He’s good at the small talk thing and often tees up moments for me to point something out about the house. I’m not sure if he’s doing it on purpose, but it’s actually serving us well. In fact, Liliana, the Fredericksons’ daughter, is getting in on the action, asking about the weird hole made of bricks outside.
“Coal shoot,” I explain. “That way the coal could be delivered and sent straight to the basement.”
She smiles, bounces in her chair a little. “That’s cool.”
I’m taken aback by the teen’s interest in the details I’m sharing, considering she was so glued to her phone earlier. But I’ll take any support I can get. “It is cool. I think it’s very interesting the necessities of life at certain times that have now become defunct. Instead of being important to how our homes function, now the coal shoot is just a marker of times passed.”
“Yeah that’s—it’s—really cool,” Liliana repeats.
I appreciate her attempt at finding a different word than cool. That’s a start.
“Isn’t it cool, Dad?” she goes on, eyes pinned to her father.
Fred entertains his daughter with a light smile. “Very.”
“I had no idea you were so interested in…” Donna searches for the word. “Interior design!”
When dinner is ready, we shuffle into the dining room, which is already another feast for my eyes. “The original chandelier had to be replaced after an earthquake at the turn of the century,” I explain.
“There are earthquakes around here?!” one of the boys asks.
I shake my head. “Not usually if ever. That’s what makes it so interesting, don’t you think?”
“How do you know all this stuff?” Liliana asks, walking in step with me.
“Well, I’ve lived here my whole life. And I had good teachers who taught me about what the house means to our town.”
She nods. “It’s important to you, right?”
I’m on-guard a little. Is she some spy for her father? Or just a curious teen? “It is.”
“I get that. It’s creepy to live here, but if I didn’t live here, I’d think it was pretty cool.”
