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Wiping off the corners of her mouth and her fingers, she waited for him to join her. It didn’t take him long to walk out with his own sandwich and chips.
He waggled his eyebrows at her as he sat, picked up his sandwich, and took a healthy bite.
“Hungry?” She curved her lips around the straw and took a drink.
“When have you known me not to be hungry?”
The man had a good point, though he could go a few days without eating when waiting for the perfect shot. But she knew when he did eat, he made sure to pack it in. She finished the second half of her sandwich. He made short work of his, as well as his chips.
He glanced to her chips and without a word, she nudged the open bag toward him. João flashed a thankful grin and dug in. Her neck prickled and she turned to see what could have caused it. No one she recognized but she couldn’t shake the feeling.
“Hope?”
“I need to get moving, João.”
“You see someone you want to avoid?”
“Feels like someone is watching me, which doesn’t make sense.” She shook her head. “Could be us. We’re sitting outside in Vermont, speaking Portuguese. I’m guessing not a lot of people speak that in this area.” There was more to it than that, but she wasn’t about to discuss the sudden windfall with him out in the middle of Rock Falls, whether they did it in Portuguese or not.
“Let’s get going then.” He pushed his chair back and picked up their baskets. “I’ll take these inside and meet you right there.” The head nod directed her to where they would meet.
“Thanks.” She touched her bag like she needed to reassure herself that the letter was still there. Moving to the sidewalk, she chewed on her thumbnail as she waited for João to meet her so they could be on their way.
He came out with a smile and two bottled drinks. Tossing her one, he rolled his eyes when she nearly dropped it.
“Still? After all these years? You can’t catch a drink that I lob in your direction?” He shook his head. “It’s not like I chucked it at your head. We’re not even playing baseball.”
She snorted and punched him in the shoulder as they began walking. “Seriously,” she mocked him in return. “After all these years? What the hell would make you think I’d learned to catch anything? And there’s a very good reason I don’t play baseball. Fairly certain you witnessed it.” He laughed. “We both know I’m more of a ping-pong girl. Or shuffleboard. Oh, let’s not forget, I like curling.”
“Stop, please. You could always move to Brazil and live with me. I’ll teach you to catch.” He winked at her.
Barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she settled for nudging him with her shoulder, smirking when she caught him off balance and he stumbled. “João, you’re barely home twice a year. I see more of you now than I would if I was living in Brazil. Besides, my job has me traveling as much as yours does. And I’m scared to know what exactly you’re wanting me to catch. Pretty sure some of that requires shots and antibiotics or antivirals to clear up.”
“I am clean, thank you very much.” He uncapped his drink and took a long sip. “But as for the traveling, it’s what makes us perfect. We share a place, split the bills, but have a spot to rest our head in between travels.”
It’s like he was actually trying to make a case for her to move to Brazil. And while she loved the country, she didn’t want to move there.
Rock Falls, however…
Gah! She had to stop with those thoughts. He wasn’t part of her life anymore, regardless that she was in his town.
As they stepped up to the rental vehicle, her breathing came a bit easier. Looked like she was going to survive this trip. After today, she never had to come here again. Digging for the keys, she unlocked the Jeep and slid her bag off her shoulder before leaning in the vehicle to deposit it between the front seats.
“I think both of us are much happier this way.”
He lifted his head at her once he’d climbed up and grinned. “Perhaps, but we could give it a whirl.” His final word hadn’t faded from the air when his eyes grew wide.
That alone should have given her an inkling of who was behind her but then her body’s physical reaction to the nearness of one man exploded into overdrive. She had no doubt who she would see if she turned her head.
“How are we doing this?”
Bless João, always on her side.
“I’m not. We’re leaving.” They continued to speak in Portuguese and she climbed up in the Jeep, slipping the keys in the ignition. She wasn’t looking at him.
