Page 11 of Fire Harbor

“Oh, he did. But he didn’t admit to it until I was twelve or so.” While Linus was still taking it all in, she went to the wide commercial-size refrigerator with triple doors and pulled open the bottom freezer drawer, putting the ice cream within easy reach. From the refrigerator side, she took out a jar of homemade spaghetti sauce and placed it on the spotless counter. “You can put whatever you need on the second shelf. There’s plenty of room.”

Peering over her shoulder, Linus had never seen a refrigerator so organized. There were plastic bins and tubs for everything, and they were all neatly labeled. He felt a mixture of awe and slight anxiety. It was a stark contrast to his own attempt at keeping things in their proper place. “And I thought my OCD was a problem.”

Lake looked embarrassed. “I have this uncontrollable urge to orderly file everything away, including my fruits and vegetables. My stellar filing system is what makes me a good librarian. In keeping with full disclosure, I don’t deal with a messy, chaotic space very well. I have a place for everything and everything in its place.”

He unloaded the stuff from his grocery sacks that needed to stay cold. “Full disclosure, I can’t imagine ever achieving this level of tidiness.”

Lake’s blue eyes twinkled with amusement. “It’s a gift. Or a curse, however you choose to look at it. No one’s perfect, right? Let’s get the dogs fed first and then I’ll start dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Lake reached around his body, so she could pull out the dog food from the fridge. It was a little hard to believe this man was standing in her kitchen. She did her best to switch gears. But his physique was hard to ignore. For a long time, she hadn’t tried very hard to ignore Linus Canfield, so why would she choose to do that now?

But there were other more pressing matters. Holding up the special subscription dog food, she showed off its contents. “This is the stuff that comes in pre-portioned bags. But I mix it together with a blend of dry food—vet-approved, by the way—that comes with plenty of vitamins, including all the omega-six fatty acids for a healthier dog. There’s no wheat, soy, or corn in here that just adds fillers. And by mixing them together, it doesn’t break the bank. With two dogs to feed, it makes sense to use both.”

“Show me how it’s done.”

She took out a large stainless-steel bowl from underneath the cabinet and slit open three bags, which she dumped into the bowl. Using an oversized measuring cup, she scooped out the special dry blend—enough for three dogs—and added it to the mix. Taking out a spatula from the drawer, she stirred everything together before heading back to the sunroom where she kept Jack’s and Scout’s food dishes. After dividing the portions into three servings, she stood back and watched them eat. “Farley can use the bowl as his food dish.”

He loved watching her move. She was so relaxed. Her love of dogs sparkled in her eyes. There was no worry about Farley eating out of her shiny mixing bowl. She seemed to take it all in stride.

A skeptic, Linus crossed his arms over his chest to wait for his finicky dog to turn up his nose at the food. He was stunned to see Farley gobble up the special dinner as if he hadn’t eaten in four days. “Wow. I think I’m going to sign up for the delivery. After tonight, he probably won’t eat the stuff I just bought at Murphy’s anyway.”

“Nothing against Murphy but I found that Jack wasn’t in love with any of the kibble there, especially with his stomach issues left over from his abandoned dog days. I did ask Murphy to order the dry brand that Cord suggested, but he said I’d be better off pricewise, ordering it from PetSmart in San Sebastian. So, that’s what I do.”

“How soon do you think they’ll deliver?”

“As soon as you set up your account, you’re good to go. Just make your shipping choices sooner rather than later.” She moved closer and patted him on the chest. “Now, it’s our time for dinner.”

“What can I do to help?”

“Plop down and wait, or you could play with the dogs. Keep them from underfoot. Scout tends to lurk when I’m in the kitchen.”

“I could set the table.”

She started meal prep by running water into a large pot to boil fresh pasta. “Sure. That cupboard above the silverware drawer is for the plates. The candlesticks are on the buffet behind you.”

He found the location of everything couldn’t be a coincidence. “Organization, no doubt.”

“You bet. You take fewer steps that way when the utensils and plates are right there. Napkins are in the drawer to the left.”

By the time he’d gotten the table set and the candles lit, the fragrant aroma of simmering sauce filled the air with a comforting scent, making Linus’s stomach growl in anticipation. He stared at the stove. “I thought you said you had leftovers. That’s fresh tomato sauce.”

Lake smiled. “It’s no big deal. Every year I can jars of this stuff. I grow my own tomatoes.”

“You’re kidding?”

“If you don’t believe me, take a look in the pantry. Just don’t panic or judge me. I’m not a hoarder or a prepper. I’m just very frugal. I don’t throw away what I grow. I either give what I can to my dad and my stepmom or to the neighbors. And I always manage to find a use for three different kinds of tomatoes in soups, salads, or something.”

“I noticed you do love to garden,” Linus said as he went to the pantry, a door with a sign on it that said pantry and peeked inside before gaping at the overstocked shelves. There were jars of spaghetti sauce, green beans, six different flavored jams and jellies, assorted pie fillings, and jars of homemade vegetable soup.

She came up behind him. “Are you starting to worry that I’m a vegetarian? Because I am. Except for bacon. I love bacon.”

“You don’t eat meat other than bacon?”

“Not usually. Is that a problem?”

He tried to sound serious when he said, “I’m trying to picture life without a cheeseburger. I have to be honest. It’s scary. And troubling.”

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