Page 29 of Ice, Ice… Maybe?

Casual.

He was dressed casually, and she was so relieved. Having come straight from work, she was still in her uniform polo shirt and didn’t bother going by her apartment only to fight the pesky photographers crowding her once again. As she pulled up, he waved happily and walked toward her driver’s door, opening it.

“Heyyy, Becca. I’m glad you made it. Did Gary-the-Guard give you any trouble? I told him the make of your car and the color, asking him to wave you through.”

“I’m really glad you did,” she smiled, getting out of the vehicle and meeting his eyes. “The ‘convoy’ was following a little closely.” The two stood there awkwardly for a moment before she met his eyes once more and saw a smile bloom on his face.

“Hi,” she whispered nervously.

“I’m so happy to see you,” he admitted and then hesitated, holding out his hand toward the house. “C’mon in, get comfy, kick off your shoes, and relax. Please make yourself at home and let me show you around.”

Nodding, she headed toward the garage door, feeling strange to be simply walking into some strange house, especially since she had no idea where to go. Chuckling, she waved him ahead. “You go first. I don’t know if I make a left or a right once I get inside.”

“You’re fine, I promise you,” he smiled – and took her hand instead of taking the lead. They entered the house, and she expected it to be some pristine museum or shrine to the North Texas Coyotes with a framed jersey on the wall. Even if she walked in and saw wall-to-wall marble floors, elaborate tile work, or a Grecian station, and she wouldn’t have been surprised.

This was normal.

Exceedinglynormal.

It could have been any suburban kitchen that she was walking into and looked like something you’d see in any model home – not a magazine or one of those episodes of ‘Cribs’ on MTV. There were a few pairs of sneakers kicked off by the door and a few hooks on the wall holding various car keys – including a strangely shaped one.

“What’s that?”

“I used to have a Porsche,” he admitted, his smile fading away. “That’s all that is left of it, and I keep it as a reminder not to screw things up again.”

“What do you mean?”

“I used to be a mess. A young guy with too much money on his hands is a recipe for disaster – and I was one. I wrapped it around a pole, speeding, and nearly killed myself. After that, there was no more drinking or anything when I saw the headlines. It was the wake-up call I needed to make a few changes in my life.”

“I bet it was scary.”

“Intense,” he admitted in a hushed voice before clearing his throat and nodding. “If you want to hang your purse, there’s a hook on the back of the door, or you can put it on the counter. No one will touch it. Gary decided to take his girlfriend to Choctaw Bingo for the weekend to give us a little space. Are you hungry?” he asked and hesitated. “I should probably show you around, or you are welcome to snoop to your heart’s content. There’s nothing to hide here.”

“I am starving, if that’s okay. Maybe I could help make the macaroni…”

“Becca, I’m honestly a really bad cook,” Travis chuckled nervously. “Gary does most of the cooking. If I follow the box directions carefully, then it’s edible.”

“You already alluded to that,” she smiled. “Please don’t worry about it – and I think we can manage between the two of us.”

“I just didn’t want to give you the wrong idea or mislead you.”

Becca looked at him, seeing the bruising was fading around his nose where he still wore the brace across the bridge of it, and noticed that the stitches were looking pretty good. “You are looking much better than last week. How are your stitches?”

“Itchy,” he admitted and gave her a small smile. “Is it weird that I’m nervous?”

“Not at all,” she chuckled. “I’m nervous, too.” That singular look, that shy smile, and the way they both seemed to be unsure of themselves really hit home with her. She didn’t want things to be anxious between them and wanted this to be the start of something greater. “Then let’s be nervous together and set the water to boiling while you show me around.”

Ten minutes later,they had barely toured the bottom floor when it was time to drain the macaroni. Conversation was much easier between them now as she teased him about the Ritz crackers that he was currently running through a coffee grinder.

“You know that’s for coffee, right?”

“Don’t tell the grinder, and he won’t know.”

“Traaaavis…”

“What? This is my cracker grinder. My coffee grinder is black, and the peppercorn grinder is red. Get it? Red indicates hot things.”

“You havethreecoffee grinders, and only one grinds coffee.”

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