Page 19 of We'll Meet Again

He closed the door behind him. The first thing he noticed was a stack of boxes in the entryway, all labeled - pictures, letters, jewelry, clothing. He raised a curious eyebrow at Billie, who sighed.

“It’s this thing Tessa’s doing,” she said.

Tessa herself appeared from around the corner. “It’s more than a thing, Billie, have some respect.” She faced Ethan. “How are you, Ethan?”

“Pretty good, thank you,” he replied. He nodded toward the boxes. “So…what is that all about?”

“A couple vintage enthusiasts - myself included - are putting together a wee showcase and flea market,” she explained. “Things we find at estate sales and secondhand shops and things of that nature.”

“Oh, cool,” he said, and it was genuine. With his lack of history in his own family, he was always fascinated by other people’s. “Find anything good?”

“I’ve got a shipment of battlefield artifacts from World War II coming from a farmer in Belgium later this year,” Tessa said. “Once the ground isn’t so hard, he says he finds things every time he tills the land.”

Ethan let out a low, impressed whistle. “That’s pretty amazing.”

“Definitely. After the showcase, I’ll be donating them to a small museum down in Aldbourne though.”

At the mention of the village - which he somehow knew about, despite not knowing how or why - his mind immediately went back to the dream he’d had before the match of him and Billie in that field together. But how were those two things connected?

“Come on in, I don’t want this sauce to burn,” Tessa said, drawing him out of his thoughts once more.

She floated back to the kitchen. Ethan looked at Billie. He forced the memory of that dream away from the front of his mind.

“How’re you?” he asked. “No more tears, I hope.”

“That was a fluke,” she shot back defensively. “Just a…glitch in the Matrix or whatever you call it.”

“Ah, I see,” he said. “So, you’ve got those allergies under control now?”

She nodded stiffly. “Yep.”

“Great, let’s have dinner,” he said. He gestured for her to go ahead of him. “Ladies first.”

She rolled her eyes, but went anyway. And again, he followed. The kitchen smelled wonderfully of garlic and spices, all wafting over from the saucepan in front of Tessa, who stirred all the ingredients around atop the burner. Ethan placed the wine on the counter where she could see it.

“For you both,” he said. “Thanks for welcoming me into your home.”

“That’s right kind of you, Ethan,” Tessa said. “We’ll crack it open now. Bills, get three glasses.”

Billie moved to the cabinet, but Ethan spoke up. “Actually, make it two. I don’t drink, so it’s just a gift for the hostesses.”

Billie paused as she reached up and looked at him, a quizzical expression on her face. And damn if he didn’t think it was adorable. “You don’t drink?”

He shook his head. “Never have.”

“That’s quite responsible of you,” Tessa added. “Can we get you anything else then? Water? Tea?”

“Sure, tea would be great,” he told her.

“Well, take a seat and Billie will get it for you,” Tessa said.

Billie did so, although she rolled her eyes at being volunteered, while Tessa continued to cook. He was still a little surprised Tessa was so good at it. She didn’t seem focused enough. Upon first glance, she was spacey and maybe a bit air-headed. That whimsical tone to her voice was deceiving, though. She would not have been out of place somewhere like the Shire, but she certainly was at the stove. He sat in the closest chair at their table.

“Here,” Billie said, placing the tea in front of him. “We already had the kettle on.”

She didn’t give him time to thank her before going to prepare glasses of wine for herself and Tessa. He watched her with keen eyes, savoring how nice she looked, and he almost opened his mouth to tell her so, but Tessa spoke first.

“How’re you liking London, Ethan?” she asked.

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