Page 54 of Preying Game

Chapter16

Alice stayed in Jonah’s arms, drifting on a tide of contentment—and wonder, still trying to believe this was all real—and that everything could have changed so completely.

Finally he stirred, “I hate to break the spell, but did you eat today?”

The question made her think again how everything was different. “I was too nervous to eat much.”

“Me too. I didn’t know if I could get back there again once I realized I had to travel through time, and I didn’t know what I could do to help when I got there.”

“You helped plenty. Just telling me about the tracker saved my life.”

“Thank God. And now let’s get practical. What do you want to eat?”

“What are my choices?”

“I make a pretty good omelet. Or I have pizza in the freezer.”

“I’d love the omelet, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No, that’s good. Do ham, onion, green pepper and cheese work for you?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll give you some privacy.”

“Thanks.”

She waited while he dressed. When he’d left the room, she grabbed her clothes and ducked into the bathroom.

Turning toward the sink, she inspected her face in the mirror. Her cheeks were leaner than she remembered. But her eyes were bright, and she looked like a very satisfied woman.

She’d said making love was her reward for surviving. But survival was still astonishing, after all she had been through.

She cleaned up a little, dressed, and left the bedroom. In the kitchen, Jonah was chopping onions on a cutting board made of some material she’d never seen before.

“What can I do?”

“Chop the pepper and the ham.”

He pulled out a small skillet, then put it back and got out a larger one. “Easier to make a big omelet and cut it in half.”

“Right.”

The ham was sliced in a package, and she cut some of the slices into smaller pieces, then watched him sauté the ingredients in olive oil. Her mom would have used butter, but the oil sounded more interesting.

Every small thing was mind-blowing because fixing a meal was so normal, when her whole life had been a nightmare for months. While the onion, pepper and ham were cooking, he cracked six eggs into a bowl and scrambled them.

The cheese was already shredded and in a plastic package which he opened by tearing the top, then sealing it again with a hidden strip. She watched everything, determined to learn how this place worked.

Instead of flipping the big omelet, he put the cheese on top when the eggs were almost done, then put on a lid to finish the cooking.

In no time they were sitting across from each other at the wooden table.

“You said nobody smokes. But I saw beer in your refrigerator.”

“You want some?”

“No, but you go ahead. Do you have any tea?”

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