Page 62 of Boxed In

“I’ll go fix the chocolate.”

He gave her a long look, all business again. “Are you going to make any phone calls?”

“No.”

“Or leave?

“I’m just fixing chocolate!”

“How do I know?”

“Because I want you to trust me,” she whispered.

He answered with a tight nod.

She hurried down the stairs to the kitchen. She could have been lying to him, of course. But she wasn’t. She wanted to call Beth and tell her to call Decorah. But she wasn’t going to go behind Luke’s back.

Instead, she quickly boiled water, then added the instant powder. When she searched through the pantry, she also found a bag of marshmallows and added one to each mug.

In less than four minutes she was back.

Luke’s chair was turned toward the door. And she suspected that if she’d tried to make a call or open the door, he would have been down the stairs before she could blink.

“Nothing yet?” she asked.

He shook his head.

She handed him the mug, and he smelled the chocolate. When he took a cautious sip, his face registered surprise. She knew the reaction came from Zabastian, not Luke.

“You have wonderful foods here,” he said.

“How is it that you keep acting surprised at stuff like that? I mean, about things that Luke knows perfectly well?”

“It is ordinary to Luke. But not to Zabastian.”

She held up the cup. “This kind is made from a mix. Maybe I’ll get a chance to fix you the real thing. It’s even better.”

Luke grinned at her. “It’s not just Zabastian. Actually, I’ve never had the real thing either.”

“My mom used to make it for a treat. Dad would build a fire in the fireplace, and we’d sit around watching the flames and drinking the chocolate.”

“That makes a nice picture,” he said wistfully.

“My apartment doesn’t have a fireplace. But I have the makings for chocolate. Next time, I’ll fix it for you.” She stopped short, wondering if there was going to be a next time.

Luke’s expression told her he was thinking the same thing.

Clearing her throat, she said, “I’d like to talk to Luke for a while.”

The man across from her nodded. When his face took on a subtle change that she’d grown to recognize, she knew that Zabastian was sinking into the background. Giving her and Luke space—if not exactly privacy.

She rotated her cup, watching the marshmallow spin around and feeling awkward. If anyone had told her she’d be in this situation, she wouldn’t have believed them.

“What’s swirling around in your head?” Luke asked.

“I’m that obvious?”

“Um hum.”

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