Page 36 of Maid in Heaven

Ava looked like she was debating the proposition.

“You’re not having any fun. That’s why the hesitation, right?”

Ava laughed. “No. I’m having a great time. It’s just… Madison claims you’rea good guy, but John Wayne Gacy was a well-respected socialite, too. What’s to saythis isn’t some ploy to get me in your basement dungeon?”

“While I justloveto be compared to serial killers,you could always just text Madison before you come and have a set time for her tocall you back. If you don’t answer, she can call the cops.”

She pressed her lips together and bobbed her head, doing her best Robert Deniro impression.

“I take it you watch a lottatrue crimedocs.”

“Definea lot.” Her laughsaid it all.

“I never understood how people could watch that stuff.”

“Dating isentirely differentfor a man than it is for a woman. For us, it can be downright terrifying. Only one percentof serial killers are women. Statistically speaking,men are the more dangerous of the sexes. The more we know,the more wecanavoidbecoming victims. For instance, if you saw someone walking around with a surfboard and a cast on their arm, would you help them if they struggle to load it?”

“With a cast?Sure.”

“That’s how Ted Bundy snatched two victims in one day.”

Will adjusted uneasily in his chair.“That is definitely…unnerving.”

“This isn’t an ideal date conversation,is it?” She snickered and rubbed her forehead.“Sorry, I’m more than a little rusty.”

“It’s okay. You are the most stunning, interesting weirdo that I have met in… maybe ever.”

She imaginedlunging across the table to kiss him, hands gripping his shoulders, lips meshed, hands wandering.

She could practically taste his chapstick...

“So, million dollar question: are you looking for something casual or something…more?”

“Something more.I’ve tried casual. It’s just not me. After my divorce,it took timeto figure out what I wanted and whoIwas.” Ava absentmindedly finished the contents of her cup, set it back down, and turned her body fully toward Will in her seat. “I’m going to take a leap of faith that you aren’t a cold-blooded murderer.”

“If I was, I’d beamazingat the clean-up.” He laughed.

Ava’s lip twisted upward into a grin, and her eyebrows furrowed.“Boy, you arereallyconvincing me.”

Will shook his head, “I’m so sorry. It’s not the time to make a joke. I see that now. You were saying?”

“I wassayingI’m free Friday night.”

He made a fist and jerked his elbow back to his side. “Yessss.”

9

Thursday sped by likelightning for Ava. She spent the day dialing down her resume and qualifications and spraying it in every direction she could think of to get a half-decent job without having to leave Jackson Hole.

Friday brought giddiness all day as Ava debated her outfit and underwear set a thousand times, trying on nearly everything in her closet. She made a mental note to treat herself to some new clothes once she got new employment. She’d lost more weight than she’d realized after the divorce, and much of her apparel hung off her in a sloppy fashion.

Barely remembering to breathe properly for the drive across town, she finally arrived at the address Will texted her. She pulled up in front of a modest ranch-style house in the suburbs, piled beneath a foot of fresh, white powder. After another deep breath, she was outside, forging through the cold, crunching through the snow up the walkway.

Before she had the chance to knock, the door opened, revealing Will Jessup in a soft-looking baby-blue t-shirt that clung to hismuscular physique and a pair of dark denim jeans. As Ava’s eyes took him in from top to bottom, a laugh bubbled out of her. His socks were humorous, each peppered with pieces of pizza walking on legs, each with cartoon eyes.

“Nice.” She pointed down at them.

“Thank you. I figured they gave off less of a Bundy vibe.” He gestured beyond a small, vaulted foyer. “Please, come in! Take off your coat. It’s freezing out there.”

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