Page 91 of The Falcon and the Foe

Touché.

“We were at this restaurant in Chicago, and the waitress dropped the pizza on Dad.” Quentin could barely finish through laughter.

Russ bowed his head and nodded. “It was Chicago deep-dish pizza, so all the sauce was at the top. I looked like Carrie at the prom. That thing was heavy, too. It was a brick of cheese, sauce, and crust.”

“Were you hurt?” Josh asked.

“Thank you.” Russ put a supportive hand on Josh’s shoulder. I loved watching them interact. “I’m glad someone here cares about my wellbeing. No, the only thing injured was my pride.”

While the pizza baked, the four of us sat around the kitchen table, picking at leftover toppings.

Quentin kept looking at each of us like he was calculating something in his head.

“Whatcha thinking, Q?” Russ asked.

“This is the first time all four kitchen chairs have been used.”

“It is?” Russ asked, doing the mental math in his head. He had a very cute thinking face.

“Most nights, it’s you and me. And then when we have Aunt Monica and all of them over for holidays, we eat in the dining room.”

“I guess you’re right.” The realization seemed to strike Russ.

Josh turned to me. It was the same for us.

“Well, thank you, Josh and Scout Leader Cal, for making our table full. We’re glad you’re here.” Russ found my foot under the table and gave it a stealth tap. I massaged his ankle with my foot, my heart feeling as full as the kitchen table.

* * *

Dammit,Russ was right. His pizza was better than Little Caesar’s, but fractionally. The savory, thick marinara sauce mixed with the gooey mozzarella and salty crust formed a mouth orgasm. It was the best thing I’d ever tasted.

Well, a very close second. Number one, if we’re counting things I was allowed to bite.

Josh and Quentin filled us in on their badge projects and what they wanted to do next. I did spot-on impressions of people from Russ’s office, and he had to guess which person it was. We ate every piece of pizza. I didn’t want the night to end, frankly, but I couldn’t encroach on the evening much longer. This was supposed to be the boys’ sleepover.

Just as Russ took out the materials for s’mores, the sky opened up, unleashing a flood of rain and thunder, a summer storm that had overslept into fall. Russ closed the patio doors.

“Looks like camping outside is out of the question.”

Quentin protested and said that real Falcons could rough it in any weather. He was soundly outvoted by the three of us. The boys mulled what to do and came up with watching a movie. This should’ve been my cue to leave, but something kept me in that house. Tonight was giving my soul something I hadn’t had in...forever? My family never cooked any meals together. Josh and I spent most evenings watching TV or me going into the basement to work. Our house was quiet. This house was bursting with life tonight.

The boys settled on the Lemony Snicket movie. They found the title on streaming, and I took that as my final cue to leave. They went upstairs to change into their pajamas, leaving me in an awkward dance with Russ.

“Thanks again for having Josh over.”

“My pleasure.”

“I should go.”

Russ slowly erased the chasm between us and cocooned his arms around me. He gave me a peck on the lips. It was so easy, so intimate.

Intimate. There was that dang word again.

I wanted to live in this moment, this night forever.

Instead, I pulled away when the kids rumbled down the stairs. Quentin wore Star Wars pajamas while Josh had on Captain America ones. The Disney empire had claimed two more victims.

“Okay, I’m going to head out.” My announcement fell on deaf ears. The boys leapt onto the large couch, big enough for all four of us.

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