Page 29 of A Chance at Forever
“If you want to eat, you’ll have to grill the ribeyes I have in the fridge. I don’t think the salad I planned to eat will be enough. You’re definitely a meat and potatoes kind of guy.”
A funny feeling gripped him. So, she’d noticed his muscular body. He grinned. “Yes, ma’am. Leave the steaks to me.”
Victoria left Rusty alone on the back porch as he grilled the steaks. She brought him a frosty glass of lemonade and disappeared again inside the kitchen. With her as skittish as a doe, conversation was bound to be difficult. Either that or she would send him home with his meat and potatoes.
When Rusty brought in the steaks, he found the table set with two bowls filled with salad and plates bearing baked potatoes and slices of Victoria’s homemade bread. He placed a steak on each plate and waited for an invitation.
Victoria refilled his glass of lemonade and poured one for herself. “Please, have a seat. The steaks look great. Thanks for grilling them.”
“You’re welcome. Thanks for inviting me to dinner,” Rusty teased.
She gave him a slight smile. His heart flipflopped.
Rusty expected Victoria to pepper him with questions about his pro-football career, but she didn’t. She must have been curious about his doctorate degrees, too, though she didn’t ask about them either. With both reluctant to discuss their pasts, they stuck to school-related topics and other areas of mutual interest. Their conversation never lagged as they enjoyed their meal.
Rusty’s spirit lifted in Victoria’s company. Her tinkling laughter sent an electric current running through his body and turned her eyes into a sparkling shade of blue. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her, though his undivided attention sometimes caused her voice to falter and she blushed. Her modesty and humility attracted him even more. Dangerously more.
He suspected she might ask him to leave after they finished eating, but Victoria offered dessert. “I made an apple pie from scratch today. And I have a gallon of Ma Smith’s homemade vanilla ice cream.”
“My favorite. You slice the pie and I’ll get the ice cream.”
Rusty didn’t want the evening to end, so he invited Victoria to stroll with him around the lake. “I haven’t had a decent meal since my sister flew home to New York, so I’m grateful for tonight.”
Victoria glanced at him in surprise. “Your sister was here? Do you mind if I ask you something?”
He stiffened, knowing what was coming next. “Yeah, go ahead.”
“Were you sick? I, uh, noticed you lost quite a bit of weight and there were dark shadows around your eyes. You’re, um, looking healthier now, though.”
Rusty’s heart lurched a little. “I caught a bug that hung on for a while, that’s all. My turn to ask you a question. Who taught you how to play the piano? Did you take music lessons?”
She stopped in her tracks and stared at the water gently lapping against the grass. “That’s two questions, Rusty, but one answer. My mother. She meant the world to me before she passed away a little over ten years ago. My fondest memories of her are sitting next to her on a piano bench as she taught me the notes and scales. I can play the guitar, too, and sing. I miss her every single day.”
Rusty swallowed the hard lump in his throat. Her softly spoken response fraught with sadness and regret struck a similar chord in him. “Becca and I lost our parents in a plane crash.” He blurted the words but wouldn’t elaborate. He wore his guilt around his neck like an albatross.
Victoria didn’t press him for details. “I’m so sorry.”
Her voice caressed him. “Thanks. I’m sorry for your loss as well.” They turned back toward their homes. “I’d like to hear you play and sing. Would you?”
His request ruined the growing intimacy between them. Victoria drew herself up to her full height of approximately five feet two inches, and her eyes hardened. “No, I will not.”
Victoria quickened her pace and disappeared inside her house without saying another word.
*
Sunday morning atchurch Victoria ambled into the sanctuary with Mia and Steve and groaned aloud. “Unbelievable.”
Rusty stood near the front pew. A horde of women surrounded him. His eyes widened in dismay when he spotted her. As he attempted to extricate himself, Victoria turned away in disgust.
“What’s wrong?” Mia asked.
“Nothing that should concern me.”
After an uplifting sermon, the service ended, and Victoria hurried toward the nearest exit before Rusty could attempt to waylay her. She saw him heading in her direction.
Mia tugged on her arm. “Wait a minute. You’re coming to Sunday dinner later, right?”
“Of course. I love Sundays at your place. I’ll see you at five and bring dessert.” She threw the words over her shoulder as she dashed out of the church.
