Page 66 of A Chance at Forever
“Hi,” he murmured close to her ear. “You let me oversleep.”
She turned around in his arms to gaze up at him. “I checked on you at ten this morning, and you were sleeping so peacefully I didn’t have the heart to wake you. You’ve been through a lot of physical and mental strain. I knew you needed a good, uninterrupted rest.”
“Very thoughtful of you, my love, but it left you with preparing our entire dinner by yourself.” He couldn’t resist brushing aside her scarf and nuzzling her neck.
“Well, guess who’s cleaning the kitchen later.”
He grimaced. “And no automatic dishwasher, either.”
Victoria smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him warmly on the mouth. “Gosh, Rusty. What will you do?”
He flashed a grin and kissed the tip of her cold nose. “I’ll manage. Now, about the turkey. Is it almost done? I’m starving.”
Victoria checked her watch. “It will be in another half hour. Want to help me with the rest of dinner?”
“Sure. Just put an apron on me and call me Martha Stewart.”
She laughed, and they returned to the cabin.
While Victoria mashed the potatoes, Rusty lifted the turkey out of the oven. He transferred the bird to a large oval platter and let it cool for several minutes before carving and carrying it into the dining room. When the table was spread with side dishes and crystal goblets filled with red wine and water, Rusty lit the candles in the Thanksgiving centerpiece and held out a chair for Victoria. After he complimented her on preparing such a fine feast, he grasped her hand and offered a blessing.
Comfortable with each other’s company, they ate in silence. Once in a while, Rusty moaned in pure satisfaction when he tasted something he liked.
He stuffed himself, and afterward leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. “I can honestly say, Tori, that was the best Thanksgiving dinner I’ve ever eaten. That Jell-O concoction was delicious. What did you call it?”
“Wine salad. My mother taught me how to make it. It’s one of our favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions. I’m glad I found all the ingredients.”
“Well, I loved it.”
“Thank you. I’m relieved you had an appetite.”
“Always.” Rusty rose from his chair and offered his hand to her. “Shall we play chess by the fire?”
Her blue-gray eyes sparkled with mischief. “Are you going to be a good sport if I win?”
“I wouldn’t be an effective coach if I didn’t teach my boys good sportsmanship, now would I?”
She responded with her tinkling laugh he loved so much. “You answered my question with a question, but time will tell.”
They carried their glasses of wine into the great room. Rusty stoked the fire again and set up the chess board on the wooden coffee table. In between moves, they sipped the wine and verbally challenged each other for the win. Victoria won the first game, and he took it like a man.
During the third round, Rusty started to cough sporadically. He switched from wine to whiskey and it helped. Victoria watched him down several shots but didn’t comment. After four games, they grew tired of playing chess, and she went into the kitchen to cut slices of pumpkin pie. Rusty took the opportunity to send Alex a message.
Rusty:Cough is back.
Alex:Take another dose of the medication.
He responded with a thumbs up emoji and called his sister.
Victoria heard the tail end of his conversation as she joined him with dessert. Rusty ended the call and smiled at her. “Have you spoken to your family today?”
“I called them earlier this morning. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” He took a forkful of pie and whipped cream and swallowed it. “Yummy.” Victoria had brought cups of coffee with the pie. He lifted his mug and saluted her. “To a great meal and even better company.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Victoria clinked her mug against his.
After they enjoyed dessert, Rusty carried their dishes into the kitchen. “Guess I’d better get started on my part.” He coughed and tried to cover it up by turning on the faucet.
