Chapter 7
Clad in a gray oven mitt and gingham apron, Silas lifted the pot top and let the steam billow up before taking in a great big, satisfying whiff. Ever since Chance agreed to have dinner with him at his house, he had carefully planned a menu that three of them – Ava included – would really like. With her anticipated arrival to his house only minutes away, he was convinced that he had made the right choice.
“Mmm,” he said, as the rich smell of tomato sauce, ground beef, and Italian sausage filled the kitchen, danced into his nostrils, and awakened nostalgic feelings. As a kid, spaghetti and meat sauce had been a huge favorite of his; now that he had a child of his own, he enjoyed sharing some of his childhood treats and helping her create the kind of memories that would last her for a lifetime. Although, they didn’t agree that all of his favorites were actually treats – Salisbury steak being one of the most notable duds – Ava definitely liked this one.
Silas felt a slight tug on his leg and looked down to see a wide-eyed Ava. She had just ambled into the kitchen and, very quietly, made her way over to her unsuspecting Pop’s side. Before Silas even knew that she had entered the room, he found her silently standing by. As she peered back at him expectantly, clutching his right pant leg, he couldn’t help but bring her into the fold. “Smells good, right?” he said, raising his eyebrows, and inviting her to share her thoughts. Now filled with infectious laughter, Ava teetered back into the living room and continued playing with her toys.
After fitting the lid back on the pot and placing a tray of garlic bread in the oven, Silas promptly took off his oven mitt, untied his apron, and stepped outside of the kitchen. Since this would be Chance’s first visit to his apartment – and hopefully not the last – he wanted to give his place a once-over well before she arrived and make sure that everything looked perfect.
As the intoxicating smell of roasted garlic co-mingled with the robust aroma of tomatoes, Silas completed his inspection and went back into the kitchen to drain his pasta. Mid-way through, he heard the doorbell ring.
“I’m coming,” he yelled, shaking the colander and getting as much residual water out of the noodles as he could as quickly as possible.
“Coming!” Ava echoed, en route to the door.
“Stand back,” Silas said, trying to beat her to the finish line “Daddy’s got it!” He quickly grabbed for the door handle and nimbly moved Ava out the way of its inward swing.
As the door opened, and fully revealed Chance, Ava suddenly became shy, grabbing her Dad’s leg and momentarily burying her head before taking a peek over at the new visitor.
“Oh, but you guys were best friends less than a week ago,” Silas said sarcastically, patting his daughter on the head.
“I know!” Chance said, playing along. “What happened to us? Where did we go wrong, huh?” she said, to a now giggling Ava. “We were so tight on Sunday!”
“Come on in, my dear,” Silas said, right before landing a welcomed kiss on Chance’s cheek.
“Aren’t you sweet,” she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a small brown paper bag that had been folded several times over at its very top. “When I picked this up, I thought I was getting a little something for my friend,” she continued, before taking a seat on the couch near the door. “But, now I don’t know what to do with it,” she said, giving Ava a sly look. “Oh, I guess it’s still OK,” she conceded, extended the gift to Ava.
Eager to see what was tucked inside but just a little cautious, Ava looked up at her Dad before making a move.
“Sure, it’s OK,” he said, right before Ava walked over and carefully retrieved the bag. Offering only a smile in return, Ava ran back over to her dad and held the bag out for his review.
“Let’s see what it is,” he said, kneeling down to the ground, unraveling the carefully folded top of the bag, and reaching inside. “Whoa! Look at that!” he said, pulling out a tiny stuffed bear. “And it’s your favorite color: pink,” he said, handing it over to a smiling Ava. “What do you say?” he asked.
“Thay You!” Ava said, staring directly to the bear, without giving Chance a second look.
“We’re still working on that,” he said, looking a little embarrassed.
“Not a problem,” Chance laughed.
“I’m just about ready to get dinner on the table, follow me!” Silas insisted.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Chance said, placing her purse on the couch and trailing Silas into the kitchen. “Mmm, smells good,” she purred, “what are we having?”
“We….are….having…...” Silas said, uttering each word separately as he put on his oven mitt and took the pan of bread out of the oven, “Spaghetti and meat sauce with broccoli and garlic bread.”
“Oooo! Everything looks good!” Chance announced looking through the clear pot tops slightly obscured by steam. “You cooked all of this by yourself?”
“Yep!” Silas beamed, excited for her to get a taste.
“Well I, for one, am impressed,” Chance lauded, stealing a kiss.
“I’m going to get everything plated here,” Silas said, “do you want everything or….?”
“Yeah, give me the whole sha-bang,” Chance said.
“OK, and what would you like to drink? I’ve got red wine, apple-cranberry juice, and water.”
“I’ll take a glass of wine, please.”
“Wine it is!” Silas said, making a mental note and then switching his attention to the little one. “Munchkin?” would you like juice or water?”
“Joosh!” Ava said, emphatically.
“You heard her,” Chance said, with a shrug “joosh!”
“Sounds good to me,” Silas said, walking over to open the refrigerator door. “Hang tight, Ava! I’ll get you into your booster seat in a few!”
“Oh, I can do that,” Chance offered.
“Thanks,” Silas mused, pleasantly surprised. “It’s already set up, all you’ve got to do is put her in it.”
“Cool,” Chance said with a twirl. “Come on, Ava! Let’s get you set up for dinner,” she added, walking toward the dining room table.
Trailing obediently, Ava clutched her brand new teddy bear tightly.
Although they were out of sight, Silas could clearly hear Chance and Ava conversing, with the elder of the two doing most of the talking. He liked the gentle way Chance had with Ava and, although she had assumed a shy role for the evening, it sounded liked Ava was – at the very least – open to cooperating. By the time he entered the room, Ava was strapped into her seat and playing with the bear she had been gifted just moments earlier.
“I’ve got hot plates,” Silas announced, carrying one in each hand. “This one is yours,” he said, placing a small pink and white polka-dotted plate with a little bit of everything on it in front of Ava. “And this one,” he said placing the other plate at Chance’s table setting, “is for you!”
“Man, I can’t wait to dig in!” Chance mused, as she took her seat.
“I’ve got to go and get my plate,” Silas said, walking back toward the kitchen. “Anybody need anything other than drinks?” he asked.
“No, we’re good,” Ava said, speaking on behalf of the group.
As Silas walked back into the kitchen, he could hear the girls continuously interacting. “Here, I’ll cut your food up for you!” he heard Chance say, once again, making his heart skip a beat.
After bringing his own plate in, going back to get everyone’s drink, and then having a seat at the table himself, Silas asked Ava to say the grace and she eagerly obliged. As dinner got underway, Silas – once again – felt a warm, fluttering sensation in his chest. He couldn’t help it; he was in the midst of a lovely dinner with two of his favorite girls and couldn’t figure out a better place to be. Not only was the food good but the conversation interesting and, when possible, inclusive of Ava. Most importantly, Silas loved the vibe they all had together. It had a been a while that he saw a clear future with a love interest and he couldn’t wait to see where their relationship would go.
As dinner wrapped up, and Ava began to fall asleep in her chair, Silas sighed. “…and then there were two!” he said, sarcastically.
“Go ahead and put her to bed,” Chance said, beginning to clear the table, “I’ll start cleaning up.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” he insisted, “just relax.”
“I know, I want to,” she said, convincingly.
“OK,” he agreed, rising from his seat and going over to retrieve Ava. “Come on, little girl,” he said as he unstrapped her from her chair.
By the time he emerged from the room where Ava was sleeping, Chance had rolled up her sleeves and was standing at warm, suds-filled sink, cleaning the dishes they had just made.
“I told you that you didn’t have to do that, now,” he said, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around hers.
“Oh, I know,” she said, leaning into his embrace, “but I really don’t mind.”
“Well, I can think of a something that’s a little more fun to do. Come with me,” he said, leading Chance over to the couch.
“Hold on a second,” she said, wiping her hands on a towel and making sure that they were dry.
After they got to the couch, Silas flopped down in exhaustion. “Man,” he said, sitting down heavily, “what a long day! I don’t think it really hit me until just now.”
“I hear you!” Chance said. “Looks you need a massage.”
Silas’ eyes perked up. “Uh, I could definitely use one of those!” he said with a sly grin.
“Turn around,” she said, coaxing Silas as he surrendered his back to her.
“Wow,” he said, preparing himself for a treat.
“Wow, what?” Chance asked, “I haven’t even started yet.” Hoisting herself up behind him on the couch by standing on her knees.
“I know, I’m just – just thinking about everything.”
“Everything?” she asked, rubbing her hands together to warm them up, “What do you mean?”
“Well, there’s a lot about you that’s…. mmmm,” he said, as her hands began to pull and knead the muscles around his neck. “There’s a lot about you that’s just right.”
“Wow, just right?” she repeated, “I’m flattered but I’m still not quite sure what you mean.”
“Well, my first group project, since starting back at Stronghold was with you and, it worked out so well.”
“Uh huh,” Chance said.
“I mean, re-really well!” Silas shared, as Chance started kneading his back. “Then, I just enjoy hanging out with you,” he said, feeling the tension ease from his body.
“Yeah? I like hanging out with you too!” she concurred.
“But, the icing for me – you’re great with Ava!” he said, almost surprised. “That’s a little hard to find.”
“She’s a great kid!” Chance laughed, “A real sweetheart!”
“And now that I know your massages are A-1, I’m going to have to add that to the list!”
Chance chuckled and then tapped Silas on his back, signaling that she was done. As he turned around to face her, she slowly sat down – her legs tucked beneath her, her torso turned toward him. Chance rested her elbow on the edge of the couch, closest to the wall, and she rested her head against her balled fist.
At first, they just stared at each other, looking to each other’s eyes and grinning from time to time. Slowly, intermittently, their heads moved closer and closer and their eye lids drifted down, doing their part to contribute to the moment. All of a sudden, their noses touched and then their lips in a slow, intoxicating lip lock. As they stopped briefly, Silas inched his body closer to hers, priming himself to go in for a deeper kiss.
After getting into place, Silas began leaning in again and Chance followed suit, closing her eyes in the process and, ultimately, relishing the sensation of his lips against hers. As their passions began to ignite, they soon heard a whimper coming from Silas’ room; breaking the kiss, they listened as the cries of a groggy 1-year-old grew into a full-on wail.
Silas smiled and lowered his head, knowing that the moment was quickly slipping away. “Sometimes she gets a little whiny after she gets to sleep. I’ll go and check on her,” he said, springing to his feet. “Don’t move, I’ll be right back!”
With that, Silas disappeared into his room. Chance drew her feet from under her and placed both of them on the floor. Slowly but surely, she herself, started to feel more and more sleepy.
“Sorry about that,” he said, emerging from the room. “Now, where were we?”
Chance smiled at him and gave him a look.
“The mood is gone, isn’t it?” he said, lowering his head once again, sure that he already knew the answer.
“Yeah, kinda. I think it’s time for me to leave – it’s getting a little too late, anyway.”
“OK, well, at least let me walk you downstairs,” he asserted.
“Sure,” she chimed, “I’d like that actually.”
From the time they left his apartment to the moment that she reached the last step, they barely spoke a word – clearly, trying to reach for something interesting or funny but too tried to come up with either.
“Good evening, Mr. Reams,” she said just as they were about to part ways, “and thanks for everything. I had a really amazing time.”
“Thanks for joining us for dinner, Ms. Parker,” he replied as they fell into a hug and then a soft kiss. “Anytime you want to come back again, just let us know. We’d love to have you!”
“Absolutely!” she said, “let’s make it happen!”