Zephyr Chapter 9 #2
Spoiler laughed and told us we were worse than children. We pretended to disagree. After that, we chatted for five more minutes before we made moves, showing we were about to leave.
“It was nice to chat with you, John. Maybe one day we’ll run into you again,” Icelander stated.
“It was great to meet all of you. Yeah, I hope we do meet again. Ride safe,” John replied.
“You stay safe, too,” I added.
Then, one by one, we shook his hand and said goodbye.
We stopped at the bar to pay our bill and made sure to leave Brenda her tip.
Outside, we took our time getting on our bikes and resuming our ride.
However, before we left the Tipsy Shark’s parking lot, I texted Everlyn to see if she would have dinner with me.
I had my phone magnetized on my bike’s gas tank so I could see her response.
We hadn’t gotten more than a couple of miles from the bar before I had my answer.
She would, but she asked if I’d come to her place instead of going out.
She wanted to cook and asked if seven o’clock worked.
At a traffic stop, I answered yes to it all.
We took a meandering way back to US 98 in case we were followed, then headed home to Asgard. I smiled the whole way there.
?
I rode up to the front of Everlyn’s guesthouse at six-forty-five.
I hadn’t been able to wait a moment longer to see her.
We’d arrived back in town at three-thirty.
I knew sitting at home would drive me crazy, so I went to Passages, checked in with everyone, then sat and worked on paperwork.
I’d left there and gone home long enough to shower and make myself presentable before riding over.
By the time I swung off my bike, Everlyn had the door open and was hurrying toward me.
Her smile in the glow of the outdoor lights was clear.
I automatically opened my arms, and she came into them.
I hugged her close as I claimed her lips.
I was starving for her. Several moments later, the nip of the cold air and her shiver made me realize she was outside without a jacket.
It was colder tonight, in the high forties. I pulled my mouth away from hers.
“Let’s get you inside, elskling. It’s too cold for you out here,” I said gruffly.
She kept one arm around my waist, and I left one of mine around her shoulders as we glided toward the front door. Entering the house, the warmth hit me. I shut and locked the door behind us. I let go of her to remove my boots. She was kicking off her sandals.
“You don’t have to take your boots off if you prefer to keep them on,” she offered.
“I like freedom for my feet,” I told her.
As I worked on them, I smelled something heavenly that made my stomach growl. Everlyn grinned at me.
“Sounds like you brought your appetite. Good. I made plenty. I hope you like it.”
I inhaled deeper. Whatever she made reminded me of a Norwegian dish I loved. It was comfort food.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Come see for yourself. I hope I did it right.”
Curious, I hung up my cut then followed her from the entry to a room off to the right through a doorway.
It was the kitchen. I was led to the stove where covered pans sat.
Everlyn lifted the lid off one. I stared down, and it took a moment for it to register what I saw.
As it did, she cut into the meat and lifted a piece of it, covered in gravy, to my mouth.
“Taste it. Did I get it right?”
I blew on the spoonful, then took the bite. Comfort filled me as the flavor hit my tongue. I groaned.
“Gods, that taste. I haven’t had it in ages. It’s fantastic,” I told her.
Everlyn beamed in delight. “Really? Oh, thank God. I read that it’s common to serve it with potatoes and stewed peas.
I made potato dumplings and stewed peas.
I thought it might have been a while since you had a Norwegian meal cooked by someone else.
It was fun looking up the recipes. The food is ready if you are. All I need to do is dish them up.”
“I’m ready, just let me wash my hands. And I’ll help you do it.”
She pointed to the kitchen sink, but Everlyn shook her head at my offer to help. By the time I was done, the most I could sneak in was taking the bowls from her and setting them on the small table at the opposite end of the kitchen, where she had two place settings.
“What do you want to drink, Leif? I have the saft, both flavors, as well as beer, water, lemonade, or soda.”
“Lemonade.”
I stood next to her as she filled two glasses—one with lemonade, the other with water.
At the table, I held out her chair and scooted her in before I sat down.
Without ceremony, she handed me the meatballs and gravy I’d already tasted.
Next came the potato dumplings, followed by peas.
I often thought they reminded me of English mushy peas in appearance, though Norwegian ones didn’t use bicarbonate; they used just butter, salt, and pepper.
Taking a bite, I discovered the potatoes had a traditional surprise in the middle: a small cube of ham. Everything tasted wonderful to me, and I told her so.
“Evie, you did an amazing job. It’s all delicious. Wait until I tell the others what I had. They’ll be jealous.”
“If they’re really good, then I’ll make them for everyone if they like this kind of food. I’ve always enjoyed trying foods from other countries. Tonight is the first time I’ve had anything from Norway. I like these,” she informed me.
Dinner was relaxed. We chatted about this and that. Some of it pertained to work. I told her I had run an errand for the club most of the day, which was technically true. She had spent hers in the office, drafting a new way to contain sewage spills and mitigate the harm.
After we were done eating and everything was cleaned up and put away, we went to the living room. Everlyn had a glass of wine. I accepted two fingers of whiskey. It wasn’t a brand I was familiar with. She informed me it was Jeremiah’s favorite.
We sat on the couch, with our bodies touching. She had the electric fireplace on. I turned down her offer to watch a movie. I’d rather sit in silence with her or talk than watch television.
“Sitting here like this is so relaxing. I feel the tension easing out,” she murmured.
“What has you tense?” I asked.
“The worksite and the constant battling to get them to recognize they’re a disaster waiting to happen. And that it isn’t a matter of if, but of when more pipes will rupture. They only see the cost now.” Her sigh was deep.
“I wish there was something I could do to help. If I thought beating Reeves’s ass all over town would do it, I’d go there tonight,” I said to her.
Everlyn giggled. “You’re such a throwback to your Viking ancestors. I can picture you so clearly dressed as one, going into battle.”
I had to stop myself from commenting on how close her observation was.
Not telling her about what happened to me and the others rubbed me the wrong way.
I didn’t want to withhold anything from her.
But what if she couldn’t handle it? I wasn’t concerned she’d tell people.
If she did, they’d think she was insane—no sane person believed in immortal people.
I gave her a faint smile. “So, what about me going to see Reeves?”
“Leif, stop, you can’t beat him. Believe me, if he wouldn’t call the cops on us, I’d do it. God, people like him frustrate me to no end. I asked Willis if there was anything he could do, but there wasn’t.”
“Willis? As in the guy I saw you at the coffee shop with?” I asked.
I wasn’t thrilled that she was still in contact with him. I set down my whiskey and angled myself so I faced her more as I continued.
“Why would he be able to help? I don’t want to sound unreasonable, but I’m not comfortable with a previous boyfriend or lover having a close relationship with you. I wish I were more modern than I am. Blame it on my throwback mentality.”
I tried to make myself sound less rigid, but the truth was, I wasn’t comfortable. I hated that a previous guy she’d dated or been with sexually had a part of her. She was mine. If he had been a regular friend, that would be different. Everlyn gave me an incredulous stare before she answered.
“You don’t want Willis around me because of our past relationship as lovers?”
“That’s right.”
“Willis and I have never dated or had sex, Leif. You misunderstood our connection.”
I blinked. “Then who is he?”
“He was Jeremiah’s lawyer. He handles the estate’s litigation. The day you saw us at the coffee shop, he was asking me if I’d thought about what was revealed at the will reading. Willis made sure I understood where I stood.”
“Jeremiah’s lawyer? Son of a bitch, I totally screwed that up.
I’m sorry. All I saw was a handsome, successful man having coffee with you, smiling, laughing, and touching your arm.
You have no idea how much restraint it took not to march over, tear his arm away from you, or better yet, rip it off, and beat him with it,” I confessed.
I had already exposed my insecurity, so there was no need to pretend it didn’t exist.
“You really did like me from the start,” she whispered.
“I told you that. Do you mind if I ask what was revealed in the will? It’s fine if you’d rather not.” I gave her a small smile to show I was telling the truth.
“I don’t mind telling you. But this conversation shows we have a lot to learn about each other.
Let me tell you what Jeremiah did. Even though he became my guardian, I never expected him to leave me anything more than maybe some trinkets or items that were of sentimental value.
Instead, he left a video that explained what he did and the consequences.