Chapter 15 #2
Mom blinked. “Rhaz who?”
“Goodness gracious, Mom. The stranger who ran into the Parker house and rescued Lily.”
“Oh!” Mom leaned against the counter and whistled. “Rhaz Stormfyr. What a last name.”
“You said it.”
“Especially for a fire chief. It’s all over town that he’s here visiting from Dubai. And Louise hasn’t even written about him yet.”
“She hasn’t?” Mom asked in surprise.
Phin started putting away ingredients. “Maybe because she’s tied up with talent show planning.”
“Talent show?” Mom straightened. “Are we doing a talent show for the Harvest Festival this year?”
Phin regretted mentioning it. Her parents loved talent shows even more than she and Jessica did.
“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea!” Mom clasped her hands together. “I know exactly what we can do.”
“No.” Phin heard herself say.
“You, me, and Jessica can be the Lemon Sisters.”
Phin made a face. “The what?”
“The Lemon Sisters. We’ll dress up like giant lemons and sing.”
Phin laughed. “Oh, Mom, please. I am not dressing up as a lemon.”
“Why not? It’ll be fun. We’ll wear flowers in our hair and green tights.”
“Definitely not.”
“I can have the costumes finished in two days.”
“Mom...”
Her mother was already reaching for her phone.
“Mom, don’t.”
“Oh, hush. It’ll be adorable. Better than being oranges.”
“Oranges?”
“We can’t be the Orange Sisters. There’s nobody by that name to copy.”
She put the phone to her ear. “Hi, Jess? Guess what? We’re going to be lemons!”
Phin escaped into the living room.
Her father sat in his favorite chair reading the newspaper. “So you’re going to be a lemon,” he said without looking up.
“I am not going to be a lemon. We don’t even know if there’s going to be a talent show, Dad.”
Now he looked at her. “I’d love to manage the lemons.”
She groaned.
“I can make lemonade out of all three of you when the show is over.” He chuckled at his own joke and went back to reading.
Phin shook her head and headed upstairs.
Her mother was so excited about the prospect of a talent show she’d probably call half the town before lunch. Louise never should have mentioned it. Now the cat was out of the bag, and everyone would be peppering Louise with questions.
Phin snickered to herself as she changed into a pink top and a pair of Levi’s. Good enough.
She pulled her hair into a messy bun, pinned it in place, and checked the clock.
11:30. She still had half an hour. Maybe she should call Dr. Blackstone’s house and have someone relay a message that she’d pick Rhaz up at 11:50. Yes. That’s what she’d do.
She dug her phone out of her purse and looked up the number.
As soon as she’d relayed the message to Dr. Blackstone, she went downstairs, tucked a few fresh cookies into a plastic bag, and headed out.
“Where are you going?” Mom called.
“To have lunch with Mr. Stormfyr. I’m taking him some cookies.”
Her mother gasped. “You’re taking a man cookies?”
Phin groaned. A woman giving a man cookies was the equivalent of a man giving a woman flowers as far as her mother was concerned.
“Why, Phin,” Mom said in a teasing tone, “is this a date?”
Phin stopped with one hand on the doorknob. “No, Mom. This is not a date.” Before her mother could say anything else, she slipped out the door.
Ten minutes later, she pulled into the driveway of Dr. Blackstone’s house. The engine ticked softly as she turned off the car. For a moment, she simply sat there, then rested her forehead against the steering wheel and closed her eyes.
This was ridiculous. She’d fought fires. Crawled through smoke-filled buildings. Responded to medical calls. Yet the prospect of having lunch with Rhaz Stormfyr had her sitting in a driveway trying to work up the courage to get out of her car.
Her mother’s comments didn’t help. She could be exasperating at times, and this was one of them.
Still, she was here, and she’d best get the man before he backed out. He’d seemed nervous last night too, and she didn’t understand why. Maybe he was just the quiet type and felt uncomfortable during lengthy conversations.
Phin got out, went up the porch steps, and knocked on the front door.
Quill answered. “Hi, Phin. Come on in.” He stepped aside to let her pass.
She walked into the grand foyer and looked around. “Wow. This sure is a great place. I can’t believe all the work Dr. Blackstone put into it.”
Quill glanced at the paintings lining the walls. “Yes, it’s impressive. Very different from where I’m from, but I like it.” He smiled. “Come into the living room and have a seat. Rhaz is upstairs. I’ll fetch him.”
She followed him into the lovely living room and sat on the couch. Crossing her legs, she leaned back and took everything in.
Voices drifted in from the kitchen. “You blood-sucking wretch!” a squeaky voice declared.
“I’ll put garlic in it if I want,” came Dr. Blackstone’s voice. “It’s my spaghetti sauce. Now back off, little man, before I knock you off that stool.”
“I will not! I don’t know what this spits-getty stuff is, but that’s too much garlic. I can tell. My nose never lies.”
Phin sat up, eyes wide. “Who is talking to Dr. Blackstone?” she whispered. “What a weird voice.”
Before she could investigate, Quill returned with Rhaz in tow.
“Here he is,” Quill announced. “I’ll leave you two to question each other and have lunch.” Smiling, he disappeared.
No sooner had he gone than Dr. Blackstone entered the room carrying a wooden spoon. “Oh, good. Here you are, darling Phin.” He flashed her a smile. “I’m making spaghetti, and I thought the two of you could have lunch here. How does that sound?”
Phin glanced at Rhaz, who merely shrugged. “Oh. Um. Well, I guess.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Dr. Blackstone assured her.
“I find cooking rather fun. I haven’t cooked for days, it seems.” He glared at what she assumed was the direction of the kitchen.
“I’ve already popped the garlic bread in the oven and the pasta’s on, so have a seat, have a chat, and lunch will be served in just a jiffy. ” With that, he turned and left.
Phin giggled and quickly covered her mouth. “Who has he got in the kitchen?” she whispered.
Rhaz smiled. “What was that?”
She giggled again. “Who is in the kitchen with Dr. Blackstone? They have such a strange voice.”
“Oh, that’s just Quill fooling around.”
She wasn’t entirely convinced, but wasn’t going to ask again.
Rhaz nodded toward the dining room. “Never mind them. Is it all right if we eat lunch here? Anon went through a lot of trouble.”
Phin tried not to sigh in disappointment. She’d been hoping to have Rhaz to herself. “Oh, sure. That’s fine.” She plastered on a smile for good measure. “So, what have you done this morning?” she asked. “Anything exciting?”
“No, not really. I had breakfast, went for a walk with Jackson, and he showed me a little more of the town. Then we came back here. I’ve mostly been reading some of Anon’s books.”
Phin nodded. Awkwardness was already creeping into the conversation. Good grief. She wasn’t in high school anymore and this wasn’t a date. At least, she didn’t think it was. “About your department in Dubai...”
Before Rhaz could answer, Anon appeared in the doorway again. “Oh, lovely. You’re still here. I thought perhaps Rhaz had gone to show you some of the books I lent him.”
Phin blinked. “Um, no.”
Anon flashed her a smile. “Darling, what kind of salad dressing do you like?”
She stared at him for a moment. “Anything is fine. Thank you.”
“Excellent.” And just like that, he vanished again.
Rhaz gave her a crooked smile. “He really likes to cook. Which surprises me, all things considered.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing.” He shook his head. “Maybe because he’s a dentist.”
“Oh.” Phin nodded. “People’s teeth and all that.”
“Exactly.”
“He doesn’t bake much, does he?” she asked.
“Oh, no. Not with Hana next door. She’s the baker, I’ve learned.”
“Yes, and a very good one.” Phin folded her hands in her lap. One leg started bouncing. She immediately put a hand on it to stop.
Rhaz noticed and smiled. “Miss Ironwood, are you nervous?”
“Me?” Her voice squeaked. “Not at all. I’m fine.”
His smile widened.
She groaned. “All right. Maybe a little.”
“Why?”
The question caught her off guard. She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Finally, she shrugged. “I guess because I was hoping we’d have a chance to talk without being interrupted every thirty seconds.”
Understanding softened his expression. “Yes,” he said. “That does seem difficult in this house.”
As if summoned by the comment, Anon appeared once more. “All right, children. Lunch is served. Follow me.” He vanished again.
Phin laughed.
Rhaz closed his eyes briefly. “See what I mean?”
“Yes,” she said. “I certainly do.”
He stood and offered her his hand. She took it. As they headed toward the dining room, Phin glanced down at their joined hands.
An odd warmth spread through her. She liked it. Perhaps a little too much.