"Uh, sure," I answered, not sure what kind of strategy she was up to now. "Who's all eating over tonight?"
"Just the three of us," she replied, still smiling broadly.
Feeling like some dumb animal walking into a trap, I opened the frosted glass cabinet and pulled out three ceramic plates. Stacking them on the counter, I added three glasses to my pile and carried them to the little nook that we preferred to eat in when it was just us. The nook sat nestled on the far side of the kitchen near a huge bay window that overlooked the ocean beyond. I continued playing along as I contemplated what Krista was up to. Maybe they had decided shackles would be the only thing that would keep me away from Emrys. I could just picture Mark showing up with heavy-duty chains that even I couldn't bust out of. I wonder how Emrys was at picking locks?
"Jordyn?" Krista said, breaking through my thoughts. By the look on her face, I could tell this was not the first time she'd called my name.
"Yeah?"
"Can you grab a serving bowl for the sauce and the can of parmesan cheese out of the refrigerator?"
"Sure. Are we having bread too?"
"Yes, Mark went to get a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery. He should be back in a couple of minutes. Hopefully with something in the chocolate variety too," she said, winking at me.
"Right, like he'd come home without something for your chocolate fix," I said, grabbing the butter and the pitcher of ice tea from the fridge also.
"Were you talking about me?" Mark asked, coming into the kitchen with a platter of brownies and a loaf of bread. Depositing them on the table, he turned and brushed a kiss across Krista's lips before smiling at me.
Shit, they were definitely up to something. Krista smiling at me after the bathroom episode I could buy. Mark, on the other hand, acting like he hadn't just splintered my bathroom door sent warning bells ringing throughout my head. Knowing my luck he'd already deposited the heavy chains in my room. I'd be lucky if I saw the light of day ever again.
Not returning his smile, I sat on the padded window seat with a sigh. Mark sat across from me with the same dippy smile on his face. I stifled a groan. This was shaping up to be as much fun as listening to an all-day lecture on fossil fuels. Krista joined us a moment later with a glass bowl towered high with cooked spaghetti.
"Smells great, love," Mark said, sniffing appreciatively.
"Yeah, well it'd be pretty bad if even I screwed up spaghetti," she answered dryly, heaping noodles on her plate. "And don't you dare mention those first couple batches," she continued, threatening him with her fork.
"What? It wasn't that bad. I, for one, didn't see the big deal of cutting the noodles with a steak knife," he said, shooting her a real smile. "It was at least better than my first attempt," he continued as Krista gagged slightly at the memory.
"What happened?" I asked curiously, despite my misgivings about their intentions.
"Well, just put it this way—you could have plastered a wall with my noodles," Mark answered chuckling as Krista made more gagging noises. "Come on, babe, it wasn't that bad."
"They tasted like they'd been run through a food processor. We had to eat them with a spoon. Remember? You kept trying to convince me that if I added more sauce it would help. I wound up eating just the sauce with my spoon," she said, laughing at the memory.
"Come on, now you're hurting my feelings," Mark said defensively.
"Really? That's why I saw you dumping your plate in the trash?" she teased, taking a bite of bread.
"I was stuffed, that's all."
"Right," Krista said, openly laughing now.
Despite myself, I couldn't help joining in their laughter. "I guess I can see now why we get takeout so much," I said, slurping my noodles.
"Yeah, culinary skills seemed to be on the low end of the spectrum when The Light created us," Krista said, still chuckling.
At least for now, the tension disappeared while we finished eating. I knew the boom was still coming, but at least they were serving me one last meal before I was locked away for good.
We were just about done eating when Krista finally spoke. "So, your uncle and I were talking," she began, looking at Mark for his approval before she continued.
"I figured as much," I said, scooting my plate away. "So, let's hear it. I now have to wear leg irons or maybe just a ball and chain, right? Wait, I got it. You guys have decided to build a dungeon under the house. Just to throw my two cents in, a dungeon might take away from the curb appeal of the house," I added.
"Well, a dungeon did cross our minds, but we figured that wouldn't do any good at keeping yourfriendfrom springing you," she said. "Kidding. Truthfully, we just finally came to the conclusion that we're treating you both unfairly. My mom once tried to keep me from Mark and it turned out to be a disaster," she continued.
"Really?" I asked, sitting excitedly forward. This was the last thing I had been expecting.
"Yes, but with stipulations," Mark answered, bursting my bubble.