There she was, with her long brown hair and her dazzling hazel eyes. She carried a small handheld basket as she stuck a few spices in her carrying case. It was the first time I had gotten a good look at her since I found her on the side of the road. I got a moment to take in just how beautiful she was. Her rounded hips and her luscious breasts. The way her hair cascaded down her back and the way her legs were toned and full. She stood with her shoulders rolled back even though she was hunched over a spice, her teeth biting down on her lower lip as she concentrated.
My eyes scanned Ava as she stood there, turning the bottle of cumin around in her hand.
“It’s a good spice,” I said.
I watched her eyes whip over to mine and take me in.
“If you’ve never tried it before. It’s a good all-around spice,” I said.
“I have,” she said. “Tried it, I mean.”
“I thought you said you lived in Seattle.”
“I do. I mean, yes. On the outskirts of the city. But my parents own a house not too far from here,” she said.
“Which mountain?” I asked.
“They aren’t on one,” she said.
“So, you didn’t recognize the area when you got lost?”
“Never been up the mountains. I thought my GPS was taking me through a shortcut. I hit some traffic coming in on the main road and I told my phone application to reroute me.”
“Yeah. You’ll hit a lot of traffic on Main Street. It’s the only way in and out of Kettle,” I said.
Her eyes settled onto mine as a small grin twitched her cheek.
“I’m sorry I never called you or anything. To thank you properly for fixing my car. But I didn’t have your number and you struck me as the kind of person that isn’t listed in any phone book,” Ava said.
“Well, I don’t have a cell phone, so it wouldn’t have done you any good,” I said.
“Ah,” she said.
I watched her stick the bottle of cumin in her cart before she turned her body toward me.
“Could I buy you a cup of coffee?” she asked. “You know, to thank you for fixing my car.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”
“You’re just glad I got home safe?” she asked.
“Not really,” I said. “I’m glad that you’re safe, but not that you went back home.”
“Oh,” she said.
“But, if you want to buy me a cup of coffee and just… sit and talk… that would be fine.”
Her eyes lit up and I had no idea why that made me as happy as it did.
The two of us walked around the grocery store together until we had everything we needed. Then we went through the lines, purchased our stuff, then stored it in our cars before we went to get coffee. She followed me to this coffee shop I was familiar with. It was the only place in Kettle where someone could get a decent cup of coffee. I ushered her into the shop and the two of us ordered, and I tried to convince her to let me pay.
But she wasn't having it.
“I told you, I’m buying it,” Ava said.
“Then the next one’s on me,” I said.
“Deal.”