“You look good in a suit. I figured you would.”
Since the dogs ran out and rounded the house, she stepped back to let Trey in. “I took a walk with them about noon, then I completely lost track of time.”
“They’re fine. You look a little dazed. Everything okay?”
“Yes. The work—it just started rolling. This smells great.”
“You made good choices.” He hung up his coat.
“I try.”
It felt nice, just nice, to walk with him back to the kitchen.
“Why don’t you sit down? I’ll pour you some wine.” He kissed her, several levels up from a casual hello. “You put in a long one.”
“So did you, but I’ll take the wine. How did court go?”
Since she’d gone for shrimp, he pulled a white out of the cooler. “Divorce case, not pretty. The now officially ex-husband made a scene, an ugly one, right in the courtroom.”
“I’ll bet judges don’t like that even more than lawyers who are late.”
“You win that bet. After two warnings from the bench, he got cited for contempt. He’s lucky it’s just a fine because he was heading for a night in jail until his lawyer finally got him to shut the hell up.
“Okay if I grab a beer?”
“You don’t have to ask, Trey.”
“Then I’ll grab one and get the dog food. I picked up more food there—it’s still in the truck.”
“You didn’t have to. I’m going to the store tomorrow.”
“Cross that one off your list. Mookie eats more than Yoda.” He dished out their food and straightened at the woof at the door.
“Speaking of. I’ll dry them off.”
“Not in that suit you won’t.” She waved him back.
“Then I’ll set the human food out.”
And nice again, she thought, to share Chinese food in the kitchen, to talk about normal things.
“I’d like to see the mood board and sketches on Ryder.”
“Sure. It’s just preliminary.” She smiled when he loosened his tie and flipped open the top button of his shirt. “And that’s why women often like men in ties.”
“Because they like to see them wearing a noose?”
“No, because when they do what you just did, it’s sexy. I don’t know why, but it is.”
“I’ve got to wear another one on Saturday. Wedding. A cousin in Kennebunkport. You’ve got your mother this weekend or I’d talk you into going with me.”
“Don’t you already have a plus-one?”
Shaking his head, he speared one of the shrimp off her plate. “Wedding dates are dicey. Then you’ve got your great-aunt Marilyn giving your plus-one a significant look, telling you what a lovely couple you make before she beams, and says, When are we going to dance at your wedding, Trey?”
Shaking his head, he went back to his moo shu pork.
“Once a single guy hits thirty, you spend half your time at a family wedding dodging the when’s-your-turn question.”
“For women that comes once you pass twenty-five. Do you actually have a great-aunt Marilyn?”
“I do, who’s married to my great-uncle Lloyd, who’d guffaw—he’s the only person I know who actually guffaws—as he ogled my date, telling me I’d better snap this one up quick. She looks like a keeper.”
“Now I’m sorry I’m going to miss it. For me it’s my maternal grandmother, particularly, who’ll give me a long, piercing look while reminding me having a career is fine, but a job doesn’t warm the bed at night and won’t put a baby in my arms.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, Grammy always manages the two for one—marriage and babies. Her first comment when I got engaged? It’s about time.”
“And when you ended it?”
“I can thank my mother—with the full backing of her sister—for warning Grammy off. Apparently Tracie got a stinging lecture, and I got a warm, sympathetic call.”
“Grammy’s okay.”
“Yeah, she is. But if I took you to a wedding, I’d get that long, piercing look.”
They let the dogs out while they dealt with the dishes. Just as Sonya wondered how long the normal would last, she saw that all the cabinet doors in the butler’s pantry stood open.
“Oh well.”
She walked in to close them.
“Did anything happen today?”
“Nothing new or noteworthy. I looked at the clock whenever I came down. It’s where you put it. Four-twenty. Otherwise, Casper the friendly housekeeper was on the job.”
“Casper?”
“I’m considering the name gender neutral, even though I think female. She made my bed, lit the library fire, washed and folded the dog towels. And Clover provided my office music, as usual.”
His smile spread. “You’re calling her Clover.”
“She told me to—musically. Crimson and clover,” Sonya sang, “over and over.”
Instead of the slow smile, he shot her a quick grin equally appealing. “Got it. And you can sing.”
“Carrying a tune isn’t singing.”
“You can sing,” he repeated. “Something you kept under wraps after pot roast. You won’t get away with that again. So nothing from the third floor?”
“Not today, and every day there isn’t is a good one. How do you feel about watching a movie?”
“Do you want to use the media room?”
“Actually, I don’t think I’m quite ready for an evening down there. I use the library.”
“Works for me, depending. What kind of movies do you go for?”
“I can go for a rom-com now and then, but I also like action movies, thrillers. I’ve benched horror flicks for now.”
“You like horror movies?”
“A lot, but like the media room, not ready to watch one here. I’m also a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
“Are you really?”
“I will confess,” she said, “Iron Man is my superhero boyfriend. It used to be Spider-Man, but I’ve aged out and it just doesn’t feel right to lust after a high school kid.”
“’Nuf said.”
“Okay, another Stan Lee fan. Between one thing and another, I haven’t seen The Marvels yet.”
“Then we have a winner. Got popcorn?”
“Duh.”
“I’m going to get my bag out of the truck and change.”
Normal, she thought, even ordinary could equal just lovely. Dinner and a movie at home, popcorn and a couple cold Cokes? For now, this minute? Perfect.
With the dogs once again dried off, they trailed her up to the library.
Trey stood, now, like her, in sweats, studying her board.
He took the tray she carried with popcorn, Cokes, dog treats, and set it on the desk.
“I like it. The colors are going to catch the eye. Dynamic colors. Even a guy who just gears up for some touch football after Thanksgiving dinner likes to think he’s dynamic. The font you have for Sports in the company name has movement.”
“I just tweaked what we’d done before. Boosted it a little. So it looks … faster.”
“It works. This sketch.” He tapped one. “I like the way you’ve piled and arranged sports equipment on a field. Could be any kind of playing field. Football helmet, baseball bat, cleats, running shoe. You’ve got your lacrosse stick, basketball, swimming goggles, part of a dirt bike, a hockey puck, golf club. A belay rope, right?”
“Yeah. Maybe it’s too crowded.”