Ethan took the spoon without argument at least, though he still didn’t quite look like he knew where to start with the pie. Finally, he brought his spoon down decisively on the very tip, slicing off a minute amount before lifting it to his lips in a way that, to Chloe, seemed almostsuspicious.
The skeptical expression on his face vanished the moment the pie entered his mouth. His eyes widened and then fluttered shut as he chewed slowly.
Chloe couldn’t help but stare. She’d never seen anyone look so enraptured by a pie before.
And, I have to admit, it’s a good look on Ethan too…
She’dhappilysee that look of blissed-out ecstasy on his face in any number of other situations.
Or perhaps just one in particular.
Shaking her head, Chloe forced herself to get her mind out of the gutter –Well, or the heights of heaven, depending on your perspective!
“That good, huh?” she asked, and Ethan’s eyes snapped open again.
“It’s all right,” Ethan said, though Chloe could see the slight twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
Could it be? Is he… teasing me back right now?!
It didn’t seem possible – Ethan was so stiff and formal. Chloe would even have saidstuffy. But she hadn’t imagined that tiny smile – maybe he was just trying to make a very, very dry joke.
“Oh, it’s ‘all right’, is it?” she laughed. “Well, now Ihaveto try some after that rave review – by your standards, anyway.”
So saying, she plunged her spoon into the pie, carving off an enormous hunk and lifting it to her lips.
Okay… okay…wow…
Chloe could confidently say she’d never had a pie like this before. The cherries, just the right side of sour, exploded juicily in her mouth, while the jelly they were encased in provided just the perfect amount of sweetness and spice to go with them. The crust was light, crisp and sugary – the perfect accompaniment to the gooey jelly and juicy cherries.
“Oh my goodness,” she muttered, even as she chewed. “That is just…”
Ethan had already scooped up another mouthful, and Chloe didn’t think she could blame him. She could see now that they really might need another slice – despite its size, one slice definitely wasn’t going to be enough for two.
As she swallowed down the perfect pie, however, she couldn’t help but be aware of Curtis sitting across from her. He was looking at the pie with a kind of longing – and Chloe felt guilt surging through her stomach.
“I’m sorry to sit here eating while you can’t join in, Curtis,” she said apologetically, even as she really,reallywanted to just pick up the remainder of the pie and shove it in her mouth, goblin-style. “I guess you can’t eat food here?”
Curtis shook his head.~No. At least, I don’t believe so. I do not think it would be a good idea to try.~
Chloe supposed that probably all that would happen was that Curtis’s ghostly hands would simply pass through the pie without touching it. But she wasn’t about to take that risk.
Not with this pie, at least!
“Can you, uh, eat food in the afterlife?” she asked, a little awkwardly.
Curtis seemed to consider the question.
~From what I can remember, yes,~he said after a moment’s thought.~Though my memories of that are also fading the longer I stay here. But now, when I try to think about it, I recall that… all we had to do was consider that we were hungry, and whatever it was we most desired to eat would appear in front of us.~
“Wow. Sounds like you had it made,” Chloe remarked, as she lifted another piece of pie to her mouth. “I can see why you want to go back.”
“Maybe this pie came direct from there,” Ethan said as he swallowed the massive chunk of pie he’d been chewing on. “It’s hard to imagine that anything this delicious was made here on Earth.”
Chloe laughed. “My goodness! We’ll make a restaurant critic out of you yet! And what’s that – are youactuallyadmitting to enjoying something that’s not… I don’t know… going through legal documents with a highlighter, or reading someone’s tax filings, or whatever it is you corporate lawyer types do?”
“I enjoy many things,” Ethan shot back, looking slightly ruffled.
“Yeah?” Chloe asked, as she plunged her spoon into one of the scoops of ice cream. “Like what?”
