“That’s beautiful,” Ava said. “I love that story.”
“Me, too,” he admitted.
“My mom is a musician, so when the storm gets loud she likes to play something dramatic, like the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6. She’d play it as loud as she could, and we’d watch and listen. It was like being part of the storm instead of it hammering at our home.”
“I like that. You seem very comfortable with the blizzard,” he said.
“We have to be. It’s part of our life out here, isn’t it? Even Gracie is calm.”
“Because we are. She knows she’s safe as long as you and I are with her,” Chay said.
Chapter 19
With the power out and every topic of conversation exhausted, Ava was starting to feel the strain. Gracie had been good for the most part but, perhaps sensing her nerves, the baby had started to get restless. Nothing was satisfying her and she started crying.
“What’s the matter, little one?” Chay asked, coming over and taking her from Ava. “Too much snow and darkness?”
“It is for me,” Ava admitted, following behind Chay and Gracie. “I think I’m fine with a blizzard until the fun snacks are gone.”
“We had fun snacks?” he asked her, deadpan.
“Oh, yeah, some really healthy fruit gummies and chocolate pudding cups,” she said, naming the snacks she had put in Gracie’s diaper bag before they’d come to Chay’s last night.
“And I’m just now learning about them?”
“Honestly, you seemed too cool for the pudding cups,” she said, feeling better just joking around with him.
“No one is too cool for pudding cups. I haven’t seen any evidence of them in the recycling bin…that means you still have some. Let’s see ’em.”
“Maybe I don’t want to share,” she said, going to the food bag she’d packed.
“You like sharing. That’s one of your core values,” he said.
He wasn’t entirely wrong. “How do you know that?”
“I’m an observant kind of guy—also, you keep pushing your way into my life. Hard to miss that you like sharing.”
She fished out the pudding cups, which were still attached. Bending them back and forth she heard the satisfying snap as they broke apart. Trying really hard to be chill, but in this moment it was hard. Had Chay picked up on her frustration with the storm and the fact that she was moments away from losing it? She hoped not.
He was all cool with the storm—actually seemed to be thriving in it. It was like nothing fazed him. It didn’t matter if the power went out or Gracie cried or if Ava was on the verge of a meltdown, Chay just rolled with it.
“Doesn’t this bother you?” she asked.
“Not really. I mean, it’s inconvenient. I had been savingBad Boys for Lifefor tonight. You need more cop drama.”
She couldn’t help smiling at that.Bad Boyswas fun, but what she’d really loved about watching it with Chay was how much he enjoyed it. Like when he’d grabbed her hand and said, “This part is the best.” Stuff like that.
“I definitely don’t need more drama. No one likes drama.”
“Ah, that’s true. But watching it play out on the big screen…that’s not bad,” he said.
He had a point. She handed him a pudding cup and then a spoon. “Watch this one, she likes to put her fingers in the pudding.”
“That’s because it’s so tasty, right, bug?”
“Bug?”
He shrugged as he moved to the couch and sat down holding Gracie on one side.
