“I tell ya what,” he said, “give me about thirty minutes to take a shower and get changed, and if you want, come on down, have some dinner, and tell me the whole story of how you ended up on house arrest.”
I grinned. “Really?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, really. I always love a good story.”
“Let me bring down some of the food everyone left for me. I’ll never eat it all.”
“Deal,” he said. “See you in thirty.”
Chapter 5
I ran upstairs and rummaged through what little clothing I had. It took all of ten seconds. Throwing on maroon yoga pants and a white “Keep Calm and Yoga On”t-shirt, I decided against my Birkenstocks in favor of going barefoot. Next, I hurried into the bathroom to see what I could do about my hair.
My choppy blonde hair was cut just under my ears, with the bulk of the tresses falling in layers at the crown. I had a natural cowlick in the front that sometimes I tried to tame, but today when I’d gotten out of the shower I just let it dry naturally. Wetting the top, I pulled out my large round brush and quickly dried my hair into more of a style. I dug out my organic makeup and applied mascara to my lashes.
I set out the rest of the fruit salad, a garden vegetarian quiche, and a blackberry crisp. I had a momentary sense of panic when I realized I didn’t have anything “manly” to take downstairs. It didn’t register with me when I said I’d bring down dinner that I wouldn’t have any meat. I was pretty sure men usually liked meat.
When my thirty minutes were up, I carefully balanced my meal and headed down the stairs. Luckily I didn’t have to try and figure out how to knock. Rocky must have smelled the food, because incessant barking greeted me when I stopped at the door.
“Hush, Rocky,” Chase said as he opened the door. “C’mon in.”
He took the food from me as I scanned the interior of the apartment. The large living room was wallpapered in a busy pattern that was subdued only by the brown leather furniture. Antiques lined the walls and sat on hardwood floors, but the focal point was definitely the cast iron fireplace.
To my left, a massive entrance encased in original wood with wide French doors led into the dining room. The six-person oak table was long and took up a majority of the room.
“The hallway to the right over there leads to two bedrooms and a bathroom,” Chase said. “C’mon, I’ll show you the kitchen.”
He led me through a beautiful archway, around the dining room table, and into a modern kitchen. All black appliances, gas stove with huge grates, same hardwood floor as the living room and dining room, and brown and cream quartz countertops.
“This is the only room I made over after I took possession of the house,” Chase said. “I enjoy cooking, so I wanted a kitchen that allowed for it.”
I ran my hands over the smooth counter surface. “This is really nice.” I sniffed the air. “And it smells really good, too.”
“I found a loaf of garlic French bread in the freezer. It should be finished in a few minutes.”
He set the food on the countertop and chuckled when he saw what I brought.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I totally wasn’t thinking I wouldn’t have any meat to serve you.”
“You’re a vegetarian then?”
“No, not really.” I shrugged. “Truth is, I’m not as fanatical as you might think. I eat eggs, and dairy, and I really don’t mind fish. Most people assume I must survive on fruits, veggies, and nuts.”
He grunted. “It did cross my mind.”
“Especially the nuts part, right?” We grinned at each other. “I try to eat healthy, but I don’t subscribe to one way of life.”
“I kind of got that about you.” He looked down at my t-shirt. “So, why don’t I get this around and you tell me how that t-shirt didn’t help you last week.”
I looked down at my “Keep Calm” t-shirt and snorted. “Like I told you previously, the vernal pool fairy shrimp are becoming endangered. It is rare to find a natural vernal pool for them to live in. It just so happens there’s a place in your county thatisa natural habitat for these shrimp. When I got word from another environmentalist that a developer in Trinity Falls was trying to bulldoze over the habitat to put up a road and a couple outdoor stores, I hightailed it down here.”
“The Landing Square job?” Chase asked. “I’ve heard about it trying to go in. Who told you about it?”
I chuckled. “I can’t tell you who told me, that’s confidential. But I will say the underground communication is long and strong in the environmental world. I get daily emails and texts about all sorts of concerns in Oregon.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “Honest.”
