love to cook,’ Ava replied absently as she concentrated on the sizzling pan, ‘even if it’s just for me.’ She glanced down and gave Bailey a sharp look.
Fascinating, Kelley thought, the dog actually looked away guiltily. If she’d been a person she’d have been whistling in mock innocence.
‘Bailey’s not allowed any. Last time I made curry she snuck some from my plate. You cannot even begin to imagine the mess she made in my truck. I had to air it out for a week.’
Kelley laughed loudly as Bailey barked once at Ava, almost in protest.
‘What?’ she replied to her dog, ‘you and I both know it’s true. Need I mention the chocolate incident?’
Bailey whined and looked away again.
‘That’s what I thought.’ Ava replied.
‘Amazing,’ he murmured.
‘What is?’
‘It’s almost like she understands everything you say,’ Kelley replied in fascination.
‘Oh, she understands plenty,’ Ava shook her head. ‘Her breed’s very intelligent anyway, but we’ve been together since she was born. She more or less ignored her mother unless she wanted feeding and attached herself to me. As it’s just me and her on the road, on our own, pretty much most of the time, I think we’ve just come to understand each other.’
‘On the road?’ he leaned forward and propped his elbow on one knee and his chin in his palm, ‘you travel a lot? For pleasure or work?’
‘You ask a lot of questions,’ her dark eyes flicked back to him.
‘It’s how you get to know someone,’ he smiled. ‘Ask me anything, I’m an open book.’
‘Sorry I don’t read much,’ she shook her head.
‘A challenge huh?’
‘If you’ve got a steak in that bag you might want to give it to her. It might sweeten her up or she’s going to growl at you the whole time you’re here,’ Ava changed the subject.
‘She always like this with strangers?’ he asked as he reached into the bag.
‘No,’ Ava shook her head, ‘she actually has a very sweet disposition.’
‘So, it’s just me then?’ he asked perplexed as he unwrapped the steak.
‘Yeah,’ she nodded.
‘Oh,’ he frowned, ‘dogs usually love me. I’ve never had one dislike me before.’
‘She doesn’t dislike you,’ Ava reached down beside her for a bowl. ‘She’s wary of you and protective of me. She’s unsettled, we’re in a new place and its dark, and you’re a stranger.’
‘But she met my twin earlier?’
‘Dogs have over three hundred million smell receptors in their noses,’ she began to spoon the curry into the bowl. ‘You and your brother may look almost identical but trust me, to her you’d smell very different.’
‘Oh,’ he held up the steak and Bailey’s ears pricked, she lifted her furry face and sniffed before turning to look at Ava.
‘It’s okay,’ she nodded.
Bailey moved forward carefully taking the steak from Kelley’s hand before dragging it back over to devour it at Ava’s side.
‘She asks your permission first?’
‘In some of the places we’ve lived in over the years, people will feed the dogs any old crap. It’s not good for her, so I taught her not to accept food from strangers.’
‘What sort of places?’ he handed her one of the beers he’d brought, noticing that she discreetly checked to make sure the bottle was sealed and not tampered with in any way. It made him wonder exactly what sort of life she’d lived that she’d be so cautious, not just for herself but with her dog too.
‘Just places,’ she shrugged as she handed him a bowl of curry and a slightly bent metal spoon.
‘What about your family?’ Kelley spooned a mouthful of curry, making a hum of pleasure as it hit his tongue. ‘So good, where the hell did you learn to cook like this?’
‘Here and there,’ Ava smiled.
Kelley swallowed his mouthful and studied her carefully, his light-colored eyes appearing even paler in the dancing firelight.
‘Ava,’ he spoke softly, ‘I know you don’t know me yet, but you can trust me. I may come across as a bit of a stalker, but I am genuinely interested in getting to know you, no strings attached. I’m harmless I promise.’
Harmless, Ava almost snorted. There was nothing harmless about just how appealing the guy was, or how her belly jumped and tied itself into nervous knots when he was near, but… she was forced to admit, she would be working closely with his brother for the foreseeable future and she couldn’t avoid everyone on the island. She’d spent her whole life wondering what it would be like to have a permanent home, a place to belong and when