Drained (Edgars Family #6) - Suzanne Ferrell Page 0,31
He paused to take it all in.
It was a spacious, open room. Very modern in the granite countertops and shaker-style cabinets. In a magazine it would appear clean and neat, maybe even a bit sterile to him, but here it was homey. A large crock full of utensils like tongs and spatulas sat near the stove within easy reach. Next to it was a bottle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. If he dared open the cupboard above, he’d probably find spices. On the opposite side of the stove was a huge wooden block of knives.
Dishtowels hung off the oven rack, and a dishrag draped over the back of the faucet. In the sink were two bowels and a spoon, probably from the breakfast she’d had nearly twenty-four hours ago. Cookbooks lined one open shelf and live plants filled the windowsill above the sink.
“If this is messy, I’d hate to see her idea of clean. You’re in luck, buddy,” Aaron said to Stanley, whose nose was busy taking in the scent of the new place. “Looks like the lady likes to cook.”
He walked between the kitchen island that had barstools on the opposite side to what appeared to be a dining area consisting of an antique table and six different wooden chairs. On it was a planter with several succulents sitting in the center. A loose pile of mail was on one end and an empty bottle of wine and a used glass sat beside a notebook, pen and laptop. He leaned in to look at the notepad. Numbers and equations filled the thing. Stuff he hadn’t seen since high school Trigonometry class.
“I tutor math online,” she said from behind him as she laid a pillow and blanket on the back of the sofa.
A little heat hit his cheeks, embarrassed at being caught snooping. “Thought it looked like the higher math I was all too glad to leave behind at graduation.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Most people are. Abby periodically texts me, Another day without using Algebra, memes.”
“So, you’re tutoring high school kids?”
“It varies. Some are college freshmen who didn’t quite get it in high school. A few high schoolers.” With a grin she came over and tapped the paper. “This is Antony. He’s special.”
“Special? How?”
“He’s eight.”
Surprise hit him. “Eight and doing this level math?”
Brianna laughed as she rounded the table heading back into the kitchen. “Yes. He’s tested out as a genius, with special math aptitude.”
“So why isn’t he in college?” Aaron asked, following her.
“Because his parents want him to grow up with as normal a childhood as possible. He takes all the rest of his classes with his classmates. Plays with them, goes to scouts and plays both soccer and little league baseball. Math is with me after school two days a week.” She took out a bowl and filled it with water, then took out a dishtowel and set it on the floor near the door to the laundry. Walking over, she unhooked Stanley’s leash from his collar then took him and set him on the floor near the bowl. “That’s your water, little guy.”
The pup happily lapped from the bowl.
“I don’t have anything to feed him,” she said, folding her arms across her chest and leaning back against her island counter.
Aaron leaned against the wall, watching her watch the pup. “He’s probably still full from dinner.”
“You and Kirk F must’ve fed him two entire waffles and nearly half a chicken.” She shook her head at him, but the corners of her mouth had softened into a ghost of a smile. He liked her smiles. She should do it more than she did these days.
He shrugged. “Well, he looked like he was hungry and really enjoyed the food. Besides when he looked at me with those big brown eyes, I felt guilty eating in front of him.”
She chuckled. “Good thing he’s going to be living with me for now and not you. You’d feed him nothing but table scraps. He’d weigh twice what he does in a week.” Then the light left her eyes. “I wonder how long he’d been without food before Paula found him? I mean, how long do we think Art was gone?”
“Paula said she was looking for him since last Thursday.” She glanced at the clock. “It’s Thursday now, so at least a week?”
“That was when she found Stanley wandering around, so it may have been a few days more.”
“You’re not trying to figure out how long the pup was hungry, are you?”