Page 15 of Mission: Merry Christmas
Blessings.Yes, maybe there was a silver lining to the bad hand she’d been dealt. This, for one, was a view she’d never forget. Beautiful and quiet compared to the noise of the city. Almost too quiet. The fresh air left her a little dizzy in a good way.
In that moment, the sun fell below the horizon.
She walked out to the end of the house and lifted the lid on the trash can, then screamed.
ChapterEight
Drewput his hands against the wall. His quads stretched, loosening from the earlier activities. He held the position until he heard a blood-curdling scream coming from outside.
Moving as quickly as he could, hopping on one foot, he made it to the front door almost slamming right into Avery as she came high tailing it up the porch toward him.
He grabbed her forearms to keep her from crashing backwards. “What happened?”
Her fingernails pierced his forearms. On tiptoe she stuttered out an explanation. “It—there—oh my—”
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She pulled her hands back and leaned forward, trying to catch her breath. “I’m sorry. Yes.” The words came out like puffs. “Snake? Lizard? I’m not sure.” She leapt behind him. “In the trash can!”
He glanced over. The hinged lid was down. “Seems like a good place for him to stay to me.”
“Scared the heck out of me. How did he get in there?”
She seemed so tough a few hours ago. Fearless even. He was excited to see, at least she was human.
“They won’t bother you,” he said, trying to reassure her while at the same time stifling the laugh he knew would not be welcome at the moment. “I guess I should warn you that sometimes a few feral goats hop over the fence and trim back the flowers too. They won’t harm you, either.”
“You find this humorous, don’t you?”
“Sort of. Yeah.”
“At least you’re healthy enough to rescue me now,” Avery said. “That’s further along than you were this morning when you claimed you couldn’t drive the golf cart.” She swept past him, then stopped in the doorway and turned back to him. “Don’t you have some stretching you’re supposed to be doing?”
“Right. Yes.” He turned to face her. “I was in the middle of that when you went all damsel-in-distress on me.”
“Pardon me?” She looked offended, but then her whole demeanor changed. “I wasn’tthatdistressed.”
“Could’ve fooled me. I heard you screaming from inside the house, down the hall, with the door closed, I might add. It sounded distressed.” It was getting increasingly more difficult not to laugh.
She lifted her thumb and forefinger at about an inch apart, then widened the span. “A little distressed?”
Her half-smile told him all he needed to know. The next couple of weeks were going to be a lot more fun and interesting than he’d initially thought.
“Did you forget to start with the steam room before stretching?”
“Is that your polite way of telling me I need you to keep me on task?”
“Apparently so. In the morning, first steam room. Stretch. Then, we’ll meet by the pool at eight.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He lifted his hand in a salute. “I’m on it.”
Avery left him standing there, looking forward to the rest of this assignment.
***
Thank goodness he hadn’t gone looking for the reptile, because her scream was surely more frightening than that little blue and green lizard. Avery just hadn’t expected to see him staring at her, making that icky bloody-looking bubble under his neck, when she’d lifted the trash can lid.Next time he can take out the trash.
All in all, barring the lizard, it had been a good day. They’d gotten past the awkward stuff, the push-back, and had had a productive workout. He’d actually made it through a lot more exercises than she’d expected him to.
