muttered.
“Oh well, I saw a garden out back. Should be something I can scavenge out there.” She brought the plate over to the table. “Eat up. There’s coffee.”
Nadia’s coffee was sort of glorified dishwater. He regarded the pot with some suspicion. “What kind?”
She shrugged. “Supermarket generic. But I made it double strength. That usually helps. Let me pour you some. Rest your foot.” She opened the cabinet next to the sink and pulled out a cup, then walked over to the automatic coffeemaker at the end of the counter. The coffeemaker that he suddenly noticed smelled really good.
She stood poised next to the counter, the cup in her hand. “Sugar? Cream?”
He shook his head and she set the cup on the table, followed almost immediately by a muffin on a plate. He tore off a small piece of pastry and placed it cautiously into his mouth. A month of Nadia’s cooking had cured him of taking large bites of anything without first testing the waters.
He tasted apple and spice, cinnamon and a hint of something that might have been nutmeg. It was the best thing he’d tasted since he’d arrived in Tompkins Corners, but that wasn’t saying much. Hell, it was probably one of the best things he’d tasted for a long time before that. Somehow he managed to keep himself from stuffing the entire muffin into his mouth in a single bite.
“This is really, really good,” he mumbled around the crumbs.
“Thank you.” She gave him a bright smile. “What else would you like?”
That particular question evoked a sudden flurry of lascivious images that he promptly suppressed. “This is fine. I’ll just take another one to eat on the road.”
She frowned. “You’re going back to the excavation?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “We’re behind now since I lost a day yesterday.” Which was entirely his own fault, of course, although he didn’t feel like bringing that up.
“But you’re hurt. And what happens if you get stuck again?”
He grimaced. “Theoretically, I have an intern. Although he didn’t show up yesterday. With any luck, he’ll show up today. Anyway, if I don’t make it back by this evening, you can always come and rescue me again.” He gave her a grin that was supposed to be winning but apparently wasn’t.
Greta still frowned. “You shouldn’t be out there by yourself.”
“It’s okay. Like I said, intern.”
“Who didn’t show up yesterday when you almost ended up spending the night in a hole.” She rested her hands on her hips.
He sighed. “Look, it’s a very small dig for which I have a very small grant that will run out at the end of the summer. I can’t afford to lose a day because my foot hurts. I was stupid yesterday. I’ll do my best not to be stupid again.”
Greta rubbed her hand across her nose. She didn’t seem to be wearing any makeup. It didn’t make any difference. He still wanted to jump her.
One of her eyebrows arched up. “What if I bring you lunch?”
“Lunch?” He shook his head. “Alice doesn’t provide lunch.”
“So? I’m cooking. There’ll probably be leftovers.” She sat down beside him at the table. “Indulge me, okay? If I spend the day worrying about you out in that hole, it may affect my cooking.” She gave him another of those grins, and his body once again went on high alert. What the hell is it with this woman, anyway?
He cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t want anything to affect your cooking. Considering these muffins, I want to make sure your cooking works overtime.”
She looked absurdly pleased. “Thank you. You’re the first one to taste them. Hope everybody else feels the same way.”
“I’d say that’s more or less guaranteed.” He started to push himself away from the table, then stopped, frowning. “Crap. I just remembered. I need a ride to the dig. I left my truck there yesterday.”
“Can you drive it back by yourself?”
“Sure. Once I get there.”
“If you can wait until everybody else gets up,
“Oh well, I saw a garden out back. Should be something I can scavenge out there.” She brought the plate over to the table. “Eat up. There’s coffee.”
Nadia’s coffee was sort of glorified dishwater. He regarded the pot with some suspicion. “What kind?”
She shrugged. “Supermarket generic. But I made it double strength. That usually helps. Let me pour you some. Rest your foot.” She opened the cabinet next to the sink and pulled out a cup, then walked over to the automatic coffeemaker at the end of the counter. The coffeemaker that he suddenly noticed smelled really good.
She stood poised next to the counter, the cup in her hand. “Sugar? Cream?”
He shook his head and she set the cup on the table, followed almost immediately by a muffin on a plate. He tore off a small piece of pastry and placed it cautiously into his mouth. A month of Nadia’s cooking had cured him of taking large bites of anything without first testing the waters.
He tasted apple and spice, cinnamon and a hint of something that might have been nutmeg. It was the best thing he’d tasted since he’d arrived in Tompkins Corners, but that wasn’t saying much. Hell, it was probably one of the best things he’d tasted for a long time before that. Somehow he managed to keep himself from stuffing the entire muffin into his mouth in a single bite.
“This is really, really good,” he mumbled around the crumbs.
“Thank you.” She gave him a bright smile. “What else would you like?”
That particular question evoked a sudden flurry of lascivious images that he promptly suppressed. “This is fine. I’ll just take another one to eat on the road.”
She frowned. “You’re going back to the excavation?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “We’re behind now since I lost a day yesterday.” Which was entirely his own fault, of course, although he didn’t feel like bringing that up.
“But you’re hurt. And what happens if you get stuck again?”
He grimaced. “Theoretically, I have an intern. Although he didn’t show up yesterday. With any luck, he’ll show up today. Anyway, if I don’t make it back by this evening, you can always come and rescue me again.” He gave her a grin that was supposed to be winning but apparently wasn’t.
Greta still frowned. “You shouldn’t be out there by yourself.”
“It’s okay. Like I said, intern.”
“Who didn’t show up yesterday when you almost ended up spending the night in a hole.” She rested her hands on her hips.
He sighed. “Look, it’s a very small dig for which I have a very small grant that will run out at the end of the summer. I can’t afford to lose a day because my foot hurts. I was stupid yesterday. I’ll do my best not to be stupid again.”
Greta rubbed her hand across her nose. She didn’t seem to be wearing any makeup. It didn’t make any difference. He still wanted to jump her.
One of her eyebrows arched up. “What if I bring you lunch?”
“Lunch?” He shook his head. “Alice doesn’t provide lunch.”
“So? I’m cooking. There’ll probably be leftovers.” She sat down beside him at the table. “Indulge me, okay? If I spend the day worrying about you out in that hole, it may affect my cooking.” She gave him another of those grins, and his body once again went on high alert. What the hell is it with this woman, anyway?
He cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t want anything to affect your cooking. Considering these muffins, I want to make sure your cooking works overtime.”
She looked absurdly pleased. “Thank you. You’re the first one to taste them. Hope everybody else feels the same way.”
“I’d say that’s more or less guaranteed.” He started to push himself away from the table, then stopped, frowning. “Crap. I just remembered. I need a ride to the dig. I left my truck there yesterday.”
“Can you drive it back by yourself?”
“Sure. Once I get there.”
“If you can wait until everybody else gets up,
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