Over the Fence (8 page)

“You’re the best!” Leonie exclaimed. “Can you wait until I’ve had a shower?”

Eva nodded. “Though your outfit looks nice on the soccer field, it’s not suitable for a surprise visit.”

Leonie had already unbuckled her seat belt and opened the car door before Eva could turn off the engine. “I’ll leave the door open!” she cried, and rushed into the house.

Eva smiled and climbed out, too. Her niece’s soccer shoes were in the middle of the hallway, and she pushed them over to the side. When she went into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water, she heard the shower running.

She grabbed a pen, found a Post-it pad, and wrote a message to her sister-in-law that Leonie would be with her, and that she would bring her home again around nine o’clock.

Forty minutes later Eva unlocked the front door to her parents’ home. “How do I look?” Leonie asked once again.

After Eva brought in the groceries, she gently steered Leonie to the hall mirror. “Do you see something that doesn’t look good? Well, I don’t.”

Leonie exhaled heavily before giving Eva a wicked little grin. “You, on the other hand, could use an overhaul.”

“I didn’t get to shower,” Eva said, slapping her niece on the shoulder. “I can do that now, though.”

“Can’t we just go over there right now?” Leonie urged. “You don’t need to impress anyone.”

“All right. I’ll shower later.” She moved past her niece. “Just give me ten minutes, OK? And put the groceries away in the fridge, will you?” Maybe Leonie had a point. A little fixing up wouldn’t do any harm.

She ran her fingers through her long hair before tying it up in a casual knot, then pulled a few strands forward to soften her face. Her eyeliner was lightly smudged and in need of improvement. After she put on some powder and natural-colored lipstick, she sprayed a bit of her favorite perfume into her hair. Even though she’d already washed her baby nephew’s mush out of her hair, she felt more comfortable with just a whiff of perfume. She took off her sneakers and put on some low-heeled sandals, then cast a probing look in the mirror, turned around once, and nodded in satisfaction. The jeans were just as tight as they should be and the red T-shirt gave her outfit a nice cheerful touch. She felt ready.

Leonie was lying on the couch in the living room but jumped up when she saw Eva. “So, you want to impress somebody, too.”

“No. I just didn’t want to look like an old bag,” Eva said.

“Sure. Whatever. So, can we go now?”

“I’m just waiting on you!”

Her heart pounding, Eva took the garden path to David’s house. There was no reason to be nervous, because Stefanie would be there and David just wanted to be helpful. Still, she felt insecure and Leonie’s fidgeting didn’t make her feel any calmer. Leonie rushed up the front steps and pressed the doorbell. A melodic chime rang out, which was followed by quick footsteps. Jonas flung open the door. His eyes flashed with pleasure when he saw Leonie.

“Hi.” He looked at Eva. “Papa said to wait in the living room. He’ll be there soon.” He moved away from the entrance and pointed toward the back. He hesitated a moment and was just as awkward as Leonie. “Do you want to play Wii?” he finally asked Leonie.

“Sure. Cool,” her niece replied, and without paying further attention to Eva, the two disappeared around the corner. A door slammed while Eva still stood in the doorway with her Mac in her hand. After she’d waited for a few moments and didn’t hear anything, she decided to close the front door and walk in the direction Jonas had indicated.

She knocked gently on a closed door that she suspected led to the living room. When she again didn’t hear anything, she opened the door and entered. A cream-colored sofa dominated the room. Some overflowing bookshelves were against the walls and a large flat-screen TV hung over one of them. She didn’t want to just sit and do nothing in this alien environment, so she inspected the titles on the bookcase. They were mainly thrillers. A few romance novels were on a different shelf. There was also a photo of Stefanie holding Jonas when he was a baby.

The dining room was next to the living room, separated only by an open arch. Eva peeked inside just as David walked into the dining room. Embarrassed because she looked like she had been snooping, Eva stepped back. David entered the living room and looked around. “Charming as always,” he said, shaking his head. “Did he at least show you all the way in or did he disappear into his room?”

Eva grinned. “The latter, but that’s probably my fault because I brought Leonie.”

David nodded and smiled. “Yes, he’s in love. People tend to forget their good manners when they’re in that condition.” He motioned toward the sofa. “Sit down. I’ve just opened a bottle of white wine. Would you care for a glass?”

Actually, Eva just wanted to disappear. David’s presence filled the whole room, and she was finding it hard to breathe normally. Maybe a glass of wine was exactly the thing to loosen her up a bit. “I would love that.”

David went back into the dining room as Eva sat down. She set the Mac on her lap and clung to it tightly. She heard a cabinet door open in the next room. David reemerged with two glasses of white wine. He handed her one, and as Eva reached for hers, the Mac almost slid from her lap. She put the laptop on the table and took the glass. “Thank you.”

David clinked his glass against hers. “I’m really glad to see you again. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” She rarely felt so unsettled. “Stefanie’s not here?” she asked, then instantly regretted the question.

“She’s on vacation,” David replied. Eva couldn’t interpret his expression, though a shadow darkened his eyes. Eva would love to know why Stefanie was on vacation alone, but she didn’t dare ask. It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about it.

“How are your parents?” David asked, changing the subject.

“Good so far. My father comes home on Monday. After I go shopping first thing in the morning, I’ll have to prepare my designs for my company. They’re due on Tuesday, so I don’t think I’ll be able to sweep the sidewalk. Maybe I’ll be able to do that on Sunday. I also want to prepare a roast for my father.” Eva stopped, suddenly aware that she was babbling.

“You want to sweep the sidewalk on Sunday?” David asked. “I wouldn’t recommend that.”

Eva knit her eyebrows together.

“Sundays are sacred here. The only thing you can do on Sundays is pull up weeds in your backyard where no one can see you.” David laughed. “You can’t sweep the sidewalk while people are driving by on the way to church. In fact, it’s better never to sweep at all. That way, no one stands out.”

“Great idea!” Eva said slightly too loud. “My father was always stuck on that old adage: What will the neighbors think?”

“Come on! It’s not as bad as all that,” David said, trying to placate her. “Unless you sweep the sidewalk on Sunday.” David burst out laughing as he drank his wine. “And you really know how to cook a roast? Somehow I can’t imagine you puttering around in the kitchen.”

“I’m not so sure about a roast yet, but I can cook!” Eva said defensively.

“Aha! You can cook. Then maybe you can help me in the kitchen? We haven’t eaten dinner yet. And if you help, you would be most cordially invited. Only if you want to, of course.”

“We haven’t eaten yet either.” Eva stood up from the sofa. “If I’m going to help, can I ask what you’re planning to make?”

“Nothing special. Viennese schnitzel with a potato salad and a cucumber salad,” David said, smiling. “Well? What do you think?”

Eva stretched her back and looked at him. “Not bad.”

“You can help peel the potatoes.”

She followed him into the kitchen and discovered the potatoes were already peeled and sliced and the cucumber salad dressed. “Oh, right. A lot of this has already been prepared.”

“Well, you can just sit down and keep me company as I finish up. I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.”

Eva laughed. “Me, too.” Did she really look like a woman who couldn’t cook? At least David thought so. But she had to admit she didn’t often make much more than pasta dishes, salads, and meat stews served with a white-wine sauce. It wasn’t worth cooking for herself alone. But so far, every guest she’d had over had been well fed.

“Can’t I help at all?” she asked before sitting down on a stool at the counter.

“No, I’m just about done.”

She watched as he seasoned a veal cutlet, dipped it in a beaten egg, then dredged it in the bread crumbs. Even though Eva had never made breaded cutlets before, it wasn’t rocket science. But then he dipped the breaded cutlet in the egg and dredged it through the bread crumbs again. David looked up at her.

“I like a thick breading. I hope you don’t mind,” he said.

“I like it thick, too; otherwise, you might as well just eat a plain old sautéed cutlet.” She noted how he worked his culinary magic.

David slid the cutlet into the hot pan, and the delicious-smelling aroma immediately filled the room.

“Do you cook a lot?” Eva asked.

“Yes, but just simple things. I don’t have the patience to cook for hours and hours.” David took the salad bowls and put them on the dining room table.

“And after all that effort, everything’s gobbled up in a flash,” Eva added. “Are there any new restaurants nearby?”

David looked up at her with an amused expression. “Do you enjoy propping up the local economy single-handedly?” He dug into a drawer and pulled out some cutlery.

“I guess I’m just spoiled by city living. The Indian restaurant around the corner from my place knows exactly what I like when I call for delivery,” Eva said. It was strange watching David. Here she was with him in the kitchen, watching him take care of dinner and setting the table. The whole thing felt like a date, but then she reminded herself that David was in a relationship. He was just being nice.

“Don’t waste your time looking for an Indian restaurant around here. You can’t even get pizza delivered. You can still pick it up, but that’s not the same when you’re on the sofa, totally exhausted, with no desire whatsoever to move.” As David poured her more wine, Eva could smell his spicy aftershave.

“Thank you. That’s why I don’t want to stay here more than three months.”

“It’s not so bad, once you get used to it. Where do you live now?”

“London.”

“A great city! I was there once on business. But once Jonas was born, my travelling days were over. You can’t have everything,” David said, flipping the cutlet in the pan.

“No, you can’t,” Eva confirmed.

David opened the door that led to the hallway. “Jonas, dinner is ready! I want to see you in the dining room in two minutes!” he shouted. He turned back to Eva. “What are you working on?”

“I’m a graphic designer at an ad agency, but I’m still on probation. My contract was just about to be converted when my parents’ accident happened and well . . . Now the company’s not so sure I can do the job.” Eva twirled her wineglass stem. “And now I’ve got a big job and no Internet connection.”

“Graphic design? But you used to work in the accounting department,” David said.

“Don’t remind me! I hated that job!” Eva recoiled at the memory. At that time, though, she hadn’t known what she really wanted to do. “I slogged my way through temp jobs doing accounting, bookkeeping . . .” Eva shuddered. “There could hardly have been anything more boring or tedious.”

“I can’t imagine you as a bookkeeper,” David said, looking at her intently.

Eva’s heartbeat sped up when she saw the heat in David’s eyes. She gulped. “Well, I would definitely have fit the clichéd image if I’d worn horn-rimmed glasses and a bun.”

“Never. Even then, you would look totally sexy,” he said.

Eva turned away. She breathed easier when Jonas and Leonie entered the kitchen, both beaming. “I won!” he announced and threw Leonie a triumphant look.

“Because I let you win!” she teased. “Everyone knows that; otherwise, you’d cry like a baby.”

“Watch out, or you may end up being the one who’s crying.” Jonas gently popped Leonie on her shoulder, and she hit him back.

Eva grinned. Time didn’t change young teen behavior. At this age, they didn’t know whether to hit or kiss each other. As she watched, Eva reveled in memories of her youth.