Chapter 8
A time later, the interior lights could be seen in the distance. They skied on and made good time returning to the house as the light was beginning to fade. It seemed to get darker more rapidly up here than in the city. But then again, that could just have been the lack of artificial light. Following their trail around the edge of the house, they came to a stop at the garage. Both being pretty much out of breath, they kicked out of their skis and entered the garage quietly. They put the skis and poles back and stripped out of their outer clothing and headed into the house.
"Do you want some coffee, Liv?"
"Not right now. I'm heading for the shower."
"What? Not the Jacuzzi?" He really did like to tease her about that tub because he knew she loved to take those long soaks. How did he know? Many missed phone calls with the explanation of 'I was soaking...shut up.'
"No. It's yours tonight."
"Me? Why?" he asked as he dumped grounds into the coffeemaker.
"Elliot, I run. With the majority of your exercise being weights, can you really tell me that your shoulders and thighs aren't protesting the workout they got?"
A tiny smile lifted the corner of his mouth. "No, I can't say that I'm not a bit sore. Maybe you're right. Finish your shower and I'll soak for a while."
"Okay," she agreed, turning to head for the stairs. "While you do, I'll start on the potatoes for dinner. Baked sound okay?"
"Yeah. I'm going to check the steaks and rummage around for whatever else I can find. Any preferences?"
"Nope. Chef's choice." With that she went upstairs. Grabbing her other set of clean sweats from her bag, she headed for her oasis. If I could only think of a way to take this room home with me, she thought as she turned on the shower and let the hot water build up as she stripped off her sweaty clothes. But I'd probably have the largest water bill in the complex from nightly soakings in that tub. She reached into the side cabinet and chose a lavender body wash and stepped into the shower. A huge sigh escaped as the hot water beat into her sore muscles. No way would she admit to Elliot that she was pretty sore, too. She slowly began to relax as the light fragrance of the lavender tickled her nose as she let it foam and began to wash up.
A bit later she shut off the water and grabbed the large towel she'd placed on the rack and wrapped it around herself. She patted up the water from her hair and towel-dried it before toweling off the rest of her body. Changing into her sweats, she stepped to the Jacuzzi and turned on the water full. It was silly to think about it, but she wanted to do something nice for Elliot, and running the bath was the only thing she could think of at the moment. She went back to the cabinet and perused the contents. Knowing that he'd laugh himself hysterical if bubbles were found in the tub, she chose a light chamomile oil that had very little scent. It'd be just enough to relax his muscles and he probably wouldn't even realize it. While the tub continued to fill, she grabbed the hair dryer and finished blowing out her hair. Looking at it closely she noted that it was almost time for another appointment with her stylist to have the highlights redone. Some days she missed her longer dark brunette tresses, but it was simply impractical for the hazards of her job and she liked the lighter look. She remembered trying to walk down the street while holding a conversation with Elliot in the earlier days of their partnership and she'd spend most of the time pulling the hair from her mouth as it'd blow across her face. This is much better. Finally growing out of the short crop she'd worn for a bit, the longer bangs seemed to frame off and soften her face, but the style was still simple enough to manage and care for with her demanding schedule. Hearing the pitch of the water change as it neared completion; she turned and shut off the faucet. Sticking her hand in the water she judged it to be near perfect. Setting a large towel on the step to the tub, she grabbed her dirty clothes and headed downstairs.
"Elliot," she said, jogging down the stairs. "When you're finished, bring your dirty clothes back down and I'll throw them in to wash. Okay?"
"Sure."
"What's next to do?" she asked on her way to the mudroom which also housed the washer and dryer.
"Whatever you want, Liv. The steaks are sitting out right now. I pulled out two large potatoes and I just sliced up some mushrooms that we can sauté when the steaks are almost done. I'm going to head up."
"Okay. Enjoy."
Olivia went back into the kitchen and set about washing the potatoes and setting the temperature on the oven. Looking through some of the lower cabinets, she found the aluminum foil and wrapped the potatoes and set them aside. In the refrigerator she located fresh produce bags full of green beans and snap peas and set them on the counter. Deciding that everything else could wait until Elliot was back downstairs, she headed for the great room. No dining at the counter tonight. Since it was to be the last night in the house, she wanted that large fireplace lighting up a dimmed room. It may just be a couple of friends sharing dinner, but what the hell; they'd have fun with it.
Upstairs, Elliot grabbed the remaining clothes from his overnight bag and headed for Liv's bathroom off the master bedroom. Passing through the door he took quick note of the room and decided that they should have flipped a coin for this room. He was a goner once he saw the 60" screen on the wall. Opening one of the cabinets, he found all of the DVDs he'd been looking for. Hmm, too bad we'll be on the road tomorrow. Popcorn and a movie would be fun. Frowning, his thoughts continued. Forget about that, man. You've got enough to deal with at home. He opened the door to the bathroom and stopped. Oh. My. God. Looking at the interior he could have sworn that he was near some outdoor waterfall area. What appeared to be natural stone formed the entire one wall where the Jacuzzi and shower stall resided. Real vined plants sat along an upper ledge and draped down over the stone. No wonder she squealed last night. I'm never going to be able to drag her away from this place, he thought for a moment. And to be honest, I don't think I can blame her.
Setting his clothes down on the counter he turned to step up to the tub to turn on the faucet, but realized that the tub was already full. What the...? And then he smiled. Damn. Why is it that my partner takes better care of me without saying a word than my wife? He sobered quickly at that thought. Because I don't allow her to, I think. She'd ask and I always said I was fine. Feeling a bit guilty at his train of thought, he decided to put thoughts of what he needed to do back in New York on a back burner for now. There was nothing he could do from here, and to be honest, he wanted to enjoy a good evening with Olivia. Her thoughtfulness at drawing this bath touched him deeply and he thought about that as he stripped and stepped into the tub. The water was intensely hot, but as he slid down into it, almost at once he could feel the muscles in his thighs and back reacting. A light scent tickled his nose, but it was nothing offensive. Holding his hand up, he could see a slickness to the water than proved his theory that Olivia had slipped some type of bath oil into the water. At least I don't smell like some flower, he thought as he sunk down further into the tub and pushed the button to start all of the jets. Oh God, he thought as the jets of water hit his sore muscles. That feels so good. I think I'm going to fight her for this tub. A beat later. Or ask her to join me. His eyes flew open. Oh shit. Shut up, Stabler, he mentally shouted. Sighing, he took a deep breath and that was one of his last cohesive thoughts as he let his mind wander and his muscles unwind as he held his breath and slipped his head under the water.
Downstairs, Olivia was standing in front of the fireplace she had just lit, gently biting a fingertip as she contemplated her next move. Stepping forward she bent down and pulled the coffee table further away from the couch. Looking from it to the fireplace, she then turned it perpendicular to the couch. That way one of them wouldn't have to sit with their back to the fire. Walking to the side of the fireplace, she picked up two large floor pillows and brought them to the center of the room so she could place one on either side of the table. She knew there was an actual dining room on the other side of the hall, but who would want to go in there when this fabulous fireplace warmed both the room and her soul? The soft lighting it provided to the room kept it cheery but created an atmosphere that just might be enough to make her partner comfortable enough to talk. Olivia had the feeling that a lot of thinking had been done on that rock this afternoon and if he needed to talk, she wanted him to feel comfortable and not in the spotlight. And if he said nothing? That would be fine, too. Didn't mean that they couldn't enjoy the ambience of the cabin.
Olivia walked back to the kitchen and checked the oven, then set in the potatoes to bake. Considering that she thought Elliot would soak for a while upstairs, she looked at the wine rack and thought about pulling a bottle. Deciding that maybe alcohol wasn't the way to go this early in the evening, she grabbed a large wine goblet and opened the refrigerator to grab the pitcher of ice tea that she'd made a bit earlier. She added a few ice cubes and picked up the glass and took a sip. Setting the glass back down, she walked over to a china hutch on the far wall and pulled out a couple of plates. We're going to enjoy this meal in style, she thought as she smiled. Looking down, her smile widened at the fact that she was in sweats. Okay, a very casual dinner on china plates. She carried them back and set them on the counter, moving to choose silverware from the drawer. She grabbed the placemats from earlier that day and her glass and walked back to the great room. Setting her glass on a coaster on the end table, she arranged the placemats and silverware on the coffee table. Olivia grabbed her book from earlier and curled up at the end of the couch, one arm reaching out to grab the stereo remote and turning on the system. Soft, deep jazz with a hint of acoustic guitar fell from the hidden speakers as she opened her book and took a sip of her ice tea. Outside the large windows, Mother Nature had unzipped the snow clouds once again and large, powdery flakes added themselves to their cousins from earlier that day.
Later, Olivia rose and returned to the kitchen for a refill on her drink. Pulling down a second wine glass, she filled it with the ice tea and left it on the counter for Elliot. She returned to the couch and her reading, taking a sip from her own glass. There wasn't anything to do for dinner until the steaks were on their way, and that was his department. The potatoes were baking in the oven and the vegetables and salad were all that she had left to complete. Minutes compared to the grilling time of the steak.
Elliot came downstairs and took his dirty clothes to the mudroom and tossed them in the washer. Seeing that Olivia had already added some detergent, he shut the lid and started the machine. Walking into the kitchen, he looked over the grill and turned on the unit. Listening, he found that he liked her choice of music. Maybe not all the time, but it seemed to fit with their moods and the location. As he set about readying the grill and the steaks, he thought back a bit on that flash of unintentional thought he'd had in the Jacuzzi. Maybe, just maybe, when everything was said and done, he'd take a chance. Thinking deeply as he was, he didn't notice that Olivia had wandered into the kitchen until she spoke.
"Feel better?" she asked as she set her glass on the counter.
Looking up at her, he replied, "Yeah, not bad." He looked back down at the steaks, but couldn't help the tiny smirk that pulled at the corner of his mouth. "And Liv? Thanks for not letting me smell like a big flower." He glanced at her to see a sweet smile on her face. Good, she knows what I meant. She really does seem to understand me. I'll admit that scares me.
"You're welcome, El. Besides, a flower smell just wouldn't be you." Changing subjects because she could see his slight discomfort, she continued, "Anything you need me to do?"
"Nope, just whatever else you had planned for dinner."
"Okay." She walked around the island and worked at the counter to Elliot's right. Both were quiet; not uncomfortable, but quiet in the knowledge that they didn't have to talk just for the sake of talking. Olivia took the bag of green beans and snapped the stems and washed them and the snow peas off. Taking a piece of aluminum, she made a pouch of it and placed the beans and pods inside and then lightly closed it. She turned and reached around Elliot to place the pouch at the top side of the grill. "Turn that every few minutes, would you?" she asked. He simply nodded in reply. She patted him on the back in thanks and walked to the oven to check the potatoes. "Just a few more minutes on those, too," she said. Grabbing a small frying pan, she turned on the stove and added a bit of oil. It heated quickly to which she added the chopped mushrooms that Elliot had readied earlier. She crushed open a clove of garlic, dicing it small and adding it to the mushrooms. Using a wooden spoon, she mixed the contents, turned back the heat and covered the pan.
Opening the door to the refrigerator, she checked the crisper and found different types of loose leaf lettuce and other fixings for their salads. Elliot watched her work smoothly as she tore up the lettuce and then walk back over to the china hutch for salad bowls and ... what were those? Oh, sherbet dishes. He knew he and the other guys teased her quite a bit for not cooking much, but now realized that it was more than likely she didn't simply for the fact of cooking for one was a drag. Deciding to test his theory, he turned from the grill and stepped up behind her and looked over her shoulder. "I don't know, Liv. If you couldn't cook, I don't think you'd be this comfortable in the kitchen," he teased gently.
"Ha ha. Actually, I do like to cook – it's just that pesky 'cooking only for yourself' thing that puts a damper on it most of the time. You've eaten at my place, El. Was it really that bad?" she said as she continued to put their salads together.
"No, but I remember most of those meals coming out of the freezer."
"True. Fresh stuff tends to spoil before I really get to use it. Our hours aren't very favorable to cooking every night."
"Yeah, mine is...was usually a covered plate sitting in the 'frig." He stepped back to let her pass as she took the salad bowls over to the coffee table. He waited for her to comment on his slip of word, but she intentionally ignored it. "We're sitting on the floor, Liv? There is a table here, you know."
"Yes, I know. And I don't want to eat in the kitchen. This is our last night here, and I don't have a fireplace like this in my home so I would like to enjoy it as much as possible."
Elliot chuckled. "And here I thought you'd fight tooth and nail to take that bathroom with you."
One of her bright, wide smiles graced her face. "Isn't that amazing? It's like an oasis or something. And it's not overdone. It's just perfect and comfortable."
"Yeah, it is. But I want that screen that's in your room. I knew we should have flipped a coin."
"Not a chance, buster. I'd still have won." Olivia walked back into the kitchen and upon checking the freezer she found it to be well stocked. "How much time on the steaks?"
"About fifteen on yours and ten on mine. Why?" he asked as he turned both of the steaks over and rotated the vegetables again.
"Nothing." She pulled a container of plain vanilla ice cream out to thaw a bit and then checked the refrigerator one more time. Ah ha, perfect, she thought as she located package of strawberries that she thought she'd seen earlier. Grabbing a towel, she cleaned off a few and de-stemmed them and then grabbed a cutting board and knife to dice them up. She could feel Elliot's gaze on her back and knew she had him confused at preparing dessert now. She giggled inside. It's so fun to throw him off. Taking the sherbet dishes, she picked a scoop from the drawer, filled them both with the ice cream, and topped them off with the diced strawberries. Setting one next to Elliot with a spoon, she walked to the other side of the counter with hers.
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