Kidnapped, Unfortunately

Chapter Twenty

"Dinner's ready!" Camille yelled from downstairs.

My head shot up and my eyes trained on the door.

I almost couldn't believe my ears; we hadn't had a home cooked meal ever.

It's always either whatever we could find in the pantry or under Carson's bed, and I hadn't realized how badly I'd missed steaming dishes prepared with love.

Ouch. I sound really sad right now.

"Nice," I grinned.

The bed shifted as Carson got up off of the bed.

"Man, I love it when Camille comes to visit," He said, swinging open the door.

I followed after him, my stomach already growling in anticipation.

The smell of something warm filled the hall, and I almost sighed.

We made our way down to the kitchen, where Camille had laid out a spread for us.

On the table, in a wooden basket, freshly baked biscuits laid in a white cloth, and mixture of roasted Brussel sprouts, onions, and bacon was next to it.

In the center of the table, beef stew lay steaming in a dish, and next to it, was some white rice.

The smells made my mouth water, and Camille beamed. "Have a seat!"

Carson whistled lowly. "Dang. I forgot how much I loved her cooking."

At this Camille's smile grew, and she gestured to the chairs.

As we settled down, Aileen soon joined, with Jacob arriving last, a sad look on his face.

When he sat down, I asked, "Jacob, what's wrong?"

He didn't answer at first. Instead, he pulled out a chair and sat down. "Nothing. I just have a pain in my chest."

"Really?" I frowned. "Where? That could be bad."

"Right here," He said, placing a hand on the spot.

My frown deepened. "Um, that's where your heart is."

"I know," He sniffed slightly.

I decided to drop it.

"So, lets dig in!" Camille announced, grabbing the spoon to the Brussel sprouts.

I immediately went for the stew, piling a big heap onto my plate, and layering some of the white rice on top of it.

Then, I picked up my fork and stabbed some beef, lifting it to my mouth and chewing slowly.

Flavor burst on my tongue. Delicious.

"I'm very happy you've taking the hostage situation so well," Carson complimented, grabbing some rice and spooning it into his plate.

She shrugged, dumping some more sprouts on her plate and returning the spoon.

"As stupid a choice as this is- I trust you guys," She said. "Famous last words."

Aileen snickered, and helped herself to some stew.

Just then, Jacob cleared his throat loudly.

"So," He began, staring at Aileen with a hard look. "What have you been doing the last hour? Hm?"

For some reason, her face heated up. "I was... uh... watching the bachelor?"

"Oh I see," He said, resting his head in his hands. "Were you watching alone or..."

This time, her eyes narrowed. "Is there something you're implying?"

"I think you know what I'm implying," He answered, glaring back at her.

"Then say it."

"Say what?"

"Say what you're implying."

"I already said you know what I'm implying."

"Then say what you think I know that you're implying."

"No."

"Why not?"

They had a silent stare down across the table, and everyone grew silent.

It was really awkward, until Carson cleared his throat and said, "Jacob, pass the biscuits please."

Without taking his eyes off of Aileen, he felt around the table until his hands hit the basket.

Then he silently handed it to him.

"Ummm..." I spoke, lamely attempting to relieve the tension. "So how about that weather?"

Carson turned to me with a curious, yet amused look. "Rainy."

I shot him a glare, "Right. Thanks."

"You know, this stew is really good," Jacob declared, in a very loud voice. An overly loud voice.

He dug in aggressively, almost attacking the plate and shoving heaps into his mouth, and I felt concern for his well-being.

"So how long do you plan on staying, again?" Aileen asked Camille politely.

"I don't know, a week maybe," She answered, spearing a Brussel sprout.

Carson cursed lowly.

With a silent laugh, I continued my meal. It was actually really good, and the food alone improved my spirits.

"This is wonderful," I complimented.

Camille's face lit up. "Thank you! I'm in a cooking class at my college."

"Yeah, failing," Carson spoke up from his dish.

Camille frowned at him. "Why do you always feel the need to say that?"

Jacob grabbed the ladle for the Brussels sprouts and dumped some on his plate in a scary way.

I leaned closer to Carson and whispered subtly, "Why is Jacob attacking his dinner?"

Carson cast a glance over to where Jacob was now inhaling his food, scowling the whole time.

When he looked back at me, he said, "When Jacob is upset he stress-eats. And by the way they acted at dinner tonight, I'd willing to bet that Aileen did something to upset him."

"What else is new," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

We returned to our meals until finally, Jacob stood up and said, "I'll be in the basement."

And he shoved his chair away from the table and marched out of the room.

"What's in the basement?" Aileen asked, watching him leave.

At this, Carson grinned. "That's where we keep the hard stuff."

Oh.