Chapter 26

Freya was stirring the sauce for the crab when she heard the door open. She glanced up and simply said, "You're back."

Daniel had changed into his indoor slippers and was now standing in the living room and watching her. She wore a loose black T-shirt and gray sweatpants. With her long hair tied up, her small frame made her look almost like a child.

She was six years younger than him, and yet managed to give him a sense of home. The feeling was strange and made him almost irrational.

Freya turned off the stove, covered the sauce, and reached for the steaming crab with oven mitts. When she turned around, she met his eyes. They had lost their sharpness, replaced by a softness of contentment.

"Why don't you go take a shower? I still have to make the mushroom soup before dinner."

Daniel's gaze shifted slightly. "I'm hungry and don't want to move."

"Then, sit and wait. I'll be quick."

Freya turned away, still feeling his eyes on her. A flutter of nervousness made her heart race. Than