Ricci looked at her.
“I remembered from last year,” he said.
“Oh, right.”
“When you were missing.”
“Right,” Julia said, and nodded. “I should have figured.”
Ricci stood there on the doorstep holding his package.
“This a bad time for me show up?” he said.
“No, no…”
“I can go if it is.”
“Really, it’s fine.” Julia waved her hands over herself. “Guess you can tell from these clothes I was about to head out for a jog… every other day, rain or shine, you know… but it isn’t like I’m on the clock.”
Ricci nodded. He held his bag out to her, standing there in a white T-shirt, navy sweat pants, and sneakers.
“I brought muffins from that place you like,” he said.
“Michael’s?”
Another nod.
“They’re apricot and cherry,” he said. “The ones with the macadamia nuts were sold out.”
Julia took the bag, opened it, and made a minor performance of sniffing its contents.
“Yum-yum, I’ll settle.” She smiled. “Tom, this is really nice, but you didn’t have to go out of your way…”
“I didn’t,” he said. “You did that for me last time.”
Stuck for a response, Julia cleared her throat.
“Speaking of last time,” she said, pretty much just to say something. “Did you enjoy your camping trip?”
Ricci hesitated.
“Got what I needed out of it,” he said. Then he looked slightly down and past her. “Hi, girl,” he said. “Good to see you.”
Julia suddenly realized Vivian had managed to poke her head between her leg and the doorframe. She watched as Ricci slowly extended the back of his hand, keeping his knuckles loosely bent, giving Viv a chance to pick up whatever dogs did from his scent. After a few seconds she began licking and nuzzling his fingers.
“Now you’re in trouble,” Julia said. “That hound’s an insatiable sponge when it comes to attention.”
Ricci had crouched to scratch under Viv’s chin.
“It’s okay,” he said, and brought his eyes up to Julia’s face. “Everything she’s been through in her life, she deserves it.”
Julia looked at him silently a moment, not quite sure why she’d again found herself at a loss for words.
“Well,” she said, hefting her bag of muffins. “I should probably bring these inside, brew us up some coffee…”
“Thought you were going for a jog,” Ricci said.
Julia shrugged.
“No reason it can’t wait,” she said.
Ricci straightened, looked at her from where he stood in the morning sunlight.
“It’s better to eat afterward,” he said. “You don’t want your stomach to cramp.”
Julia shrugged again.
“Weren’t you intending to join me?” she said.
“I was,” Ricci said. He took in a breath, produced a long exhalation. “But I let myself get out of shape lately, figured maybe we could go jogging together first… that is, if you don’t mind.”
Julia noticed what he was wearing—really noticed — and came close to slapping her head.
“No,” she said. “I don’t.”
“You’re sure,” he said.
“I’m positive,” Julia said. “In fact, Viv and I would really like the company.”
They looked at each other a while. Then Ricci nodded, and Julia opened the door wider for him.
“C’mon in,” she said. “I need to put this bag away for when we get back.”