Smells So Good

"I can't remember the last time I had eggs!"

"This bacon is really good!"

"Ah... this is delicious."

Everyone sat in the main hall. Margery was no great cook, but after days of making do with whatever food they could find, her dinner was more than enough. They were grateful for a meal they could sit down and enjoy.

"Let's raise a glass to Margery!" Isaac picked up his wineglass. He had gradually taken on the role of leader, and no one hesitated to follow his lead. The others raised their glasses and thanked her.

"Oh, there's no need. It's only simple food, enough to fill your stomachs." Margery smiled, embarrassed.

"Enough for us, maybe," Merle said with a grin. "For Isaac, it might not be nearly enough." Everyone laughed; they had all seen how much he could eat.

Margery looked at Isaac in surprise. "Would you like some more?" He did not pretend otherwise. "If it isn't too much trouble."

"Just a moment." Margery retied the apron she had been taking off and went back to the open kitchen.

Miana leaned close to Isaac. "I'll make you something good," she whispered. She had barely started to rise when he pressed a hand to her thigh and kept her from getting up. She looked at him, puzzled.

He gave her a gentle look. "You've been tired for so long. Get some rest. I'll have plenty of chances to eat what you make." Warmed by the answer, Miana nodded, stayed beside him, and took his hand.

"Hmm?" Isaac turned to find Amy watching him with a gentle expression. His other hand was already in hers.

Hershel did not appear before the guests that evening. Carl's condition was likely serious enough to keep him at the boy's side, so Margery took charge of receiving everyone.

The farm was large, but there was only one farmhouse. Its upstairs rooms were for sleeping, and the ground floor held the kitchen and common space. Every bedroom was occupied. There was no room for the newcomers to stay inside the white wooden house.

Isaac was setting up a tent when he saw Maggie approaching. He stopped and turned toward her. "What do you want?"

Maggie bit her lip, her expression troubled. "I hope you won't go around telling people."

She had not put what Isaac had done behind her. It was the kind of thing she might remember for the rest of her life, especially with the man responsible close enough to keep bringing it back to mind.

"I don't think I was wrong," Isaac said.

Maggie's eyes widened. It was an astonishingly blunt thing to say. Wouldn't it have been wiser for him to appear vulnerable, lower her guard, and turn the danger into a chance to draw closer?

"Y-you said what?" Maggie could hardly believe she had heard him correctly.

Isaac stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "I said I don't think what I did to you was wrong."

"You—" Maggie stared at him, unable to find words for how awful she felt.

"Of course," Isaac said as her anger rose. "I thought you were one of the raiders. I did those things to get more information, so I don't think I was wrong."

Maggie's expression eased a little. His sudden change made her feel somewhat better.

"But once I learned the truth, it was clear this had been a misunderstanding. Even if my initial suspicion made sense, I still owe you an apology for the harm I caused." Isaac met Maggie's eyes. "I'm sorry for how far I went."

Thump... thump... Maggie stared at him, at a loss for what to do.

If a vicious thug had done those things to her, an apology would never have been enough. Even kneeling and begging might not have made her forgive him.

But the man apologizing now was tall and strikingly handsome, with an earnest look on his face. Maggie noticed both facts, and the strength of her own reaction unsettled her.

Aware of her own reaction, Maggie lowered her head. "O-okay... I... I understand."

"Isaac!" someone called. "I'm leaving," Maggie said.

She saw Miana and Amy approaching from a distance. Flustered, she turned and hurried away.

What is wrong with me? Why is my heart beating so fast?

An image of Isaac looking down at her came back to Maggie.

Why did the gaze that had frightened her earlier still return to her thoughts so vividly?