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Mia is apparently still pissed with me, too. When I tried to bring up the topic of sharing her bed like she suggested on Friday night, she slammed the door on me.
Jesse meets me at the door and pulls me into a quick hug, slapping my back. “Thanks, man. I was a little worried you wouldn’t show.”
“Seriously?” I ask.
He shrugs. I see the team behind him and then I tense when I also see Mia in the kitchen with Andi and Caroline. I know I’m losing it, because she looks more frustratingly gorgeous every time I see her. It’s as if every step she takes away from me just makes me want her even more. Every sign that I can’t have her is that much more temptation. It’s maddening.
“To be honest,” Jesse says. “I don’t think I’ve seen you cook for us in a couple years. I thought you were going to tell me to fuck off when I asked.”
I grimace. “Nah,” I say, hating that he thinks I’d turn him down on a day like this. Maybe this will be the wakeup call I need to get my head out of my ass and stop letting my teammates down. “I got you, Jesse. This meal is going to kick ass. And we’re going to make sure your pregnant wife is eating like a queen for her and that baby. That little guy is going to come out with a six pack when we’re done with him.”
Jesse grins. “What if he’s a she?”
“Then she’ll have a six pack and muscles. We’ll teach her to play hockey until she’s kicking the boys’ asses on the ice.”
He nods, and I can tell there’s something he wants to say.
“What?” I ask.
“I’m not trying to get sappy, or some shit, but it’s good to see a little of the old you. Maybe you should try to cook more often. It seems like it’s bringing you back from wherever you’ve been.”
My lightness evaporates, but I try not to let it show. I force a smile. “Yeah. Maybe.”
“Oh,” Jesse says, stopping me before I can take the bags into the kitchen. “Don’t get pissed, but I wasn’t sure if you were going to stand me up. So I kind of asked Mia to cook, too. I figured if you did show, you could just team up on it. You’re both working together at Taste, so you should be a good team and all. And you’ve been sharing a cabin for a few days now, right? You guys have to have worked through whatever shit went down.”
Fuck.
I nod, because I don’t want to sour today for him. I really am happy as hell for Jesse and Andi. I’m also not sure if I can cook with Mia and not provoke her into burning the whole cabin down just to spite me. “Yeah. We’ll figure it out.”
The rest of the team comes by, quickly greeting me and telling me I’m overdue to give them some money in poker when I’m done screwing around in the kitchen. They give me shit for staying away from the cabin so much already and tease me when the women aren’t close enough to hear, assuming I’ve already been sleeping with Mia at all hours of the day and night.
Once I finally peel away from them, I head into the kitchen and set down the bags of food I brought on the counter. The women look up at me like I’m a lion who just cornered them.
“What?” I ask, even though Jesse’s reaction told me everything I need to know. I’ve had my head up my ass and haven’t realized how distant I’ve been from everyone.
“You came?” Andi asks. She does a little excited dance, balling up her fists. Then she comes up and hugs me tight.
“Careful,” I say, looking toward her belly. “Don’t squish him.”
“Or her,” she says, squeezing me in the hug anyway.
I smirk and hug her back. Caroline is beaming at me like I just saved kids from a church fire. “What?” I ask, gently peeling Andi off me, only so Caroline will stop looking at me like that.
“You look good, Nolan. Getting enough sleep?” she asks.
“What the hell does that mean?” I snap.
“Nothing,” she shrugs with her coffee mug in her hands. She looks smug. Why does she look smug?
“Are you going to help?” Mia asks. “Or were you just planning to scowl and bark at us all afternoon?”
12
MIA
Nolan and I settle into a wordless rhythm in the kitchen. He takes over the prep and lets me handle the stove work, which is a slight surprise. I would’ve expected him to demand the more technical work of getting the cook right on all the components of the meal, but he seems content to chop and organize what I’ll need.
I’m searing chicken thighs in a cast iron while my mind runs on overdrive.
