AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I lean against the counter where he seems to be scooping ice cream and I try to ease his mind and my nerves as best I can by saying, “Jonathan, it’s perfect. You’ve done way too much. Thank you. In fact, I’m sure this place wasn’t cheap. I’d love to pitch in and help pay for it.”
“Oh, sweet Emily, you really are adorable. Let’s just get this out in the open now,” he says as he points an ice cream covered spoon my way. “I’m not sure what guys are like where you come from, or down here in California, but where I come from, the woman never pays. I know you don’t do relationships and you don’t want to label whatever this is that we have going, but for the time I have with you, you are mine and I take care of what’s mine. It might sound archaic but I don’t care,” he says to me as he walks over and holds the spoon up to my mouth and I open at his silent command.
I take the bite of delicious vanilla ice cream and watch as he licks the spoon after he takes it back from me.
“Let me take care of you Emily, and if that means paying for things then that’s what it means. Can you handle that? Do I have to explain myself again?”
“Can I have more ice cream?”
“Only if you promise not to ask to pay for anything else the rest of the week.”
“Jonathan, that just doesn’t seem fair,” I say as Devon’s words about breaking his heart whirl through my head. The thought of him spending money on me all week for me to just leave after all is said and done feels so wrong.
“Emily, I’m not really giving you the option about me paying. I am, however, giving you the option to accept it and earn yourself some ice cream.”
It goes against my better judgement, and I really don’t like to rely on anybody but myself, but I need to live today like it’s my last. Cami and I have always had our little mantra and today is the day I finally put it to the test. Besides, I really want more ice cream.
“Okay,” I agree reluctantly.
“That’s my girl! Now, how about a root beer float?” He asks me as he lifts his eyebrows up and down a couple of times like it’s the best idea anybody has ever had.
“That sounds amazing! Where did you get supplies for root beer floats?”
“Well, I had hoped you would agree to coming here so I sorda went and did some grocery shopping to set us up for the rest of the week. I hope you don’t mind that I went without you? I just wanted to get it done and out of the way,” he says as he walks back to the kitchen counter where I see the two pint glasses of fluffy foam goodness!
“You went grocery shopping?” I ask suspiciously.
Leaning one hip on the counter next to the root beer floats he crosses his arms over his chest and says, “I sure did. Feel free to check out the fridge and the cupboards, thee who haveth little faith in my shopping abilities.”
I walk to the fridge and glance at his handsome, cocky face as I pull the door open and sure enough he went shopping! There is fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, along with eggs, chicken, bacon, soda, juice, milk, what looks like a plethora of fresh ingredients for meals and two rolls of cookie dough.
“So, you know how to cook all of these ingredients in here?” I ask with skepticism in my voice.
“As a matter of fact I do. I love to cook. I grew up with my mom teaching me everything she knew and it stayed with me. Impressed much?”
He still hasn’t moved from his spot against the counter and his arms are still crossed over his broad chest.
“Don’t forget the freezer and the cupboards,” he reminds me.
I pull open the freezer and there are two tubs of ice cream. One tub of chocolate with a big J written on the lid and a tub of vanilla, caramel swirl with an E on it. There are also random frozen foods from pizza to mozzarella sticks.
“Now this is more my speed. I can use the microwave or bake something frozen in the oven, but I’m afraid the hard stuff will be left to you, Chef Kelly.”
As I look at the root beer floats sitting next to him I think of how soft the ice cream must be getting and ask, “Do you think we could have a couple of bites before I continue my look around the kitchen?”
“If you must,” he says handing me one of the large spoons he had waiting on the counter.
“I must!”
We both pick up our floats, and as if on the same brain wave, we both lean our glasses to the others and clank them together and say, “Cheers!”
We just look at each other smile and then take our first bites of memories, pure memories.
“Shit, I forgot how good these are.” He says on a moan that sounds so freaking sexy, even if it’s over the float and not me.
“I know. I feel like I am eating a glass of childhood memories right now. Cami and I always had these at our sleep overs when we were little and now I remember why. So. Freaking. Good!”
“When we were talking the other night and you were telling me all those stories about you and Cami growing up I realized it had been a long time since I’d had something like this. We don’t exactly have this stuff over in the barracks on the regular so I had to get us some.”
