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“It’s only lunch,” she said. “We make a sandwich like this at The Retreat, but I’m using my own spices and sauce. I like the heat.”
He was guessing there was some heat to the sauce too and maybe the other items would cool it off. He wasn’t sure and didn’t care.
Especially when she laid big thick butter rolls on a grill pan to get some color on them.
While she was cooking and moving around the kitchen, he asked. “Did you have plans for tomorrow?”
“Only if they are with you,” she said.
“It seems Egan is giving me two days off a week now. Not saying we need to spend them together.”
“It’s fine if it works out,” she said. “To me this is no different than a Saturday and Sunday for normal people.”
He laughed. “I’ve never had a normal Monday through Friday job.”
“Me neither,” she said. “That doesn’t exist in the restaurant industry.”
Within another five minutes, he had a plate in front of him filled to the brim and looking like something he would have gotten out to eat at a fancy restaurant and not in a home kitchen.
Then he had to remind himself that Grace ran one of those fancy kitchens.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course,” she said. “Eat up.”
“I will. With your training why are you making meals like this for me?”
He picked his sandwich up and took a bite. The heat of the spices dancing on his tongue, the slaw and creamy avocado cooling it off.
“I don’t always eat fancy food if that is what you’re talking about. I enjoy it, but I’m just as happy having something like that.”
She bit into hers. He tried not to laugh. “Most would look at you and think you don’t eat much at all.”
“I’m a pig on my days off,” she said. “Because when I’m working I get maybe one meal a day. The rest of the time is spent tasting my food and that isn’t much. Not to mention I sweat a lot and burn it off.”
“I’ve got a really good metabolism,” he said. “And I don’t eat three meals a day.”
“I think most people don’t,” she said. “I can see where you don’t have time so you eat at least one big meal.”
“I’ve done that for years. When I go home to visit and get three meals a day I almost always put a few pounds on and have to come back and work them off.”
Her eyes lifted to his and then over his arms and chest. “What do you do to work out?”
“I lift weights mainly,” he said. “I got all my running out of my system in the service. I like to swim, but there aren’t a lot of places to do that. I wouldn’t mind kayaking if I had one or being out on the water doing anything else.”
“Me too,” she said. “I’ve got a paddle board and kayak, but I’m on the wrong side of the water for that. Skyler faces Plymouth and the water is calmer. I tend to drive over to his place. I keep my stuff stored there too. He’s not around much.”
“Maybe we can try that sometime,” he said. He didn’t want her to think every time they were together it was only going to be her cooking for him.
“I’d like that,” she said. “In a few months. Or at least kayaking next month. Though if you aren’t getting in the water it’s not a big deal.”
“As long as it’s not raining, I’m good at any point,” he said.
“It’s going to rain tomorrow,” she said, frowning.
Which told him she wasn’t keeping their dates from anyone.
“So I saw. I tend to watch the weather some the day before.”
