Glancing over at me he shook his head. “I have lots of options, just wasn’t sure if the little guy was messing with anything you typically liked to eat.”
Damn. So thoughtful. Again. I wondered if this was our new norm or if we’d return to the teasing and bantering part of our friendship that I was used to. “I’m starving, and as long as it isn’t coffee, I think I’m good right now.”
“Sorry about the coffee thing, babe. That must be tough for you. But, regarding dinner. How do you feel about nachos?”
“My feelings regarding nachos depends on the type of meat we’re having with it and if you have avocados for fresh guac.” My stomach gave a growl telling me it really didn’t give a damn, but just wanted to be fed.
“Those are some strong feelings, Maggie May. You will be happy to hear that we absolutely have the shit needed for the guac. And regarding meat, no one has ever been disappointed in the meat I provide.” His eyes twinkled as they watched for my reaction.
He wasn’t disappointed as I hooted with laughter and slapped at his shoulder in response. “You have an awfully high opinion of your meat, Cole Sullivan.”
“Well, you are a connoisseur of my meat, to be fair.” He raised his eyebrows up and down as he spoke. “I guess you would know of which you speak. Did you need a repeat sample to make a final decision?”
Okay, I needed to calm this conversation down or I was going to take it in a direction I was not comfortable with. “Sweet Jesus, I just wondered if we were going with browned hamburger on the nachos or something more interesting.”
Sully noticed my attempt to bring us back to some lightness because he immediately returned to looking in the fridge and replied, “We have hamburger, sure. But I also have leftover chicken or steak we could use.”
Steak. I immediately had an immense craving for steak. “Yes, steak.”
Looking over at me, he grinned wickedly. “Choice meat, babe.”
“Sully!”
He raised up his hands in defense. “Sorry, I’ll stop. I promise.” He pointed at me. “You’re on guac duty.”
I nodded, grabbing a few avocados out of the bowl he gestured toward on the counter. Turning, I found some lemons in the other bowl. “Cilantro or no?” I asked, grabbing a knife and cutting board.
“I love it and have some in the fridge, but if you don’t we can skip it.”
“Nope, I love it too. I just know some people think it tastes soapy.” Moving over to the fridge I found some of the controversial herb in a drawer and headed back to the island and began to assemble the guacamole.
“So, we going to talk about it?” he asked as he preheated the oven, then turned to chop up the steak.
Part of me really wanted to reply withtalk about what; however, seeing as I was going to be a mother, it seemed wise to grow up a bit. Besides, I had initiated tonight’s conversation. “Is there anything specific you wanted to talk about, or did you want me to go first?”
Sully glanced over from his spot as he began to line up all the ingredients on the counter to assemble the nachos on a cookie sheet. “Well, I have two main things on my mind right now.”
I mashed avocados in a bowl, a bit of dread filling me up as I wondered where this conversation could go. “Hit me.”
“How are you feeling today?” He grabbed an onion and held it up before I could answer. “I was going to sauté some onions to go with the steak. Maybe some beans as well?”
“Sure.” I nodded, squeezing some lemon juice into the mashed avocados. Then I added some seasoning before dumping the cilantro in. “And to answer your question, I’m feeling fine. Thanks.” I dipped my finger in the guac and tried it. Not bad, but it needed a bit more salt. As I added that, I prodded him to continue. “What was the second thing on your mind?”
Standing at the stove, he turned to me briefly. “Have you given any thought to this summer?”
“I have lots of thoughts about summer. Mostly good thoughts.”
“Maggie, you know what I mean.” Sully returned to stirring the onions before they burned. “Stop deflecting.”
My stomach began to growl in earnest. “Sorry. I do know what you mean. And that’s what I wanted to talk about too. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I think, for at least a few weeks for certain, I need to stay in Highland Falls.” Sully stopped stirring and turned away from the stove, leaning against the counter and looking at me across the island. “If the invitation to stay here is still open, I think I’d like to take it.”
Sully’s eyes were soft as he considered me and nodded. “Move in here.”
“If it’s still okay.”
“Roommates?”
“Roommates.”
