She hardly knew what to say. All those times his eyes had glazed over, she’d thought he wasn’t paying attention, and she was just filling the silence.
“Thanks for saying that.” She stepped forward and kissed him, and it was almost like old times.
When they pulled apart, Blue rubbed the back of his neck. He opened his mouth to speak, then coughed instead. “Need water, please.”
“Be right back.” She rushed into the house and returned with a glass.
He drank thirstily, recovering. “Thanks. I’m okay now. I need to get these steaks off the grill.”
Whatever he’d meant to say, he wasn’t ready. And if she was honest with herself, she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear it.
“I’ll help you carry things out,” she said. “What do you need?
“I made a salad, too.” He lifted his chin toward the door. “It’s inside.”
They moved around each other in the kitchen, Jo assembling plates and Blue bringing in the steaks and corn. The salad was simple. Spring greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocado, with a mystery dressing in a small bowl. He’d probably searched for that along with the cornbread recipe.
She tasted the dressing with a spoon. “That’s a nice lemon vinaigrette you made.”
“Is it? How’d you know I made it?”
Jo chuckled. “I’ve never seen a bottle of salad dressing in your house.” He’d really gone all out for tonight.
Back at the bistro table, they ate. The steaks were perfectly done, charred on the outside and pink in the center, just the way they liked them. The corn was sweet. With a tinge of barbecue smoke.
“And the cornbread reminds me of what my grandmother used to make.”
“I wondered if you’d notice that. I found her recipe.”
Jo was surprised. “Where?”
“She wrote it down for you once on a recipe card, and I took a picture of it.”
“That was years ago.”
“That’s about right.”
He was trying hard tonight. “This is wonderful, Blue. You outdid yourself.”
“I wanted tonight to be special. Just you and me, no fancy restaurant.”
Jo reached across the table and stroked his hand. “I love what you did.”
They lingered over the meal as the sun set and the stars began to appear.
“So how’s your coffee project going?” Blue asked, pouring the last of the wine.
“It’s coming along,” she said, feeling relaxed. “I plan to meet with Junie and Maileah to brainstorm a crowdfunding campaign for presales to raise the funds for production.”
“That’s smart. I hear Maileah is great at marketing.” He paused. “Has Rocky been helping you?”
Jo nodded. “He’s been very helpful with the financial side. His business background is?—”
“Everyone saw you two at the Rockin’ Roll.” Blue laced his hands on the table.
“We were going over his financial projections for the retail rollout.” Now on alert, Jo put down her wine glass.
“Is that all it was?”
