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“Don’t sound so glum, my little bowl of cassoulet.”
I laugh out loud at that one. “Cassoulet? Moved up from desserts to full blown meals, have I? That’s what you should have made for me today.” I pout playfully. Her cassoulet—a savory bean stew, a French staple—is one of my favorite things to eat in the world. I want to go to France just to eat the different varieties. Especially the ones with sausage in them; she always leaves it out. And it’s still one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted.
“My cassoulet takes a full day, my sweet. One day, I’ll take you to France and take you to have the best cassoulet in the world. There’s a restaurant in Carcassonne . . . ah, how I miss it.” She looks up when I don’t respond.
I’m smiling, but it’s stilted. We both know that that trip will never happen. Her eyes soften with understanding and she smiles brightly.
“Or even better, I’ll make it. And I’ll even add a little sausage, just for you,” she says and that draws a small smile out of me.
Out of nowhere and suddenly, a pang of longing courses through me.
“Deal.” I hop off the stool. “I want to call Reece and say thank you for yesterday. Then I’ll eat. I’ll only be a minute.” I walk back to my room after giving her a quick smile.
His phone goes straight to voicemail. His custom message plays and I’m struck by how deep his voice is. It’s all timbre. When he talks to me in person, I always hear a softness in it. At the beep, I leave a message.
“Hi Reece, It’s me, Lucía. I just wanted to say thank you so much for everything. For the hospital, for calling Jess, for staying to help her and spend time with me. I hope you’re having a great day. I’m going to try and get some work done today, so I’ll be home if you want to call me or stop by. Okay. Bye.”
I hang up and go back out to the breakfast prepared by my best friend and get ready to do some reading.
I’m half way through my read through of my last session with Dan and Todd when my doorbell rings. I’ve been working for four hours straight and I’m glad for the distraction. Editing with one hand is frustrating and slow.
I look through the peephole. My mood picks up right away and anticipation makes me feel flushed. It’s Reece. I open the door with a wide grin on my face. He smiles back, his eyes warm as he takes me in. I’m tingling all over; I’m hyper-aware of his presence.
“How are you, Luc?” He hands me a brown paper bag and the familiar, spicy aroma makes my mouth water.
“Come in,” I say as I peek inside the bag. “Bahn mi?” I ask with excitement. I look at him grinning. “How’d you know?”
“Jessica told me,” he says looking proud of himself. Oh, Jess. I should have known.
In the kitchen I unwrap the savory Vietnamese beef sandwich that I love. It feels like Christmas morning. And I’m celebrating it with my favorite person.
“Thank you. How’s your dad?” I ask as I try to decide which side of it I’m going to bite first. I can feel him hovering behind me and my back arches a little, trying to subtly close the gap between us.
“He’s good. He doesn’t want to follow anyone’s orders and wants me to sneak him food. He’s driving my mom crazy.”
We both laugh at the image that creates. He’s standing closer to me now and I can smell him, his aftershave has a clean and fresh scent and I wish he would wrap his arms around me. Since that kiss, all the need and longing that’s been simmering between us has reached a boiling point. I can’t be near him without needing to touch him.
I want to know where things stand with Fabienne. My mind is made up about keeping him at arm’s length until that’s cleared up.
Reece shifts his stance and I realize I’ve just been staring at him. He coughs a little uncomfortably. “Listen, I’m not going to stay. I just wanted to bring you lunch and see if you felt up to the meeting tomorrow. If we need to postpone, we can. Just say the word. Everyone will understand.”
I jerk my head back at that “No. I’m ready. We’ve prepared and worked our asses off. I’m bruised and I have stitches in my hand, but I’m not bedridden.”
I wrap my sandwich up, no longer interested in eating it.
“That’s what you came to ask, right? Well, I’m ready. I don’t want to postpone. Was there anything else?”
I tap my foot impatiently.
Reece sighs and rolls his eyes a little.
“Did you just roll your eyes at me?” I ask.
He ignores that question. “I’m not sure why me asking if you’d like to take another day off upsets you so much. Are you taking the painkillers they prescribed? Those can give you mood swings.”
I groan at him. “I’m not taking painkillers and I’m not having a mood swing.” I use my good arm to hop up on the kitchen counter. I sit facing him. “This meeting is important and I want to get it over with. I nearly killed Dan and Todd and myself trying to get ready. It’s the only thing that’s getting me through each day right now. So, I need it to happen.” I know I’m just one octave away from sounding like I’m begging, but I don’t care. “If we’ve got to start from scratch or the studio’s not thrilled with what we’re doing, I’d rather know now.”
He walks over to me but stops a few feet away. He’s just staring at me, his eyes alight with a predatory gleam as he looks at me from head to toe. He doesn’t say anything. But every single nerve ending in my body feels the demand in his gaze. My whole body starts to tingle.
