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Her lips twitched into a smile. “Seriously.”
“Minnie’s is an institution. I can’t believe no one’s brought you here.”
“I haven’t even been in town a year yet… and I don’t know that many people.”
“That’s a damned shame.” He smiled, but he was only half joking.
He wanted to ask about her friends, but when he’d lived in Greenbelt, he hadn’t had many either. Looking down at the containers in his hand, he felt a brief flash of regret for the late-night piece of cobbler he was giving up. But he figured being able to spend a few more minutes in Aja’s company would make his aching sweet tooth worth it.
“Here.” He held one of the containers out to her. “Everybody needs to try Minnie’s cobbler at least once. It has healin’ powers, you know.”
She raised an eyebrow but accepted the cobbler once he wiggled it around in the air a little.
“Healing powers?” He could hear the skepticism in her voice, and that simply wouldn’t do.
“Yup. This cobbler has kept families together, it’s turned around a high school football team’s losin’ streaks—hell, it even made me come back here after twelve years of refusin’ to get within a twenty-mile radius of Greenbelt.”
Aja thought on his words for a bit, her face turned upwards, letting him see the soft line of her jaw and her full cheeks clearly. “How long was the losing streak?” she asked.
“Twenty-two games.” He grinned.
She grimaced in fake sympathy. “Well, if the cobbler’s that good, I guess I have no choice but to try it… you didn’t happen to grab any forks, did you?”
“Nah, I was goin’ to eat these at home on the couch like the hermit I am. But I can go back in and get some.”
He dreaded the idea of having to encounter Louise again so soon, but for Aja, he was willing.
“It’s all right, I have a ton of disposable ones in my glove compartment.” Aja placed her cobbler on the roof of her car before she opened her driver’s side door, put her knees on the seat, and leaned in.
Had he been a better man, he would have looked away. Kept his eyes trained on the worn signs of the shops in front of him and not stared at her ass. But her dress stretched over her oh so perfectly, tightening so that he could make out the shape of the most perfect behind he’d ever had the pleasure of seeing. Full and round and so grabbable that his fingers ached. Walker’s teeth dug into his bottom lip as his mouth watered for something other than cobbler for the first time in days. He jerked out of his trance once she straightened, shutting his eyes briefly so he could keep the picture of her bent over in front of him at the forefront of his brain.
“Here you go,” she said, handing him a white spoon wrapped in cellophane.
The only sound between them was the rustling of their utensils being unwrapped. Once she’d gotten her first spoonful, she paused, waiting.
“You go first,” he prompted, his mouth watering as the scent of cobbler became stronger. “You deserve to experience this all on your own for the first time.”
“Are you always this dramatic?” she asked.
“Only about cobbler. Now…” His gesture told her to speed things up. He could only be patient for so long when faced with something so tempting.
With a roll of her eyes, she took her first bite. Walker could see the exact moment she fell in love with it. Her eyes widened some, then closed. She chewed slowly, working her jaw carefully as if she was trying to savor every taste. Once she’d swallowed it down, she ran her tongue over her lips twice, no doubt searching for more. It was a look he recognized well. Had there been a photo of him taking his first bite, he probably would have looked the same.
“Whoa…” She breathed the word.
Seeing her so pleased made it impossible to hold off on his piece any longer. The groan he let out would have been embarrassing had he cared enough to feel that way. The flavor hit every one of his taste buds, pure satisfaction worming its way into his heart the longer it sat on his tongue. He let himself take one more bite before speaking.
“Incredible, right?”
“I’ll be honest, I thought you were just being goofy but… that might be the best peach cobbler I’ve ever had.” She shook her head in disbelief. “And I have an auntie who’s won first place in the cobbler contest at the Prince George’s County Fair seven times. She’d kill me for saying that too. Either that or force me to peel peaches until my fingers fall off.”
She took two more small bites in quick succession, and he followed suit.
“This cobbler transcends familial ties, Aja. I’m pretty sure Minnie sold her soul to some kind of demon for this recipe.” He forewent all manners, speaking with his mouth full.
“I guess that would explain the, uh, ‘healing properties’ then.”
“No finger quotes needed,” he argued. “I never said it wasn’t demon magic that did the healing, just that it existed.”
