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"You said it’s the strawberry brownie trifle, right?" I asked, beginning to shrug out of my jacket. Drew surprised me by helping me slide it off the rest of the way. Then he placed it on a hanger in the coat closet and hung his black leather jacket beside mine. I couldn't keep a goofy grin from sneaking on my lips at the sweet gesture. That was what a boyfriend would do.
Mom's lips quirked up into a half smile, and I knew she had seen it as well. And it made me wonder what my mom would think if Drew and I ended up dating. Would she be happy about it?
Drew and I walked into the kitchen. "You don't really mind helping, do you?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at Drew. The smell of dinner cooking in the Crockpot filled the air.
Mmmm, Mom's famous white bean chili would be perfect on this cool February day.
"I rarely bake, so I don't know how much help I'll be," Drew said.
"It's only from a box, so I'm sure you'll do fine." I opened a drawer next to the oven and pulled out two aprons: a neon pink one and a black one. "Which one do you want?"
"Like you even have to ask.” Drew laughed.
And then he grabbed the pink one from my hand.
"Seriously?" I eyed him curiously.
Drew smiled as he slung it over his head and tied the straps behind his back. "Real men wear pink, right?"
I bit my lip as I took in the ridiculous sight. Tall, masculine Drew wearing a pink apron was definitely something I'd never daydreamed about in high school. "I think pink is your color."
"It does seem to bring out my olive complexion."
"Definitely. Remind me to force Carmella to buy you a pink dress shirt for your next interview."
I grabbed the brownie box from the pantry and then a glass batter bowl from a cupboard.
"If you'll just grab the eggs from the fridge," I suggested when I noticed Drew just standing there watching me.
He shook his head as if he'd been in a daze, and then opened the fridge and bent over until he came out holding the carton of eggs. I tried not to notice how good his backside looked in his jeans.
"Have you ever heard of substituting applesauce for the oil and the eggs in some recipes?" I asked as Drew measured out the oil and poured it into the bowl.
Drew shook his head. "No, why would anyone do that? Eggs are a great source of protein and a little fat from olive oil can actually be a good thing. Plus, doesn't it lower the glycemic index?"
I laughed. "Okay, Mr. Nutrition."
"Sorry. Kieran had me read a couple of nutrition books for our training."
And what a great job you did during that training.I couldn't help but eye Drew's arms as we worked so closely together.
It only took a second for me to realize how awkwardly I was staring at Drew. I met his eyes, and felt myself blush, my cheeks getting all hot and tight.
"Anyway," I said, clearing my throat. "What I was trying to say was that if you ever want to substitute applesauce into the recipe, do it for either the oil or the eggs, but not both. I tried using applesauce for both the last time I made these, and I ended up with applesauce brownies…I could barely even taste the chocolate. Though, I guess that's one way to get me to follow the correct portion size since I definitely didn't want seconds."
Why did I say all that? I needed to learn how to stop rambling when I was nervous.
Drew laughed and winked. "Thanks for the heads-up."
I got momentarily caught up in the color of his eyes. Had they always been that dark blue?
"Are you okay?" Drew asked. "You seem like you have something on your mind."
I shook my head. "Yeah, sorry. I didn't get enough sleep last night. I think my body's wishing to get a nap." That was true enough—I really was tired, but it wasn't the reason why I was acting so weird.
I grabbed a wooden spoon out of a drawer and started mixing the ingredients together to give myself something to do. Drew was leaning back against the granite counter, watching me, and I suddenly wished I was wearing a cuter apron than the boxy black thing I had on.
And why hadn't I spent more time on my hair this morning? My plain ponytail did nothing for the harsh angles of my face.
