AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As we share a laugh, I can’t help noticing how quickly we’d eased into this friendly exchange. Emboldened, I take it a little further. “I mean if you’re into that kind of thing.”
I barely finish the sentence before Daniel’s end of the line goes deathly quiet.
Shit. “Sorry. Stupid mouth doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone,” I say, not wanting to admit to myself I said it hoping for a real answer because I have plenty of cushion thanks to never being able to tell my sister I hate hiking.
“Having more beauty than sense isn’t always a bad thing.”
My jaw hits the floor.
Did he just call my mouth beautiful?
Jaw flapping, I try to find words but fall short of a complete sentence every time.
Speechless is not a familiar state of being for me. I’m not sure I like it but I sure as hell like how I ended up this way. And I’m working out a way to stay there when call-waiting dings in my ear.
“Are you serious?” I mumble when I see my sister’s name on the screen.
“Um. Did I say something wrong?” Daniel’s gruff voice drifts to my ear from my hand.
I snap it up. “No. No. I wasn’t talking about you. It’s my sister on the other line.”
“Oh. If you need to go—”
“No. She’s just making sure I leave on time.”
“You have plans. I’m getting in the way.”
“You’re really not.” I would much rather blow off my sister andherfriends and talk to Daniel all night. Keep the conversation going wherever our silly little exchanges are taking us. But my sister is only in town a few more days and we aren’t going to see each other as often now that we live with a day’s drive between us.
I’ll miss my sister but not how demanding she is of my time. At least now, I only have to worry about doing what Lainey wants to do when she visits. Otherwise, my time is my own. And not one day will be spent night hiking with friends I never would have picked for myself.
“I should probably get going soon. After I help you.” I’m sure whatever word of Daniel’s I cut off, it was the start of another protest. It probably wasn’t easy for him to call for help. No way am I going to let him go without giving him the help I offered.
“Thank you.” There is no questioning the relief in his voice.
“Do you have a cast iron pan?”
“No.”
“Okay. Here’s what you do. Keep the heat low. When you add the flour, stir quickly and constantly with a whisk. Make sure you’re scraping every inch of the bottom of the pan. Keep that up until the roux turns that dark copper color then add your trinity.”
“Trinity?”
“The diced onions, green peppers, and celery.”
“Gotcha.”
“Cook that low and slow, still stirring constantly until the veggies clarify. The roux will continue to darken, it might even smoke a little, but as long as you keep up your stirring it won’t burn.”
“Piece of cake.”
“No, Daniel. Gumbo. Sheesh. No wonder you’re having so much trouble if you can’t even tell the difference between cake and gumbo.”
Laughter rumbles in my ear and that heavy feeling settles between my legs again. “Explains a lot, doesn’t it?” He jokes back.
I’m trying to figure out how it’s so easy to fall into playful banter with this guy when my call-waiting dings again.
“Damn. I gotta go.”
