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Zach forced himself not to look at her. If he did, no telling what his physical reaction to her would be. Cassidy had just admitted that she was waiting for the right man or men to enter her life. Was she aware that she’d already met them? His sister had more or less told him that the moment she met Alex and Liam she knew they were the ones for her.
While the physical reaction wasn’t quite the same with the females of their species, they were still effected by the mate draw.
Zach should answer her, but he had no idea what to say. His family members were right. He had spent too much time in the woods and not enough with the opposite sex.
Thankfully, Abbott’s grocery store came into view before he had to talk any more about mates. “Ready to make us a gourmet meal?”
“I’m more than ready. Not that rabbit isn’t tasty, but it gets rather monotonous after a while. Your mom’s lasagna helped break the boredom.”
“Mike buys all of the food for his hiking group. No hunting allowed—with guns that is. I don’t remember any law against hunting with a bow and arrow.”
“I’m just glad I wasn’t arrested in case it was illegal.”
He finally looked over at her and smiled. “I’m sure I could have put in a good word for you if you had been.”
“I bet you could have.”
Zach parked close to the entrance. Before he could race over to Cassidy’s side to open her door, she slipped out. So much for being chivalrous.
Zach couldn’t believe he was nervous. A home cooked meal was a big deal, though he understood she wouldn’t want to be at a restaurant right now. Once he told Mike about Cassidy making dinner, his friend would not be happy that he’d missed out.
Zach debated calling him to see if he wanted to join them, but she might not be ready for that, even though today she actually seemed relaxed. Having a good night’s sleep and being surrounded by a warm and loving family must have had an effect on her. Being able to speak with Mindy also seemed to have elevated her mood.
“What do we need?” Zach asked. “I shop here, but I can’t say I know where everything is.”
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Relax. I enjoy walking up and down the aisles to see what they have. You’re footing the bill, right?”
“You cook. I pay.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Cassidy was very logical in her approach to shopping, though he thought she spent too much time checking out the salad stuff. Most likely her family grew many of these vegetables, and she wanted to find the best the store had to offer.
After she picked out the lettuce, a bright red tomato, and the perfect cucumber, they hit the cheese section. Since they had the recipe, locating the items was easy. The chicken and the tomato sauce in a jar didn’t take long to find.
“I didn’t see any wine at Mike’s place. Should we pick some up?” she asked.
Mike wouldn’t be caught dead with wine. He was a beer man. Zach’s family didn’t drink a lot, mostly because it didn’t have much effect on them, but they liked the taste of most alcohol. “Absolutely. How about a nice Cabernet? That will go well with the chicken.”
Her eyes widened. “I pictured you as a beer man.”
“I am, but sometimes the meal calls for wine.”
Cassidy smiled, and he was sure his eyes had turned golden. Not that he knew when it occurred, but Mike had commented on it once or twice that whenever Zach had been near her. Zach had noticed the same thing happened with Mike.
They roamed up and down the aisles, and for the first time in his life, Zach felt at home in a place other than the forest. “How about I make brownies for dessert?” he asked.
“I’m impressed. From scratch?”
He dipped his chin. “You need to moderate your expectations. I’m happy if I make a sandwich for lunch.”
“Got it. A package mix it is.”
Once they were certain they had all of the ingredients, they checked out. He had no idea how long this was going to take, but whatever happened, this was going to be a night to remember.
Zach had convinced Mike that Zach was the one with the willpower, but now he wasn’t so sure if he could control himself.
Please don’t mess this up.
