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“Sounds good.” Elio put his coat, hat, and gloves on and ventured back outside. Gianna shivered as a burst of frigid wind rushed through the cabin when he opened the door. He hadn’t lied about it getting colder.
She had to admit that she was glad he’d shown up too. She’d felt perfectly fine staying here on her own, but that was when she thought she’d be able to leave whenever she wanted. The idea of being trapped on the mountain in a snowstorm, alone, was something else entirely.
Gianna rummaged around the kitchen, amused by Elio’s contributions to their food stores. He wasn’t kidding about not working from a list. He’d hit the snack aisle hard, more than covering them when it came to popcorn, potato chips, pretzels, peanuts, and Doritos. And as he’d said, he had managed to bring half the ingredients for three meals. In addition to his partial taco meal, he had bought spaghetti sauce but no noodles, and steaks and potatoes but no vegetables. He also had a loaf of bread and some sandwich meat, without condiments.
He had fared better in the drinks area, managing to remember water, beer, coffee, and soda.
She decided the steaks looked the best, and she wished she’d thought to put that on her own menu. She’d combine his mouthwatering rib eyes with the baked potatoes and the salad fixings she’d brought. Elio made a couple trips with his arms loaded down with wood that he placed in a box next to the fireplace. She was sorry he was wearing the thick flannel shirt and a coat because she wouldn’t mind getting a better look at his muscles straining with the weight of the wood.
God. She really needed to get a handle on her hormones.
Before heading out for a third load, Elio glanced over, checked out what she was making, and smiled.
“I was hoping you’d go for the steaks.”
“You packed no vegetables,” she said, adopting a stern mom voice.
“Yeah…I remembered that around the same time I recalled forgetting the cheese and sour cream. I got a later start than I’d planned and wound up rushing through the store so that I could beat the snow. You probably can’t tell from what I packed, but I usually eat very healthy meals.”
“Truth is, I didn’t pack much in the way of fun snack food. I can’t believe I forgot to bring chips and dip.”
“We make a good team then.” Elio grinned. “Let me go get one more load and then I’ll cook the steaks.”
God. He was going to help her cook. Why did the idea of Elio Moretti in the kitchen get her motor revving? She and Sam had cooked together a million times and it hadn’t been foreplay. It had just been dinner.
“Down girl,” she muttered under her breath. She played around with her Spotify, choosing the Happy Hits channel, then dancing in place to Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” as she sliced carrots. She had just finished putting the salad together when Elio joined her.
“Good music,” he said, shaking his ass in time with the beat and making her laugh. “JT’s got nothing on me.”
Gianna was not about to argue with that, but she rolled her eyes because she felt like she should try to keep him humble.
Elio reached for a frying pan, adding oil and turning on the heat.
“I have some mushrooms and onions we can sauté if you’d like,” she offered.
“Hell yeah. Sounds great.”
They worked in quiet efficiency, Elio pan-frying the meat as she washed, then microwaved the potatoes.
“Those smell so good,” she said, stepping next to him as he pulled the steaks from the pan, wrapping them in foil to rest for a few minutes.
The two of them worked together to set the table, then carried the food over before sitting down to eat. It was strange how unpacking the groceries and cooking dinner felt natural and easy, but right now, sharing a meal together like this felt intimate.
She was suddenly struggling to think of something to talk about. It was safe to say that she and Elio were closer to acquaintances than friends. They had a similar social circle, but their interactions always happened in the larger group, so they’d never had a serious one-on-one conversation or been alone together, until now.
“So,” she started, before realizing she didn’t have a damn thing to say after that. “This is awkward.”
Elio laughed. “I’ll admit this wasn’t how I envisioned the next few days.”
She opened her mouth to apologize, but Elio raised his hand to cut her off.
“And before you apologize again, I’m not saying I’m disappointed. Not at all.”
“Yeah, but you came here to be alone and… Why did you want to be alone?” she asked, then tried to backtrack. “Sorry, that’s none of my business, is it?”
Elio sliced off a chunk of steak. “I’ll answer your question if you answer one of mine first.”
Gianna nodded before thinking better. “Okay.”
