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I turned into the parking lot of the general store in town and hopped out. Tori got out of the truck before I could make it around to her side.
“I was coming to get the door for you,” I grumbled.
She patted my arm. “I know, but I’m supposed to be trying for normal here.”
“True, but I was raised a gentleman. And a gentleman opens the door for their woman.”
Her gaze shot to mine, and I stepped farther into her space. I wanted to kiss her right there in the middle of the parking lot for everyone to see, but she wasn’t ready for that. It was one thing being on the ranch. It was another thing to share our budding relationship out in public.
“Umm.” She shifted from one foot to the other. “Should we go in?”
“Sure.” I extended my arm in front of me. “After you.” My palms itched to grab her hand and hold it while we walked inside, but I didn’t want to push her too hard. She was already skittish.
The cool blast of air felt good as we entered the store.
Tori stopped once we got inside and faced me. “So, how do you do this? I’ve never been shopping before.” Her cheeks reddened.
“Sunshine, I’m thrilled you’re letting me be the one to introduce you to the world of grocery shopping and cooking.”
Her tentative smile was like an arrow through my heart. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.” I picked up a shopping basket beside the door and placed my free hand on her back. “We’ll go up and down the aisles and grab the things we need. I haven’t been in the store in a while so I’m sure things have moved around. We can figure it out together.”
We found nothing on the first and second aisle, except a woman pushing a cart with a baby in it, staring at us as we passed.Tori’s eyes lit up when she saw the sweet toddler wave. It made my heart melt, and I wondered if she wanted kids one day.
“We’re making pasta?” she asked when I grabbed a box of spaghetti on aisle three.
“Is that okay with you?”
“I love pasta.” My heart skipped a beat when she flashed that smile of hers at me.It was genuine. She was clearly happy with what we were doing, and my chest puffed out with pride, knowing I was providing this experience for her.
After grabbing all the ingredients, we checked out and headed home. I was surprised we didn’t bump into anyone I knew, but also relieved. I didn’t want anyone trying to strike up a conversation and delay our lesson. However, it hadn’t escaped my notice that people stared at us the whole time we were in town, but if Tori had noticed it too, she made no mention of it.
The house was quiet when we returned. Caleb was no doubt still overseeing the construction. He had to know what was going on at all times. He needed to be in control in a way I didn’t need. But it was a good thing today, because that meant more time to get started on dinner.
Tori unpacked all the groceries and had them laid out on the counter. “What do we do first?”
“Let’s get everything chopped before Caleb gets home. We’ll get the sauce going now, so it can simmer.” I retrieved a cutting board from the cabinet and then a knife from the drawer. “Do you want to chop up the herbs, sunshine?”
She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I can try.”
“Come here and let me show you.” I shifted her in front of me, so she was between me and the counter. “Stay there.” I quickly washed the fresh herbs and brought them to the cutting board.
Placing the knife in her right hand, I folded my hand over her left and showed her how to roll up the leaves and then chop the herbs. If we hadn’t been working with a knife, I would have been grinding up against her ass, but I kept myself in check.
Once she got the hang of it, I let go but didn’t move away. Every part of me wanted to be close to her as often as I could. When the basil, parsley, and oregano were done, we worked on the garlic.
By the time the crushed tomatoes were in a pot on the stove, the mudroom door opened and shut. Tori was stirring ground beef in a pan when Caleb walked in. He froze in the kitchen entrance, and then a huge smile stretched across his face. “Why is this turning me on right now?” he said, followed by a deep chuckle.
“Trust me, I’ve had a hard-on since we started.”
“Hope you’re hungry,” Tori said as Caleb sauntered over and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
He nuzzled her neck—the same place I’d wanted to the entire time we were chopping ingredients. She turned and kissed him on the cheek and then sniffed.
“You need a shower.”Her nose wrinkled in the most adorable way.
“Care to join me?”
