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John stood before she could get up to serve him. It was nice to have a man appreciate her cooking, and, considering all he’d been through and done for her and Ariana, at least she could offer him that.
“Would you like more?” he asked before serving himself.
“I’m good. You can finish it off.” What she wanted was more of this. Enjoying a meal with a man who made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a decade.
“Come on. Just a little bit more so I don’t feel like a mooch.” He approached with the foil pan and spatula.
“Like a quarter of that is plenty.”
He served her. “Soak the pan or toss it?”
“Toss it.” She waited until he sat again to take the conversation in a new direction. “Did you have a dog growing up?”
“No. My grandparents had a cat. My dad had his hands full with me, so we never had pets. I wasn’t looking to get a dog because, in my line of work, it’s not real practical. When Boss showed up though . . .” He shook his head. “I was in the Georgia mountains with my buddy, Nate, decompressing after a deployment. Boss wasn’t afraid of people, but he hadn’t been fed in a while. I don’t know if he was abandoned or lost. He wasn’t chipped. I brought him home at the end of our week, thinking that any day someone would see the posters I put up and call to claim him. Lucky for me, no one called. What about you? Did you have pets growing up?”
Now it made sense why he had Boss, despite having to leave him behind on deployments. It supported her assumption about John not wanting Boss to feel abandoned again.
“No. My dad claimed to be allergic. He said if we had a dog it’d have to be an outside dog, and we never had a yard for it. We had goldfish for a year or two.”
“Not the same, is it? Though you don’t have to bathe them. I’m guessing Boss wasn’t your first dog.”
“No. My first, Ginger, was a rescue. Well, I tried to rescue her. I wasn’t working and thought a dog would be good company, but my ex wasn’t a fan. And he won.” As Adam always did. He hadn’t liked competing for her attention.
“What do you mean, ‘he won’?” John asked in a low, ominous manner that made her swallow before answering.
“I took Ginger back to the no-kill shelter out of fear of what Adam might do to her.” Based on the way John looked at her, Elizabeth wasn’t sure if he was judging her for returning Ginger to the shelter or considering the possibility Britney took Boss there to protect him from her boyfriend. “Right after I bought this house and property, I adopted Barkley and had him for eight years.”
He nodded, finished off his lasagna, and carried their plates to the sink. “Act of defiance?”
“More like independence.” She got up to do the dishes. “I loved the freedom to do what I wanted.”
John began rinsing plates.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Rule at my house was the cook didn’t have to clean up. I got this.”
“Okay.” That was unexpected. Adam had never done dishes or served her food. Did John do something nice because he expected something in return? She stepped away and put a stopper in the wine bottle.
After loading the dishwasher, John wiped down the counter and table. He even rinsed the cloth and spread it to dry. “Thank you for the wonderful dinner and conversation.”
“Thank you for coming to Ariana’s rescue.”
“Gotta earn my keep. Feel free to invite me over anytime you have extra food and want someone else to do KP duty.”
“Good night.” She didn’t make any promises. Even though he hadn’t made reference to tonight being a date, it was better to keep things friendly, not romantic. Once John moved out of The Oasis, she’d be out of his sights and off his mind as he went on with his life. A life that didn’t include a woman with a past that left her too scarred and scared to love again.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF – Duran Duran
After freshening her face,Elizabeth stood in her closet, debating what to wear. They typically dressed up for the Friday night dinners, but she hadn’t mentioned that to John. Maybe she should wear something casual so he’d feel comfortable since Ariana had gone with a low-key Mexican food menu. Only this dinner wasn’t about him. It was about the women. Better not to change things up on them.
She changed into a simple purple dress with a sweetheart neckline, a silver bangle bracelet to go with her necklace, and low, strappy nude heels, then gave herself a once over in the full-length mirror. There was something empowering about knowing she looked her best, especially when it was her decision, not going all out because Adam, or any man, wanted to show her off to make himself look good.
Shaking off the memories, she went to the dining room and set the china, crystal, and silver chest on the table, along with cloth placemats and napkins. Before she could head into the kitchen, a knock sounded on the frame of the screen door. It had to be John.
“Come in,” she called. “You’re early.”
