AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, please, on that trivet,” she said, pointing to the one already on the table.
He took the hot pot, and she carried the bowl of hush puppies. Then they both went back for their drinks and finally sat down to eat.
Amalie had her spoon in her bowl of chili, but she was waiting to see Sean’s reaction as he took the first bite.
“Oh my God, this is good!” he mumbled, and as soon as the first bite went down, he chased it with a hushpuppy and rolled his eyes. “Crunchy bite of delicious,” he said, and added a handful around the bowl on his plate.
Amalie breathed a sigh of relief. He liked it!
After that, she dug into her food without hesitation.
The meal continued with her upcoming open house as the main topic, and he could tell she was a little anxious about attendance.
“I don’t think you have a thing to worry about. The locals are always curious about new business. They’ll all want to see it for themselves and meet you, regardless.”
“Will you still be able to stop by?” she asked.
“You still planning for the end of this week?”
“Yes, Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.”
“Then I’ll be there.”
“And Shirley, if she wants to come,” Amalie added.
“Trust me. She’ll be there. She’s already talking about what she’s going to wear,” Sean said.
“I’ve dithered with that a bit myself,” Amalie said.
“Don’t even dwell on that. You’ll rock the look, no matter what.”
She sighed. “You make me forget about the scars.”
He frowned. “What scars?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. It’s the first thing people notice.”
“Not me,” Sean said. “The first thing I noticed was your cute butt, then your long legs. Of course, you did have your back to me, but it was a great start. And then you turned around and I saw that white streak in your hair, your beautiful face, and your eyes. They’re so blue.Blue is my favorite color, by the way. But it was that haunting familiarity that stayed with me.”
His words were so endearing, but she couldn’t let herself acknowledge them without crying, so she made fun of herself instead.
“So, are you suggesting I greet everyone butt first, or—”
Sean burst out laughing. “Hell if I know, but it would raise some eyebrows, and I’m all for breaking rules. If we’re done with lunch, I’ll help you clean up.”
“Just carry the chili back to the stove and put the lid on the pot. It needs to cool off before I do anything with it.”
“What about the hush puppies?” he asked.
She looked at the bowl, and then at Sean. “There are only three.”
“You can’t toss them in the trash,” he said. “I’ll just set it over here for later. When B.J. was still home, we never had leftovers. He just ate until the bowls were empty.”
“Poor Shirley,” Amalie said. “Just starved the lot of you, didn’t she? It’s obvious it stunted your growth.”
Sean leaned back, rubbing his stomach. “I’m too full to argue. Can I stay and play for a while?”
Amalie grinned. “Absolutely. What do you want to do? Watch TV? I have board games. Go for a walk? I don’t care. This day is for you.”
