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Thinking that was a wonderful idea, I rapidly texted El, my fingers moving across the phone as if they were on fire.
Sounds great! Lunch is on us
LOL, no need to bring wine; I get
it by the case. See you both around one?
His reply was:
Wonderful doll. I’ll see you then.
Since you told me all about your famous chicken salad pita sandwiches, I took the liberty of making sure we had everything on hand to make some. What do you think about that for lunch?” I quickly added, “Besides, I’m dying to try it.”
Once we got back to my place, Parker started making the chicken salad, I checked to be sure there was enough wine chilling. There were four, so I thought we should be good. He had texted Kayla, and Kayla and her new boyfriend were coming, so we were pretty set.
I straightened up a bit, picking up a few of Simba’s toys and putting them in the basket I’d appointed his, and refolded the blanket that I draped on the back of the couch; busy work, mostly.
Knowing Parker and Kayla were lifelong friends still stabbed me with a ping of jealousy, her knowing him better than anyone. I knew it was stupid and petty, of course, we all knew someone better and had that other person. I scolded my inner insecurities and told myself to grow up as I turned on Alexa in hopes of distracting my thoughts.
The afternoon was a whirlwind of activities. After I straightened up a bit, I put place settings around the table El had helped me find for the lanai. It was a four-seater instead of two, but it was exactly what I’d been looking for. I cut fresh flowers out of my small garden on the side of the house while Parker made chicken salad.
“Hey Liv, do you have any feta?” Parker's voice drifted through the house towards me.
“Oh shit, yes, I do. It’s in the fridge, on the bottom right side. I forgot to grab it when I was setting things out.”
“Got it, thanks,” he said as he continued to mix his chicken salad and then put it in the fridge to let it chill. This was the first time we had entertained together; I couldn’t help but get butterflies. It felt a bit like playing house as I daydreamed and wondered if this was what it would be like if we were married.
Like clockwork, El and Anthony showed up at one o’clock on the dot. I hugged El and looked at Anthony. I held my hand out to him. “You must be Anthony. It's nice to finally meet you; I’ve heard so much about you.” Anthony shook my hand; his was warm and soft in mine, and I got the feeling he was a kind man. He was tall and thin, with short black hair, brown eyes, and deep brown skin. His eyes were charming and looked a bit mischievous. I liked him already.I introduced him to Parker, and they hit it off at once. Anthony could hold his own and had a wonderful sense of humor. My intuition never failed me; he was a keeper.
Kayla and her boyfriend showed up ten minutes later. Parks hugged her and shook her boyfriend Javier’s hand. We exchanged pleasantries, and I served everyone wine. Moving to the lanai, we sat and chatted for a good hour. The conversation was light and friendly. We made a good group and would have a lot of fun on the boat. Parker brought out trays of chicken salad, which was a huge hit. The salad was light and refreshing; there were so many flavors and textures, and it all danced together in my mouth.
“Parker, this chicken salad is delicious. I wouldn’t have thought I’d like the combo, but it all goes together so nicely,” I said as I cleared the plates.
“Thanks. I found a recipe, tweaked it to my liking, and made it a bit lighter. It seems to be a favorite every time I take it somewhere.”
“I can see why,” El chimed in. “You’ll have to give me the recipe. Clearly, Anthony likes it as well.” Anthony nodded as he took the final bite of his second helping, and El laughed at him, rubbing his leg. “I’ll have to make sure we take an extra-long walk tonight, or we’ll both put on pounds around the waist,” El offered with a warm, teasing smile.
“Speak for yourself; I’m taking a nap,” Anthony said as we all laughed at them, bantering back and forth.
A short while later, our guests made their exit, expressing how excited they were to go boating the next day.
“Well, that was a success, don’t you think?” I said as I took my sandals off. I let my hair down and shook my head, leaving the blond curls cascading down my shoulders and back.
“Yes, they all got along well with no hang-ups.”
I laughed and asked him, “Did you think there would be?”
He laughed as he put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. “No, I didn’t. Should we start the lobster stock? It takes a while to make. First, we need to steam the lobster, and that’ll take a while just to get the water boiling, and the largest pot you have will only hold one at a time.”
“Oh, that’s right. I don’t have a huge pot or space on my stove. I’ll have to consider that if I ever, remodel again,” I said as I rolled my eyes, teasing him. Suddenly, I felt Parker wrap his arms around me from behind.
“Have I told you today how beautiful you are? You’re so damn cute when you cook. I could watch you for hours.”
I turned to him. “No, you haven’t.”
He brought my head up to look into my eyes and gave me a kiss that pulled at my heart and reached my core. Breathless, I said, “Um, we’ll never get the stock done if you keep that up.”
He gave me a mischievous look with sexy eyes. “I think we can. We’ve got the entire kitchen.”
