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Sure. Do you want to come here?
I was just making something to eat. How about you come here?
Okay.
She went to change into something nicer than the old pair of shorts and ratty T-shirt she was currently wearing. She grabbed a bottle of Riesling on her way out the door. Maybe if she positioned it as something they could celebrate, it wouldn’t seem so strange. When she got to his door, it was ajar and she let herself in. Grady was in his kitchen, a blue apron tied around his waist as he mixed something in a pot. As she got closer, she could see it was penne in boiling water.
“You hungry? Because I made extra.”
She thought about her lousy salad. “I could eat. What are you making?”
“It’s sort of made up. It’s a pasta dish with marinated artichokes, kalamata olives, and Parmesan cheese with a drizzling of olive oil. It tastes a hell of a lot better than it sounds.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Nah. It’s super simple. But you can pour that wine you brought. What’s the occasion?”
“Our impending relationship. Didn’t you hear?”
He laughed and she couldn’t help but smile. “Right. John mentioned it last night. He probably gave you the same speech he gave me. Something about helping each other out. I said I’m in. It’s not like either of us are attached, so no one is getting hurt.”
He pointed to where he kept the wineglasses, and Reese poured two glasses. She set his down next to his cutting board of artichokes and olives.
“I suppose, but we may have to pour it on thick sometimes. Will that be weird?”
“We can think of it as a performance. Besides, we’re already friends, and we’re getting to know each other. And I figure we can make this fun if we want to.”
Did she say what she was thinking? No, she could save that for later. So far, the conversation hadn’t given her any uncomfortable feelings, and she certainly didn’t want to bring them in now.
“What you’re doing for me is huge. But I’m not sure you’re really getting much out of it. I asked John, and he mentioned something about going into a new contract. That can’t be enough for the risk you’re about to take.” And she certainly wasn’t going to mention the other reason John had given her.
“Either people haven’t told you about my ‘soft’ side, or you’re doing a really good job at pretending not to know,” he said, sipping his wine.
She bit her lip, trying valiantly not to laugh. “Okay, I may have heard someone mention it. But am I worth the risk?”
She didn’t like how that came out. She hadn’t meant to say it that way. The fact she felt she was such a liability wasn’t good for her confidence.
“Of course you are. Trust me, this arrangement is mutually beneficial.”
He poured off the water from his cooked pasta and set out two bowls. He then doled out the artichokes, olives, and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. He added the pasta and a generous drizzle of olive oil. The dish made her mouth water.
“Enjoy,” he said, pushing the bowl toward her.
While she liked all the ingredients, she wasn’t sure how she felt about them all being together, but one bite had her sold.
“Oh my God, this is amazing!”
“I came up with it one night. I was starving and just started putting ingredients together.”
“Where did you learn to cook? You know just how to pair things. If I don’t follow a recipe, my food is inedible.”
“I’m far from an expert, but I learned a lot from my grandma. She was a master of throwing things together. She had a huge garden up at the cottage, and when it was time for harvest, she didn’t want anything to go to waste. I really liked helping her, so that’s how it all started. Maybe one day I’ll show you how to can vegetables.”
Reese gasped just a little. “You know how to do that?”
“Yup. And it’s easy. I can teach you on one of our fake dates. Who doesn’t want to can tomatoes and beets, although both get kind of messy.”
She rolled her eyes but still smiled. “I’m up for the challenge. I’m not one to back down.”
