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My plan is basically this. Woo her into a good mood with dinner, and then she’ll be so impressed with me that she won’t even be angry when I try and suggest helping her with her business. I need to figure out how to word it in a way that’s not justI want to give you a big check and I’m not going to take no for an answer because you deserve the world.
That last bit was good. Maybe I’ll keep that.
I dump the noodles into a pan and start brainstorming.
CHAPTER28
ANNA
Iunlock the door and get hit with the smell of hot cheese.
My stomach flips over in fear. What has Joel been up to now? I swear, this guy needs constant supervision.
I march into the kitchen ready to give him a piece of my mind, only to find the table set with mismatched silverware, a solitary candle in the center. “Hey, babe,” says Joel from the stove, stirring a pot of what I can only assume to be mac and cheese.
Of all the things I was expecting to come home to, this could not have been further down the list. I’m so speechless that all I can do is stand there with my mouth open.
“How was your day?” he asks, like any of this is normal behavior for him. “Sit down, please.”
Feeling like I’m having an out-of-body experience, I do. “Who are you and what the hell have you done with Joel Lockhart? Oh my God, are you possessed? Is there a demon inside you?”
He gawps at me like I’m the one who’s suddenly gone crazy. “What, a guy’s not allowed to do nice things for a girl?”
“It’s very suspicious when a guy with a history of being a disaster in the kitchen suddenly cooks you a full meal.”
Joel turns the stove off and scoops some noodles into two bowls. Somehow, he doesn’t even make that much of a mess. He brings the bowls over and places mine in front of me. I peer down into it — it looks like mac and cheese and smells like it. In fact, it pretty much looks edible.
“Maybe I’ve just learned how to read,” he says as he sits down across from me.
“I appreciate it. Thank you.”
Carefully, I poke at the pasta. Joel watches me as I lift the fork to my mouth and I’m terrified for a second that I’m going to have to pretend it’s good just to protect his self-esteem, because it really is cute that he thought to do this. But to my relief and delight, it tastes absolutely like it’s supposed to.
I’m tired and hungry and that makes this one of the best mac and cheeses I’ve ever eaten. It’s warm, not overcooked, and comforting. And it was made with love. After a day of statistics and spreadsheets, this is just what I need.
“How was your day?” he asks before he starts shoveling his own dinner into his mouth.
I nod slightly. “It was okay. We made some positive steps. Hiring a new engineer isn’t that farfetched after all, she said.”
“Good. That’s really good. Did she help you with your job postings?”
“No, that’s not her job. But she did give me some really great advice about where to look. And she’s taken a look at the situation, and she thinks if we go to court, we could get compensation from Mariana. I might even be able to afford to rent somewhere to live.”
“She sounds like a really great person.”
“She is.”
This is really nice and everything, and it’s great that Joel cares enough to hear about my boring day, but there’s something suspicious about this mood he’s trying to set, like he’s trying to take his own mind off something. It is romantic because it’s generous and thoughtful, but he’s fidgeting uncomfortably and eating more slowly than usual which feels either like he’s not hungry which can’t be true, or he’s deadly ill. I could tell him more about my accountant, but honestly that’s boring and I don’t see the point in burdening him with the details.
Instead, I want to know what’s going through his head. “And yours? Get up to much today?”
He shakes his head slowly. “I cooked.”
“I can see that,” I say dryly and stare at him to make him keep going.
“Had a nap,” he continues, stilted. You’d think I was trying to torture him. “Watched TV. Dad called.”
Oh. The puzzle pieces slot together with a horrible click. No wonder he’s down if his dad called to yell at him again.
