Page 7 of Forbidden Dreams
I took the box while she hung her jacket on a hook. "I'll eat it at home then."
I swallowed over the tightness in my throat. I hadn't meant to make her feel bad, and I wasn't sure how to fix it. It was better to get this evening moving forward. "I'm still cooking."
I turned and made my way to the kitchen, expecting her to follow. I added the cooked pasta to a pan with garlic, lemon, and a cup of the boiling water. I stirred and let it simmer for a minute. Then I remembered I had a guest.
Aspen stood by the counter, an uncertain expression on her face.
"Would you like a glass of wine?" I asked stiffly.
She shook her head. "Water's fine. It's a business dinner, remember?"
"That's right." I filled a glass with ice and water and handed it to her.
Then I filled a second for myself and drained the glass. It was unbearably hot in here. Would it be rude to open a window?
Her gaze was on the various pots and pans I'd used. "I can't believe you cooked."
I raised a brow. "I invited you for dinner, didn't I?"
She set her glass on the counter. "I thought you might buy something and reheat it."
"I told you I had to learn how to cook, living alone." And when her gaze stayed on me, I added, "My mom worked a lot when I was younger. I had to take care of my sister."
Her expression softened. "How is Emery?"
I'd forgotten that she was in the same grade as her. "She graduated from the local community college and transferred to University of Colorado."
"That's great."
"Yeah, it's all I ever wanted for her." I wanted her out of our family's house and living a life far away from here.
"You didn't want the same?"
I stiffened. "I got a job working construction in high school. I felt good about myself, putting in a hard day's work and getting paid for it. I was able to be home when she got off the bus and cook us dinner. It was a good job."
"I'm not saying it's not. I just wondered if you wanted to go to school too?"
I remembered the bad grades, the teachers' frustrations with me. "Nah. School wasn't my thing."
Her nose wrinkled. "It wasn't mine either."
"I forget that you went to college."
Her cheeks flushed. "Yeah, but I dropped out. My family thought I was crazy for walking away."
"Your brothers didn't all go to college either." I'd learned the business side of things by researching as much as I could and trial and error.
She sighed. "For some reason, my parents expected me to. I'm not doing skilled labor like them."
Silence fell between us. I busied myself by checking the simmering sauce.
We'd never had to talk to each other outside the presence of her family. And then, we only exchanged sharp barbs. We hadn't had to make small talk. I wasn't sure what else we had to talk about besides Emery.
I finished the sauce and poured everything into a serving dish complete with a spoon. Then I plated the fish. "I almost forgot I bought bread."
I grabbed the loaf, cut it, and arranged the slices on a platter. Then I poured olive oil in a small bowl with rosemary. "I meant to do that so you could eat while I was cooking."
She picked up a chunk of bread and dragged it through the oil. "This is perfect." She ate a bite, and a drop of oil landed on her chin.
