Page 18 of Pretty
“Well, neighbor. Would you care to join me for a meal?”
She angled her head as though she was considering it. Just when I thought she might turn me down, she bobbed her head. “I’d love to,” she replied softly. I wondered where the hesitation stemmed from.
“Cool. Can you grab the plates from that cabinet over there? I’ve got some white wine that might pair well with this.” I pointed her to the cabinet in question, and I grabbed the wine, the wineglasses, and a corkscrew.
She plated our meals as I set our wine and wineglasses at the dining table. We returned to the kitchen and washed our hands before we sat down at the table. After she prayed over our meal, I immediately tucked into it to appease my growling stomach.
“Is this a French dish?” I asked after several seconds.
“It is.”
“How’d you learn how to cook like this?”
“My mom. She insisted that all her children learn how to cook. She learned early on how to cook French meals for my dad—and she passed that skill on to us.”
“She did an excellent job. This is restaurant quality.”
“Thank you,” she replied shyly.
“Thank you for being thoughtful enough to do this for me. I’d planned to order pizza again tonight. That’s mostly what I’ve been eating since I moved in. Well, that and wings, burgers, and fries.”
“Do you like eating like that?”
“Not really. It’s convenient; I’m a steak and potatoes man.”
“Typical guy.”
I chuckled. “Nah, I like other things.”
“Like?”
“Ribs, Thai food, shortbread cookies, and red velvet cake.”
She laughed. “I guess you have a little culture—throwing in Thai food like that. Boy, please.”
“What? I’m guessing your palate is more cultured.”
“Absolutely.”
“Well growing up with a French father and an English mother, I guess so.”
She chewed on the tines of her fork as she watched me thoughtfully.
“What?” I asked.
“Wondering if I can trust you with my truth.”
“Which is?”
“Promise not to laugh?”
“I promise.”
“Okay, so I love French, Caribbean, and Mexican foods—but my favorite meal is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My guilty pleasure is chocolate chip cookies.”
“Get outta here!”
“Seriously. No lie.”
