Page 37 of Too Good to Be True

Her back was to him as she stirred the spaghetti and meat sauce, but she was very aware of him moving around her kitchen. Cooking wasn’t her forte, but for some reason, she enjoyed cooking for him, for them.

“Anything else I should put out?” he asked.

Put out. Oh no. Not again! “Um…parmesan cheese.”

“On it.”

On it. Oh boy. “What would you like to drink? I have soda, wine, and lemonade.”

“What do you usually drink with spaghetti?”

“I like a glass of wine.”

“Wine it is.”

“The glasses are in the cupboard next to the sink.”

While he poured the wine, she drained the noodles and then mixed them with the sauce. She emptied the contents into a large bowl and brought it to the table. She noticed that he’d arranged the table so they’d be sitting at a diagonal instead of across from each other. She wasn’t sure what to make of that, but the food and wine looked delicious, and she was too hungry to worry about the proximity.

“Dig in,” she said, pointing to the bowl.

“Oh no. You first.”

She tilted her head and smiled. “Okay, I have to ask. Did your parents teach you to be this polite, or does it just come naturally?”

He chuckled. “Certain things were drilled into me, and politeness was one of them.”

“Well, I applaud your parents for doing such a wonderful job.”

She started to transfer some spaghetti to her plate while he looked on. Then she filled her bowl with salad.

After she’d finished, he took his turn. “You seem surprised about my politeness.”

She shrugged. “It seems to be a rare quality these days. Take road rage, for example. I don’t remember that being a problem when I was growing up.” Great. Now I sound like my parents!

“Everyone’s in a hurry, I guess.”

“You don’t seem to be.”

He shrugged. “Patience is a virtue, or so I’ve been taught.”

Smiling, she twirled the noodles with her fork and stuck them in her mouth. “Mmmm…”

She glanced over to see him staring at her. “What? Do I have sauce on my face?” She pulled a napkin out of the holder on the table and dabbed her lips.

He shook his head and then averted his eyes to his plate. Then he twirled his fork in the noodles and brought a bite to his lips.

She watched as he opened his mouth, inserted the fork, and sucked off the noodles.

“Well? What do you think?”

“Magnifico!”

She was much more confident at work than she was in the kitchen, so she welcomed the praise.

“I’m glad you like it.” One might think she’d made rack of lamb instead of boiling some noodles, but everything had turned out perfectly, and she was proud.

They ate and drank and talked some more about their families, work, and life in general. When she finished her glass of wine, he offered to pour her another. She hesitated and then decided, Why not? I don’t have to drive anywhere, and I’m in good company.