Page 9 of The Pact

“I am…a little. It’s been a while since I’ve gone on a date,” I share, cringing at the admission.

Cole’s eyes meet mine for a moment. He shakes his head, his tousled curls bouncing with the movement. “That’s hard to believe. Are you being humble or trying to spare my ego?” he teases. His lighthearted joking eases me a bit.

“No, really. It’s been…” I don’t want to admit to him how long it’s been so I don’t finish, instead I shift the conversation. “What do you have planned for tonight?”

Cole parks along the curb of a side street that borders the back of an extensive building with doors as far down as I can see. We’re in an area that I’m not familiar with, on the other side of town.

Although I asked, he wouldn’t tell me anything about our date.

He comes around my side, opening the door. I can’t remember the last time a guy’s done that for me. Giving me his hand, Cole helps me out.

This doesn’t look like somewhere you bring someone for a first date. He leads me to a door that reads 815 and unlocks it. Nervousness twists in my stomach and my pulse speeds up. I’m hesitant to enter, but Cole grabs my hand and pulls me inside.

Cassie’s comment about being murdered isn’t helping.

“This way.” He guides me into the darkened space. I should leave This doesn’t feel right.

A light flicks on. We’re in a kitchen. Metal prep areas are arranged in the center of the room with ingredients laid out. Heaps of carrots, celery, onions, peppers, and potatoes sit to one side while packages of chicken, steak, and fish are on the other.

“It’s nothing fancy. The lack of places with gluten-free options is atrocious. I didn’t want you getting sick if we went to a restaurant. So...” He runs his hand through his curls, looking like he made a huge mistake. “I wanted to cook a meal for you, but now it sounds lame, saying it out loud.”

My heartbeat picks up, not out of fear this time. This is probably one of the nicest things anyone’s ever done for me.

I put a hand on his arm. “Not at all. This is actually really sweet. Although I have one request.”

Cole stares at me expectantly. “Of course. Anything.”

“Can we cook together?” His face lights up, as he nods excitedly.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I got a bit of everything. Any preferences?” He grabs a couple of aprons hanging on the wall near the door. Cole slips one over his head before putting one on me. Wrapping the ties around my waist, he leans in close and I breathe him in. The scent of cinnamon and amber warms me, yet not as much as his breath on my neck does as he pulls away to secure the ties at the front of the apron. “Perfect.”

My head is swimming. I need to bring myself back to reality. A lifetime of very little attention and affection has given me one critical weakness—when I’m truly interested in someone, a bit of either can make me delusional. This is a first date. He’s being polite.

I let Cole take the lead because I haven’t spent much time in a kitchen. The basics I’ve got down. Chopping, boiling water, and seasoning are my wheelhouse. I leave everything else to him. I listen while he tells me about his years in culinary school, his favorite dishes to make, and about living his dream at the bakery.

We decide on a roasted chicken with glazed carrots and wild rice.

“Who’s kitchen is this? I assume you don’t need a second one. The one at the bakery looks large enough, from what I’ve seen.”

He smiles at my observation, his dimples deepening. “There’s no way I was going to cook for you at the bakery. There’s flour everywhere,” he laughs. “This is my friend Sierra’s kitchen. She rents it out and keeps it fully sanitized between uses. I called in a favor with her. Normally, I host a kid’s baking class once a month, so this request was a little different, but she was happy to oblige.”

A kid’s baking class? You’ve got to be kidding me. He’s too good to be true. I want to pinch myself so that I can wake up from this dream.

“You said it’s been a while since you’ve dated. How long?” He bites into a carrot, waiting for my answer. I know once I tell him, then I’ll have to explain why. Aside from Cassie and my parents, my breakup with Gavin has been a secret I’ve held onto for a year. Not that I have many people to tell. Cole notices my hesitation. “You don’t have to talk about it. It’s okay. I was only curious.” I can tell he means it.

Sighing, I tread carefully. “It’s been over a decade since I’ve gone on a first date.” Cole stops mid-chew. I can tell he’s trying not to react. “I was in a relationship, until a year ago, with someone for twelve years. So it’s nothing weird like I couldn’t get a date or that I was a hermit.”

He nods. “That makes sense. Can I ask why it ended? Twelve years is a long time.”

“Many reasons, but the nail in the coffin was him cheating on me.” He glances up from his plate confused and I joke, “Yes, imagine someone cheating on this.” I wave my hand from head to toe with a look of exaggerated disbelief.

“No. Well…I mean yes. You’re stunning and sweet. I’m sure you have a million other good qualities. Still, twelve years and he up and cheats on you? Why even stay in a relationship if you don’t value loyalty?”

I shrug. “I’m sure it wasn’t the first time, just the first time I caught him. And to be fair, loyalty was never Gavin’s strong suit.”

Cole holds my gaze. “I’m sorry. That’s really shitty.” It was shitty, but I’m over him. I hate thinking about my part in it all—playing the fool. That’s what angers me still, that I didn’t see the signs and there were plenty of them.

“Good riddance. It all worked out for the best.” I push a piece of chicken around on my plate. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be living my dreams. I wouldn’t have my photography studio, I wouldn’t be living close to the one person who matters most to me, and I wouldn’t be here with you tonight.” Cole raises his glass of wine and I clink mine to his before taking a sip.

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