Page 112 of After All This Time

“Sorry.” I let out a small chuckle.

I nonchalantly glance at her while she puts the pasta in her mouth, raising one of my eyebrows up.

God, I wish I was that piece of tortellini right now.

I clear my throat, anxiously waiting to hear what she thinks of the meal she made for us.

“Yeah, that’s pretty good.”

“No, Dani. It’s better than if I would’ve had it at a five-star restaurant.”

“Really?”

“Yeah and you never answer my question. How did you learn to cook like this?”

“My parents. My mom loves to cook, and so did my dad. I learned more from my mom though. And I have a best friend who’s better at cooking than I’ll ever be.”

“Ah, the cooking gene. That one skipped me. Wait, which best friend is better than you? Bella or Sage?”

“Bella. She learned from her mom and Abuela. That’s the ultimate cooking gene.”

“She’d get along really well with Grayson. I’ve been learning a lot from him about the art of cooking, especially traditional Jewish cuisine. Seriously, ask me anything about Jewish food.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, ask me.”

She bites her lip, looking up at the ceiling. “Okay, what’s a latke made out of?”

“Grounded up potato, flour, and egg. C’mon, give me an actual challenge, Solomon.”

“Fine. What ingredients can go into matzo ball soup?”

“That’s a trick question.”

She narrows her eyes. “Why?”

“Because you can put different ingredients in matzo ball soup. Chicken, carrots, pasta, different types of seasonings.”

She’s stunned to say the least. Her face freezes, mouth dropping open.

“You’re going to catch flies with your mouth open like that.”

She stretches her lips out, rolling her eyes at me. Her annoyance quickly turns into amusement. “I hate you.”

“Sure you do.”

We sit in silence for a while, so we can finish dinner.

My thoughts are so fucking loud. I’m surprised that she can’t hear them. I’d be in so much trouble if she could.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

dani

When we finish our meals, I feel Noah’s eyes peering at me.

My eyes pull in his direction.

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