Page 66 of A Night To Remember

She raised a brow at his presumption that she’d go out with him at the drop of a hat. “Jake…”

“Before you argue, I’d like to say that it was Kristy’s idea. I had planned on taking her to this diner around the corner from me which makes the absolute best pancakes and waffles. Kristy wanted you to come with us. Right kiddo?” He glanced dotingly at his daughter.

“Yes, Mommy! Let’s eat pancakes!” The little girl jumped up and down enthusiastically.

Charlie shot Jake a narrow-eyed stare. She didn’t doubt that Kristy wanted to dine with both of her parents for breakfast, Charlie was just as certain that Jake had planted the idea in the little girl’s head. But seeing her child’s happiness at the prospect of a pancake breakfast with Mommy and Daddy, Charlie didn’t have the heart to upset Kristy.

“I need to shower and dress first. Why don’t you two watch cartoons in the living room while I get ready.”

“Thanks Charlie.” Jake approached and gave her brief kiss on the cheek. During that exchange, Kristy’s eyes were glued to them, taking everything in. Charlie had a pretty good idea, what Jake was up to but she wasn’t going to allow him to have his way. She refused to succumb to his charm.

“I have to admit, these are the best pancakes, I’ve ever eaten,” Charlie said between bites of her apple and cinnamon stuffed flapjacks. She’d been more than a little annoyed by Jake’s unexpected appearance. She didn’t like the fact that he’d basically manipulated her into agreeing to go out with him by using their daughter. It wasn’t like she would say no once he’d recruited the little girl into his scheme.

On the way to the diner, Charlie had been silent, allowing Kristy to go on about her day at the zoo but by the time they arrived to their destination, she’d relaxed. After all, what was one breakfast? It wasn’t like she planned on changing her mind about her future with Jake.

Jake gave her a smug grin. “I told you so. I don’t know what they put in them,” he said cutting into his pecan and brown sugar stack. “I taste cinnamon and nutmeg and maybe a little cardamom but I can’t figure out the other ingredient. I tried to replicate this recipe at home based on the flavors, but it was a complete fail on my part. It was edible, but nowhere near as good as these.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize you knew your way around a kitchen.”

“Well, I’ve been a bachelor for all of my life so it was either learn how to cook for myself or live off take out which by the way, gets old really fast. Besides, my mother was big on teaching all of her children to be self-sufficient. By the time I was fifteen, my specialty was homemade pasta sauce. I’ve perfected it over the years, by the way.”

“Mmm, sounds yummy. I love anything pasta and spaghetti is Kristy’s absolute favorite food.”

“Sketti!” Kristy joined in the conversation with a mouthful of chocolate chip pancakes. Her mouth was smeared with chocolate sauce and whipped cream but she seemed to be getting most of the food in her mouth.

“Is that so kiddo?” Jake smiled fondly at his child. “Spaghetti and meatballs is my absolute favorite food in the world too.”

Charlie sighed. “And here I thought Kristy got her love of spaghetti and meatballs from me.”

“When I was in college, I lived off of the stuff. It was a pretty inexpensive meal to make and I would prepare batches large enough for me to get by on for at least a week. I’d eat it morning noon and night.”

“And you never got tired of it?” Charlie was actually intrigued to hear about this side of Jake. He always seemed so urbane to her. She saw him as someone who dined on filet mignon and lobster.

A giggle escaped her lips.

“What’s so funny?” he asked with a grin.

“I can’t imagine you living off of spaghetti. It’s such a simple meal for a man of your means.”

“Well, I didn’t always have money. Sure, my dad made a decent enough living so that our family never wanted for anything but trust me, me Carl and Helen all had after school jobs and learned the value of hard work. You’ve met my parents. They’re pretty down to earth people.”

“Yes, they are very nice. I really like them a lot.”

“And they like you too.” Jake reached across the table and took Charlie’s hand in his. “They would love it if you visited them sometime. All of my family really liked you.”

Charlie felt a warmth spread throughout her body from his touch. The way he looked at her with his intense blue gaze sent a shiver down her spine. In that moment she could actually see herself sitting with Jake and the rest of his family for Sunday dinners, laughing and having a good time, and just being a part of a cohesive family unit. She could even envision a couple siblings for Kristy. But just as that thought crossed her mind, she pushed it away. That was just a silly fantasy that had no place in reality. Her intense love for Paul had consumed so much that when she’d lost him, Charlie felt like she’d lost a little bit of herself. She’d found herself in a dark place she never wanted to go to again.

She snatched her hand out of his grasp. “Well, not all of your family liked me. Your sister doesn’t seem to be my biggest fan.”

“Helen can take some getting used to but she’s not so bad. She’s extremely protective of her family and I guess it may take her some time to get over how I found out about Kristy’s existence.”

“That’s me!” Kristy interjected when she heard her name.

Charlie pushed a loose curl from her daughter’s face. “That’s right, sweetie. Finish your pancakes.” She then returned her attention to Jake. “I understand what I did was wrong so I can’t exactly blame her.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, okay?”

“I’ll try not to, but I’d hate for there to be any animosity between me and any of your relatives.”

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