Page 81 of Resisting the Grump

This is the part where you tell me what you’re thinking.

“Dinner was sensational,” she said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Torturous, but welcome. “Glad you enjoyed it.”

“Almost as much as the company,” she said, scooting her chair back. “Can I help you clear the table?”

“Absolutely not,” I said. “You’re my guest. You can help by finding room for dessert.”

“If dessert is shots of lemon butter sauce, I’m in.”

I brought our plates over to the sink. “In that case, I went to far too much trouble.”

“What did you make?”

“Chocolate tart,” I said, making my way over to the fridge.

She narrowed her eyes at me.

“I got the recipe from Grace.”

“How’d you manage that?”

“I asked her nicely,” I said, pulling the dark tart from the fridge. Multiple times. Baking wasn’t my forte, but I was happy with how it set.

“She didn’t exactly make things easy for you. That’s one of her trickiest recipes.”

I suspected as much, but I wasn’t about to admit my first attempt was a disaster. “It wasn’t so bad. Crushing the cookies for the crust was fun. Plus, it looks so striking.”

Avery’s eyes doubled in size when I set it down in front of her, and I watched them travel along the trail of thinly sliced strawberries to the generous dollop of cream in the center.

“Your powers of seduction are commendable.”

I laughed and went to grab two dessert plates. “And some people say it’s just a bean that grows on a tree.”

“Nonsense.”

Her cheeks looked flushed when I returned, and I wondered if it was the wine or the warm kitchen or if she’d simply tired of pretending she wasn’t having a good time.

“Dig in,” I said, offering her the first slice before cutting one for myself.

She sank one side of her fork into the edge of her piece, and I slid back into my chair, so I’d have a front row seat for her verdict.

Her pretty lips dragged across the back of her fork, removing every bit of chocolate off the silver tines before a satisfied smile stretched across her face.

“Well, what do you think?” I quirked a brow. “Because as the sixth-place finisher in the confectionary category, your opinion means a lot.”

“I think it’s derivative and self-indulgent.”

I bit back a smile. “You’ve been reading my articles.”

“I might’ve come across one or two.”

“Your Google search history flatters me.”

She feigned a scowl.

“What prompted your prying?”

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