Page 102 of Hate to Love You

I think Luke might be onto something here.

I nod. “All right, I’m going to do it.”

“Just let me know when and I’ll make sure Zara and I steer clear of the apartment. You’ll have the place all to yourself.”

I nod and hold out my hand for a fist bump. “Thanks man. I appreciate it.”

“Anytime.”

Just as I come to my feet, Luke says, “Natalie’s been good for you. Don’t fuck this up.”

I nod. He’s right. Natalie has been good for me. And the last thing I want to do is mess up and lose her.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Brody

I pour two glasses of wine and light the candle in the middle of the table in the dining area. A bouquet of wildflowers shoved in a vase that I picked up at the grocery store while I was out shopping for dinner sits next to the flickering flame.

With a critical eye, I take in the setting.

I want everything to be perfect.

Romantic, but not overly cheesy.

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to fuss with the table setting because the timer for the noodles boiling away on the stove dings.

Believe it or not, I’ve never made spaghetti before. I had to read the directions. Then, just to make sure I didn’t fuck it up, I YouTubed it. Seemed simple enough. I’d almost go so far as to say idiotproof. Except, I don’t want to jinx anything.

I use a fork to fish out a noodle and test its readiness.

“Shit,” I mutter, burning my fingers as I throw the pasta into my mouth and chew it quickly.

I check the sauce.

It tastes good.

Although it’s from a jar. So…kind of hard to screw that up, which makes it the perfect dinner for a novice like myself. I need a culinary dish with training wheels. Something that shows I put in effort but nothing that would end up looking like a charcoal briquette.

Or make the fire department break down the door.

I throw the garlic bread in the oven for five minutes and pour a bag a chopped salad into a bowl.

For the fiftieth time, I scan the table taking stock of everything. It looks good, if I do say so myself. I don’t want to be premature and pat myself on the back, but I am seriously crushing this whole dinner thing.

Natalie is going to be super-impressed with my mad culinary skills.

You know what?

I’m super-impressed with myself.

Just as I take the bread from the oven, I hear a key slide into the lock, and the door to the apartment opens. My heart, believe it or not, leaps into my throat and then beats in overdrive. I can’t believe I’m this nervous. I need this night to go off without a hitch. The end game here is for Natalie to understand just how important she is to me.

If everything goes according to plan, I might even drop the L-bomb.

I almost shake my head at that.

Right now, I’m blowing my own mind.

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