Page 82 of Already Home

“Yours, too,” Jenna reminded him, sliding onto the wooden seatof the picnic table. “Let me put this in perspective. I have a store full ofcustomers, my mother and birth mother are having issues, my new brother ishitting on my manager and I have a class to teach in a couple of hours. If youwere me and a handsome man called and invited you to lunch, wouldn’t you jump atthe chance?”

Ellington passed her a panini. “I’m not into guys.”

She laughed. “You know what I mean. I’m happy to see you anddelighted to get away for a little while.”

“Then I’ll tell Mrs. Ruley we’re thrilled that shecanceled.”

“Please do.”

It was a perfect late-spring day, she thought, raising her faceto the sun. Blue skies, warm temperatures, a light breeze. The picnic table satin the shade of a two-hundred-year-old live oak next to the San Gabriel River.When Ellington had first called with the unexpected invitation, she’d toldherself she didn’t have the time. But then she’d realized a break was exactlywhat she needed.

“What’s your class?” he asked.

She sipped her soda. “It’s actually a really fun one. A coupleof weeks ago a customer complained that she had ingredients in her pantry thatshe didn’t know what to do with. A spice she’d bought for one recipe, or someexotic sauce that had been on sale. Different flavored oils. Things that weren’ta part of her usual cooking style.”

“My mom has a bunch of those in her kitchen.”

“Everyone does. Eventually the product goes bad, which makesthat first recipe really, really expensive. I asked my customers to bring in alist of anything strange in their pantries. I took the top ten most common itemsand have built a couple of recipes around them.”

Ellington shook his head. “That’s brilliant.”

“Actually Serenity is the one who encouraged me to hold aclass.” She held up a hand. “Don’t say it. I’ll admit she has good ideas.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

“I do. And I’m really looking forward to the class. It’s fun,for them, but mostly for me. I used to...” She paused, not sure how much toshare. “I told you before, I used to be really inventive in the kitchen. Afterthe last year or so with Aaron, I’ve been scared to try new things.” She smiled.“But even when I fought the urge to experiment, I couldn’t seem to stopmyself.”

“I’m glad you couldn’t and I’m sorry your ex treated you thatway.”

“Part of the fault is mine. I kept giving in to him. I think Iknew in my gut if I wasn’t everything he wanted, he wouldn’t stay.” She thoughtfor a second, remembering how much she’d worried in her marriage. About doingthe right thing, about being what Aaron wanted.

“Now I find myself wondering why he wasn’t as worried aboutmaking me happy. I’ve realized it’s because the relationship wasn’t thatimportant to him. He had other things he would have rather been doing, so he didthem. Including other women.”

Ellington looked uncomfortable.

“Too much information?” she asked quickly. “We can change thesubject.”

“You’re hitting too close to home,” he admitted. “I didn’tcheat, but I wasn’t present in my marriage.”

“The difference is you realized your mistake.” Jenna knew thatAaron would never care about anyone as much as he cared about himself. Even ifhe begged her to return to him—which he wouldn’t—she wasn’t interested. Nexttime, she wanted someone as committed as she was. More important, she wantedsomeone who saw the best in her and encouraged her to succeed.

“I like helping people discover that making something deliciousis a whole lot easier than they first thought. I like them surprising themselveswith what they can do.”

“A natural teacher,” Ellington told her.

“I’m not sure about that but I am having fun.” She’d beenterrified at first, creating on the fly, but then she’d told herself to let go.To believe in herself. Ironically, the first time she’d been brave enough toplay with a recipe had been after the brunch with Serenity and Tom. She’dre-created the rice pudding dish, making it her own.

“We’re going to have an ongoing class in the store where peoplecan write down what they’re trying to get rid of and I’ll come up with a recipe.We’ll print out the recipes I’ve already created and have those out for peopleto take.”

“You’re good at this,” he said, sounding impressed. “Do youmiss being a chef?”

“Sometimes, but less and less as time goes on. I know peoplewho thrive in the controlled chaos, but I’m not one of them. Aaron loved theconstant pressure. He charmed the customers and the staff.”

“Did you know it was over when you stopped being charmed?”

Her first instinct was to say it had been over when he’d toldher he was sleeping with other women and wanted a divorce. But that wasn’tright.

“I’m not sure when I left emotionally,” she admitted. “I’d beenshut down for a while. Afraid, not trusting myself.”

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