Page 16 of The Billionaire Benefactor

“Do you deliver?” Tony asked. “Because if so, I’m going to keep you busy.”

Jenny laughed. “Stop. It’s just a simple recipe: dough, sauce, cheese. Nothing fancy.”

“How about the recipe?” Blake said.

“You can’t ask her for the recipe,” Tony said. “Dude. Just eat and be thankful.”

“It’s not a secret,” Jenny said. “I can write it down for you if you’d like.”

“Yes. Please. I’m not leaving without it.”

“I’ll do it now,” Jenny said. Her eyes flicked to Roman. He hadn’t said anything, mostly because he’d been inhaling pizza.

As she walked toward the kitchen, he touched her wrist. He meant to just brush her arm to get her attention, but she paused at the touch and he circled his hand around her wrist. It felt so small in his hand and he felt a sudden surge of warmth for her.

“This is hands-down the best pizza I’ve ever had. I’ve never had homemade. I’m not sure I can go back to store-bought or restaurant pizza. Thank you.”

Jenny grinned, but didn’t meet his eyes, looking down instead at his hand on her wrist. “You’re too kind,” she said.

Roman noticed Blake staring at him, grinning, and he released Jenny. She moved to the kitchen, getting out the last two pizzas and picking up a notecard and pen. Blake scooted over more and patted the bench next to him, so Jenny sat there. Roman missed her being next to him, but at least he could look at her without it being as obvious now since she was right across from him.

Matt started asking questions about the upcoming season and the room suddenly felt loud and full as they talked. Jenny’s hair brushed over her arm as she wrote out the recipe.

“You know the recipe by heart?” Roman asked.

Jenny nodded and flashed Roman a small smile. “I’ve been making it for years. I’m not always exact with the measurements anymore, but I remember what it’s supposed to be. The nice thing is that you can eyeball it a little. It’s really hard to mess up.”

“I bet I could,” Roman said, smiling.

“I’m sure you could,” Blake said. “I’ve never seen you touch a pan in your life.”

Roman shot him a look. Jenny bent back down over the notecard, but he could see her cheek lifting in a smile.

“Mommy? Is Mr. Roman going to be our new Daddy?” Lucy tried to whisper, but her voice carried through the room.

A sudden and awkward silence fell on the table. Roman’s throat went dry and it felt like his stomach hit the floor. Blake kept chewing, looking down. Tony kept his eyes on Lucy, his face looking suddenly serious. Matt’s jaw was tight as he shot a dirty look at Lucy.

Roman’s eyes were on Jenny, who had paused, the tip of the pen just above the notecard. When she looked up at Lucy, he couldn’t stand seeing the raw pain in her face. She set the pen down and tried to hide the emotion with a smile. It didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Come here, Lu,” Jenny said, opening her arms wide. Lucy moved over to her lap and Jenny bent to her ear, whispering. He couldn’t make out what she was saying.

“Have you ever been to one of our games, Matt?” Blake asked, a little loudly, clearly trying to give Jenny and Lucy a bit of privacy.

Roman understood, but he wished he could hear what she would say. Dealing with his father’s death had been challenging, but the idea of having to guide a child through the loss of her father while you were also grieving—he couldn’t imagine. Whatever Jenny was saying, it worked, as Lucy smiled and went back to her chair as though nothing had happened.

“I’ve always wanted to,” Matt said. “I was supposed to go with—uh. Anyway, no. I haven’t.”

“We’ll make sure you get some tickets for this season. Would that be okay, Jenny?” Tony asked.

She smiled. “You’ve already done so much. I don’t want you to go out of your way, but we’d love to go.”

“You have to remember our names, though,” Blake said with a smile.

Jenny grinned and looked from Blake to Tony to Roman. “I think it’d be hard to forget. But I can’t promise to know what position you play. Or even the rules.”

Roman chuckled. “As long as you cheer for the right team, we’re all good.”

“Anyone need more pizza?” Jenny asked.

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