Page 19 of Housebroke

He climbed up onto the roof to check for damage but didn’t see any, which was good. All in all, he’d dodged a bullet. Just some downed tree limbs and a bit of a mess, but otherwise, everything was still standing.

He made his way into the backyard so he could check things out and discovered Hazel standing at the grill.

“Something smells amazing,” he said.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry, and I already had this meal prepped, so I hope you’re ready to eat.”

“Starving.”

“Good. It’s nearly ready.”

“Then I’ll go wash up and set the table.”

“Okay.”

He went inside, noticing that Penny followed him, something he was getting used to. After washing his hands upstairs in his bathroom, he took a look in the mirror. His face was dirt streaked and sweaty, and God, he really needed a shower. But that would have to wait, so he grabbed a washcloth and pulled off his sweat-soaked T-shirt, then scrubbed his face and neck and tried to wash off some of the sweat under his arms. He could at least apply deodorant so he wouldn’t smell up the dinner table. He put on a clean T-shirt and, feeling at least marginally presentable, headed downstairs.

He went into the living room, where Hazel had a small table that she used to store the plates and utensils. He grabbed two plates along with knives, forks, and napkins and set them up. And just in time, since she came inside with the food and placed it on the table.

“Wow,” he said, eyeing the feast before him.

“It’s the best I can do since it’s too steamy to cook in the guesthouse right now, but tonight we’re having grilled salmon along with sugar snap peas with pine nuts, and lemon roasted potatoes.”

“You did all this on the grill?”

“Well, yeah. I had to juggle the pots and pans around a little, but it worked. I just cooked the salmon last so it’d be nice and hot.”

He held a chair out for her and she sat.

“This is incredible,” he said as he dug into everything. “I still can’t believe you made this on the grill.”

“Thanks. I’m glad you like it.”

He also noticed she’d made extra of everything, which made him happy because he was extra hungry.

He paused before taking the second slice of salmon. She smiled at him.

“I made that for you,” she said. “You should definitely eat it.”

She didn’t have to tell him twice. “Good. I’m hungry.”

“You burn a lot of calories with the amount of work you do. And this is a fairly low-calorie meal.”

She never made cracks about the amount of food he ate, which also made him happy.

“My ex-girlfriend used to count the calories of the food I ate.”

She made a little snorting sound. “Your ex-girlfriend and my ex-husband would make a good pair.”

“He did the same thing?”

“All the time. He preferred me thin.”

He gave her the once-over. “You look damned good to me.”

A blush stained her cheeks, but she smiled. “And you look good to me. So I’d say we’re eating just fine.”

He lifted his glass of water toward her. “I’ll drink to that.”

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