Page 32 of Holiday Home 4

It was only about ten minutes later that Liam sat down to eat. Herbaceous scents wafted off the steaming hot paella sitting in a skillet, which in turn sat on a wooden cutting board at the center of the kitchen table. He inhaled them readily, stomach growling audibly as he held back from beginning to make his plate. He didn’t want to disrupt Anna’s energy and focus—two things that currently seemed honed razor-sharp.

He'd gotten his first look at the paella when Anna had placed it on the kitchen table after finishing putting it together in the kitchen. Removing the oven mitts she’d used to quickly transport it from stovetop to cutting board, she’d held him at bay for another five minutes—a cooling off period for the food—before finally letting him take his seat. Now, however, it was finally time to dig in.

Wielding a large wooden spoon, Anna began lifting the myriad ingredients from the center of the skillet. Vibrant, juicy-looking tomatoes joined verdant leaves of spinach and zucchini slices, all of which swam in a sea of golden-brown rice. Steam poured off the first scoop that Anna deposited onto his plate. Seven or eight more heaps laid themselves across his plate before she returned it to him.

Those scents of garlic and saffron, the ones he’d smelled when he’d first arrived over an hour ago, transformed a rumble in his stomach into a full-blown earthquake. He knew he was in for a treat if the taste matched the aroma. Before proving that, he forced himself to wait for Anna to fill her plate and sit down. In the meantime, he also remembered his manners.

“It smells fantastic,” he said, beaming at Anna, who, in turn, finally loosened the intense focus on her face. It came out like steam escaping through the cracks of a pot’s lid, and she sighed relievedly. Afterward, the warmth in her smile sent his heart sprinting, but it only lasted until she finally sat down. Then, realizing that the next step was to taste her meal, anxiety creased her expression into a great many lines.

“It’ll taste delicious too, I’m sure,” he said, though he didn’t expect to see any relief appear on her lovely face until he’d proven that by taking the first bite… and then a few more.

Indeed, Anna didn’t even lift her utensils until he’d lifted his notably flat, wide spoon and weighed it down with a healthy first bite. Blowing softly on it, he took his first bite.

The potent flavors immediately thrilled his tongue, and he savored the way the taste spread over his tongue. His tastebuds decided then and there that he’d be a fool if he ever refused an offer to stay over and eat Anan’s cooking.

“It’s great,” Liam confirmed after swallowing the first bite. Already, his spoon was in the process of collecting a second. “Where’d you learn to cook so well?”

Anna blushed and shrugged uncharacteristically. “My mother. She loves paella and taught me how to cook it when I was younger. I’m sure mine’s not as good as hers.”

Liam grinned and took a second bite, savoring it as gleefully as the last. “I’ve no point of comparison, so until proven otherwise, yours is the best. It’s delicious.”

“Thank you,” Anna said, directing her pleased smile toward her own plate. After taking her first bite, she remained in a good mood, so she must have been satisfied with how it’d come out.

“Would you be up for giving me some cooking advice from time to time?” he asked before his third bite. “You have so many skills you’re good at, and I’m starting to feel like I’m not bringing enough to the table.”

“That’s not true,” Anna responded quickly, too quickly for her to realize he’d been joking. When she did, her face flushed with heat.

“It’s kind of true,” Liam said, beckoning toward the paella. “Iliterallyfailed to bring anything to the table, in fact. You did all the work. Maybe let me be your assistant next time?”

“Okay. I’m sorry for not thinking about that this time. I’m used to Avril’s style of cooking. Which isn’t bad,” she hastily added, “but… she’s a little too chaotic in the kitchen for me.”

“I’m imagining flour and spices forming a cloud around her.”

“You’re imagining correctly.” Anna sighed sufferingly. “It’s like seeing the Tasmanian Devil host a cooking show. The music is blaring; she’s dancing, and there’s a mess all over the counter and floors.”

“I commiserate for you, as always,” Liam said, withholding his amusement at the description Anna had provided.

While they ate, Liam never stopped enjoying the meal. Sometimes, a first bite would put its best foot forward, only for the next few to begin to drain away the enjoyment. When a person was hungry enough, they’d eat anything. But as they filled up, they might realize that the aftertaste wasn’t all that good.

That wasn’t the case here, and Liam continued complimenting Anna, wanting her to be sure he loved what she’d cooked. Because he did, and she ought to take pride in her talents, of which she had so many.

Throughout their lunch, his eyes drifted toward a single object in the kitchen. It had taken up space there for quite some time and would stay there for at least another two weeks. Anna, noticing his attention’s shift, followed his gaze.

“Only two weeks left,” Anna said. “Avril’s decided she won’t cut things off right on March 1stbut after the following Sunday.”

Liam nodded, staring at the whiteboard mounted on a tripod in the corner of the room. Five named locations presented themselves upon it, each with a number next to it. With thirty-five points to its name, Fiji remained in the lead, but Bora, Bora and Maldives weren’t far behind. In the corner, it also stated how many points each of them had left. Liam stood at the peak with a hundred and thirty points left. Anna was next in line, having sixty-five.

“I’m going to start putting my points up soon,” Liam said. “Before I do that, now that you’ve given me such a delicious lunch, are you sure you don’t want to nudge me in any particular direction?”

He knew what her response would be, and in fact, he needed her to stay in character. After all, he had a plan to enact later today.

As expected, Anna shook her head. “Wherever you want to put your points, I’ll be happy. Any of the places on this list are fine by me.”

“Okay, then I will. I’m going to add some tonight, then again next week, and then some right before everything’s settled. I know Avril will appreciate me keeping things close for the entire time.”

“I’m sure she will,” Anna agreed.

After finishing his plate, Liam opted for a second, smaller helping. For once, that meant he finishedafterAnna, who usually ate at a refined, controlled pace. However, he thought she was eating a little quicker than usual today. Out of anticipation for what cameafterlunch, perhaps?

---