Page 45 of Out of the Cold

The buzz of the oven timer made them both jump. She leapt up, the blanket falling to the floor. “I’ll get it.”

Nerves jangling, she practically ran for the kitchen. She heard the movie stop, then the vibration of his footsteps as he neared. She busied herself pulling all the food out of the oven and placing it on the countertops. The homey, comforting smells of sweet potatoes and green bean casserole calmed her nerves.

She was being ridiculous. They weren’t teenagers, and they weren’t going to make out on the couch while watching a movie. What was wrong with her?

“Smells delicious,” Gabriel said, his voice low and gravelly behind her.

The man was so big he had his own gravitational pull.

She turned and smiled brightly. “The hens look amazing. Let’s serve ourselves.”

Gabriel poured them each a glass of the white wine she’d taken out, and she promised herself to only have one glass. More than that and she might forget what a mess the two of them made together.

They piled their plates up and headed back into the living room. It took a minute to get settled, but once they were each behind a snack table, she relaxed. What could be less sexy than Thanksgiving dinner eaten like old men? They were definitely out of the woods.

“Ready?” she asked, then pressed play at his nod.

She tried each of the side dishes first to make sure she hadn’t accidentally poisoned Gabriel, but they tasted exactly as they were meant to. Then she cut into the succulent little stuffed hen.

She didn’t mean to make a noise, it just happened when the flavors hit her tongue.

“That good, huh?”

He looked amused, but also a little turned on. Like the time she moaned over her hot chocolate at the coffee shop. He wasn’t immune to her, but he wasn’t going to act on it, either.

She nodded. “It really is.”

His smile was slow and devastating. “Good.”

She had to remind herself not to stare, and then his attention turned back to his own plate.

“Your sweet potato casserole is amazing,” he said. “I wish my mother had listened to me when I begged her.”

“Uh, thank you.”

She made sure not to make any more noises, and they watched the rest of the movie without incident, pausing it once to get second helpings and a second time to clear their dishes and preheat the oven for the pie. By the time the credits rolled, it was dark outside. Getting up, she turned on some lights, put the pie in the oven, then called Hilde to do her business and went outside with her.

When she came back in, Gabriel was washing the pans.

“Don’t do that. I’ll get those later.”

“This is nothing. I used to have to clean up after meals with twenty people.”

“It must be nice to have such a big family.”

“It’s great most of the time. This year I wasn’t up to seeing everyone. But it’s not all family. My parents invite neighbors and friends. Sometimes people they barely know if they have nowhere to go for the holiday.”

This was the most he’d said about his family. Every word he spoke seemed like an inadvertently dropped clue. She was dying to ask what made him come up here, but she’d done enough pushing for one day.

The pie was ready. She pulled it out and set it on the counter, her mouth already watering. She pulled a mixing bowl from one of the lower cabinets, then went on a hunt for a hand mixer.

“Is that for what I think it is?” Gabriel asked.

“If you think it’s for whipped cream, then you’re right. I couldn’t have pie without it.”

It was slightly embarrassing that she’d pulled out all the stops like this when she’d been planning to eat alone. Then again, hadn’t a small part of her been thinking she’d invite him over, at least for dessert?

“Should I make coffee?” he asked.

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