Page 22 of Protection for Nichole

“It’s almost done.”

“I’m amazed. You handled everything so easily. I never would have been able to do what you did.”

His smile widened, sending a thrill through her. He was so good-looking, so sexy, that it did her in.

“What’s that grin for?” Jesse’s smile seemed to grow and get even more sexy.

“Probably the same as yours. I’m happy to be here with you.”

“I’m thrilled to have you here with me. So, do you think you’ll be here this weekend?”

She nodded. “Yes. I have no idea what I will write next. I have some stuff I have to work on, but I can do most of that from anywhere in the world.”

He nodded, maybe looking a little confused by what she did for work. Her job wasn’t straightforward. Because of her reputation, she usually made more than a junior columnist.Commanding higher payments gave her freedom. The article she’d been planning to write would be different from what she’d originally intended, but it would be better. Having firsthand knowledge would get more people interested in reading it.

Some of her colleagues thought it was the bad in people that made them want to read pieces like hers, but she wasn’t sure it was bad. Reading true crime and disaster stories of terrible hardship was much more complex than identifying evil inside someone. It was more likely that people who read the articles and stories needed the reassurance of good in their lives. They weren’t gloating or making fun of people who were harmed, for the most part. Sure, there were some awful people out there, but most people interested in disaster stories were compassionate people who needed some sort of reassurance.

It was a weird dichotomy writing about hardships and having people digest them for entertainment, but she wasn’t so sure it was entertainment, maybe more like an investigation into the depths of human experiences. It gave them some assurance that they were fine, and it gave them something to feel compassion about. It also raised their emotions and got them thinking.

“Dinner is ready,” Jesse announced with a smile on his face.

“Wow, you got the broccoli and asparagus ready at the same time as everything else. How do you do that?”

He shrugged. “It’s just a timing thing.”

“Well, I’m impressed.” She pushed away musings about her work as they settled at the table. The first bite made her eyes roll up in the back of her head. It was so good. She savored the flavor on her tongue before swallowing.

“Oh my goodness. This is amazing. You are a great cook.”

Did his cheeks turn pink? She liked seeing him blush at her compliments.

“Thank you. It relaxes me. I like creating dishes in the kitchen and then enjoying what I made.”

“I can see why. Your cooking method isn’t chaotic. Any time I’ve ever tried to do something in the kitchen, it felt like I was slipping off the side of a mountain just trying to hang onto my sanity. Usually, it doesn’t turn out good.”

Jesse chuckled and swallowed before speaking. “My first cooking experience wasn’t great. I almost burned the house down. I was a kid, ten years old. My mom told me to cook dinner if I wanted to eat.”

Her heart clenched for ten-year-old Jesse. “Ouch.”

“Yeah, they were into academics. Didn’t like taking time away from working on papers and crap. She was busy with something and didn’t want to stop. Boy, was she mad.”

Nichole chuckled. “I bet.” She wondered what his childhood had been like. From what little she knew, he sounded very lonely. Maybe that’s why he liked the military so much. He always had people with him.

After dinner, they both washed dishes. Though she thought she should be the person doing most of the work, Jesse wouldn’t hear of sitting in the den while she cleaned the kitchen.

“What will you do tomorrow while I’m at work?”

She sighed, not looking forward to the task ahead of her. “I still have about fifty people I haven’t gotten back to who texted while I was captive. They need to hear from me that I’m fine. I’m not giving details to them. I’m only telling my therapist everything. She’s the only one who will get the truth of it all, and well, you since you were there.”

He cupped the back of her neck, giving her strength. “I’m here if you want to talk more. I know talking things out helps.”

Discussing what happened was hard. He’d been there in the end, and still, she had issues getting into details. She hadn’t asked Angie exactly what had happened, but she could fill in the details Angie hadn’t given with her imagination.

She nodded, glad she had him around. “I’m sure it will come up.”

“Are you okay reading for a bit?”

His suggestion sent a shiver of excitement through her. “That sounds marvelous. I have so much reading to catch up on.”

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