Page 36 of Busted Dreams

He nodded and sat down, scooping noodles and sauce onto his own china plate. “You’re nervous. I thought a drink with dinner would be good for you. Take the edge off so you won’t be worrying about what everyone else is doing when we get to the party.”

A small smile played at the corners of my lips. “Don’t you know? That’s what I do, worry about what other people are doing. Studying them, capturing candid shots of them…” I trailed off.

“True, but tonight you aren’t photographer Astrid, artist Astrid, or even weird Astrid. Tonight…tonight you’re justmyAstrid.”

I gulped.

“Yours?”

“Mine.” His voice was firm, succinct.

The wine was a rich, mahogany red as it swirled and settled into the glass. The decadent scents of the table wafted toward me, bringing together a delicious meal that I couldn’t wait to dive into. Even the spaghetti looked amazing.

Picking up the wine glass by the delicate stem, I let it swish around in a circle before bringing it to my nose. Wine wasn’t ever really in the house growing up. My father had his scotch, but Mother Dearest didn’t drink. This was a new experience for me. And the smell was tantalizing. Sweet but tangy. Even earthy hints came through.

“Like it?”

I opened my eyes to an intense, blue-eyed gaze. Before answering, I took the smallest sip and let it rest against my tongue just a second, then swallowed. A moan escaped as I set the glass down.

“That is delicious. What is it?”

“Pinot Noir. My favorite of the red wines.”

“I’m a fan. I think even over the fruity drinks Thatcher bought me at Iron Horse.”

He chuckled. “Ah, yes. I remember that night. Jonah was quite incensed he’d given you alcohol at all.”

I started to laugh, then stopped. That was also the night everything fell apart for Jonah. The same thought must have entered his mind, because he sobered instantly. Instead of carrying on any more conversation, we dug into our food. And it was delicious. Far tastier than anything I could have made.

“Where did you learn how to make spaghetti like this?” I leaned back and patted my slightly bulging stomach. That was two helpings worth, and it was completely worth every minute of discomfort.

“This is just ragu.” He started to clear the dishes, unaffected by my sheer awe of his skills.

“I’ve had ragu, and it doesn’t taste this good.” Since I’d already thrown my manners out of the window once tonight, I stacked dishes and helped him carry everything to the kitchen.

“I may have added some extra seasonings and some onions to the meat. It’s what my mom used to do when I was little.” His shoulders bunched up as he started scraping the scraps into the garbage disposal.

“Used to?” I set out wine glasses with the half full bottle of wine on the counter before leaning against it.

“She hasn’t cooked in a long time. They’re never home anyway, usually going to catered functions, and I’d rather slice my legs open with my skates than spend any time with them as a family. So when I want to, I cook a decent meal. Your glass is empty.” He checked his phone for time. “We have about an hour before we leave. You want another glass?”

I glanced down at the trace amounts of red liquid left over. It wasn’t quite empty but close enough. I was starting to feel tingly, but nothing too crazy at the moment.

“Sure.”

He poured another glass for me and capped the bottle.

“Wait, you’re not having another?” My lips compressed into a mew.

Shaking his head, he put it back in the small wine cooler I’d never noticed under the cabinet in the corner. “I’m driving.”

The cooler still held my attention, even though I heard him speaking to me. The frontwasa cabinet door, so I guessed that was why I’d never noticed it. I also hadn’t gone searching through every nook and cranny of his home. It didn’t matter that it was my temporary home, it still felt wrong.

A small bout of laughter bubbled up my throat.

How funny! It felt wrong to invade his privacy any more than I had to, but I loved capturing a side of human nature that required a bit of privacy breaking.

Rhys gave me an odd but affectionate look. “Go get ready. And drink the wineslowly.” He put extra emphasis onslowly. “There’s a much higher alcohol content in wine than any of the drinks you’ve had. So it will hit you harder.”

---