Page 33 of All Along

The smoke alarm goes off and I swear. What’s wrong now?

I scan the kitchen. The counter is a mess of vegetables, dishes, and knives. On the stove are two pots. The tomato sauce from one pot has erupted over the side but there’s no smoke. It can’t be the cause of the alarm.

Shit. There’s smoke coming out of the oven. I open it and smoke blasts me. I wave a hand in front of my face as I cough.

I grab a towel and remove the smoking garlic bread. I dump it in the sink and pour water over it to stop it from smoking. The loaf has blackened, burnt edges and now it’s soggy, too.

Spaghetti with garlic bread is supposed to be an easy dinner to make. My mom claimed an idiot can make it. I guess I’m worse than an idiot because the entire meal is ruined. Except the salad.

My nose wrinkles. Although I don’t think the dressing turned out right since it’s all clumpy.

I can’t feed this to Maya. With my luck, I’ll poison her and we’ll end up at the hospital where everyone will laugh and point fingers at me. I shiver. The idea of being in public again after my panic attack at the restaurant makes it difficult to catch my breath.

I push down the panic. I’m in my cabin. Alone. No one’s here to attack me. Once I can breathe again, I switch off the stove and oven before digging out my phone.

“Hey,” Hudson answers the phone on the first ring. “What’s up?”

I hear a baby cry in the background. Shit. I totally forgot Nova gave birth.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t be bothering you.”

“Bullshit. What do you need?”

“I ruined dinner. Any chance I can order from your restaurant and have it delivered here?”

“Is this for your dinner with Maya?”

I scowl. “She told you?”

“No. She told Nova. And before you get your panties in a twist about it, you should know Nova begged her. She even promised Maya could be the first person to babysit Iliana.”

Damn. I can’t complain now. I know how much Maya loves babies. She used to babysit all the time in high school. I’m surprised she hasn’t had a baby of her own yet. I growl at the thought of her having a baby with anyone other than me.

“What do you want to eat?” Hudson asks. “The restaurant can make anything you want.”

I check the time. Maya will be here in less than an hour. “I don’t care what it is as long as it’s here before Maya arrives.”

“Steak and potatoes it is. I’ll have the restaurant deliver it to the cabin in forty-five minutes.”

“Thanks, man. I owe you.”

“I’ll add the cost to your monthly rent,” he says and rings off.

I throw the phone on the kitchen table. I need to get this mess cleaned up before Maya gets here. I’m carrying the garbage outside when a golf cart arrives in front of the cabin. The man hands me a large bag. I sniff. The steak smells delicious.

“If you put it in the oven on low heat, it’ll stay nice and warm,” the man says before driving away.

I carry the food to the kitchen but hesitate to put it in the oven. The garlic bread didn’t fair too well in there.

Light flashes against the kitchen window. No time to warm anything up now. I remove the food from the bags and put everything on our plates. I barely have time to throw the restaurant bags away before there’s a knock on the door.

I scan the kitchen to make sure there’s no evidence of my earlier attempt at cooking dinner before opening the door. Maya smiles up at me.

“Hi, Caleb.”

“Hi, Bunny.”

Her whiskey-colored eyes warm at my use of the nickname. Those eyes reel me in. I want to watch them heat up when I touch her skin, when I strip her clothes off of her, when I sink into her warm heat.

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