Page 25 of In Good Company

She shrugs before stabbing a piece of her asparagus. “Sucks for them.” She lifts it to her mouth and takes a bite.

I chuckle, relieved it’s obvious that she no longer harbors feelings for my brother. He’s too immature for her. She deserves far better.

It’s quiet between us for a bit. The only sounds are the clink of our utensils hitting the plate and the music pouring out from the record player. Many different things fly through my mind. None of them have anything to do with work or the things I typically think about. Instead, it’s all questions about her.

One more than others.

I push my empty plate away from me slightly and sit back. “Can I ask you a question?”

She repeats the motion, both of us done eating. Part of me wants to ask for more food just to keep her here with me. I won’t say it out loud, but I’m enjoying spending the quiet time with her.

“Callahan Hastings, you surprise me. You don’t seem likethe kind of man who asks if he can ask a question. You seem like the type to just ask.”

A corner of my lip lifts at her comment. She’s not wrong. “Maybe I’m trying something new.”

Lucy sighs before lifting her arms and waving them in the air. “Ask away.”

I stare into her brown eyes for a few seconds, wondering if I have any right to pry. I already know I don’t, but I still want to ask her anyway. Call me curious. “Earlier, why were you recording yourself making the meal? And why’d you stop?”

Her shoulders sag a little with my question. She sucks in a breath and looks at her lap for a moment. “Before I answer that, I think a glass of wine to finish off dinner would be great. What do you think?”

Without waiting for my answer, she’s sliding out of her chair and beelining for the wine room.

I sit back and wait for her to return. If she needs wine to answer my question, so be it. At least she didn’t totally disregard what I asked.

THIRTEEN

LUCY

Cal hasn’t moved since I ran out of the kitchen to fetch wine. I probably should’ve asked him if it was okay for me to grab a bottle in the first place, but I was too surprised by his question to think straight. Plus, he made it clear where the wine room was when I needed to serve it with dinner. After dinner still counts…I think.

I set the cheapest bottle of wine I could find on the counter—even though I know it’s still so expensive that I’d never be able to afford it myself. It doesn’t take me long to open the bottle.

“Would you like a glass?” I ask, my words coming out faster than I intended.

Cal smirks. “Of course.”

I nod, grabbing two wine glasses from the cabinet and pouring us each a hefty serving of wine.

My hands shake a little from nerves as I take them to the table and return to my seat.

It must be obvious how nervous I am because he sits forward and puts his hand over mine to comfort me. “You don’t have to tell me.” His words are said low and slow, as if he doesn’t want to say them but knows it’s the right thing to do.

I shake my head and let out a long sigh. “It’s fine. I’m just being dramatic.” I lift the glass to my lips and take a large gulp of wine…and then take another.

He watches me with a curious look on his face as I drink about half the glass before finally mustering up the courage to answer his question. “I’d love to get my recipes out to more people. Nothing would make me happier than to know other people are cooking up recipes I came up with.”

“So you record them?” he asks. He leans forward, his thick fingers wrapped delicately around his wineglass as he pays close attention to me.

A laugh bubbles out from inside me. “I try. It turns out I have a little bit of stage fright. Every time I try to record myself, I clam up and can’t think straight.”

“Could you share photos?” he offers before taking a drink of his wine. His barely has a dent in it, while mine is already more than halfway gone.

“According to my friend Charlotte—who is way better at anything online than I am—video content is where it’s at. I’m just terrible at it.”

I shift awkwardly in my chair, trying not to think too much about the fact he saw me making a fool out of myself trying to record tonight. I wish he’d say something, but instead, he stays quiet, just giving me more time to get more and more embarrassed by the whole thing.

I set my glass of wine down and cover my face with my hands, letting out a long whine. “It’s silly, I know. Videos or no videos, no one’s ever going to see what I post. My recipes are meant for me to make, and that’s okay.”

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