Page 16 of All Her Broken Pieces

Appt was fine but they had to run some extra tests

My phone lights up with a call from Becka, and I swipe to answer the call. Her panicked voice doesn’t even say hello before she peppers me with questions. “Extra tests? Did they find something? Is it cancer? What did the doctor say?”

I run a hand through my hair and blow out a long breath. “Becka, stop. I’m fine.”

“I swear if you say ‘I’m fine’ one more time!”

“There’s nothing to worry about. Dr. Francis said I have a cyst on one of my ovaries and they ran some tests to see if it is cancerous or not. I should have the results in a few days. There’s nothing to worry about yet.”

“Damn, girl. Okay, we’ll get through this. Let’s get coffee soon and we can talk about everything when you know more.”

“Deal. Now go spend some time with your husband.”

Hanging up the call, I turn off the light and lie back on my bed staring up at my ceiling. Seconds later, my phone buzzes and I roll over to see what Becka wants. Only, it’s not Becka.

Pup

It’s been 3 days. I’m dying to know what you’re thinking.

I’m thinking about a lot of things—thoughts I haven’t shared with anyone, not even Becka—but after being faced with what could potentially be my own mortality today, I decide to give the pup a chance. He was excellent at so many things the other night, and I could use a distraction right now.

Want to know what I’m thinking about?

You

I can’t stop thinking about you

Hypothetically, if this were to happen again, what are your plans?

I wanna take you out on a real date

The thought of going out in public with him gives me anxiety. What if people think I’m his mother? Fuck, Iamtechnically old enough to be his mother. I know we met in a club, but this is different. This is not a club full of drunk people looking to hook up. What if we’re out at a nice restaurant and someone I know sees us? What would people think? This is a bad idea.

Or we could stay in. I could cook for you

It’s as though he can sense my hesitation. Maybe this could work. I said one more night, and a night in would be perfect.

What would you make?

What do you like?

Are you implying you can actually cook?

I’m not implying anything. I can, and I will.

What would you like me to make?

Surprise me

CHAPTER5

Ethan

Tuesday cannot come fast enough.When Bridget asked if I could cook, I realized that we’d never talked about what we do for a living. And she has no idea that I’m a sous chef at Mangia Bene. Actually, I have no idea what she does.

I want to know everything there is to know about Bridget. Ever since our night together, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. Her crystal-blue eyes. That electricity that hummed between us every time we touched. The way she gave up control of her pleasure to me. I don’t think that’s something she does with anyone.

Our date is in about thirty minutes, and I’m putting the finishing touches on our meal at the restaurant. Since I’m off tonight and it’s not busy, Alyx let me in. Mangia Bene has three sous chefs, and Alyx and I are two of them. We work for two of the best head chefs in the world, Alyx’s moms. While most restaurants would only have one head chef and one sous chef, Mina and Dre work well together and created their restaurant to allow all of us a better work-life balance. Any of the five of us can run a dinner service, allowing everyone flexibility with our schedules. It’s been an incredible training ground that’s allowed me to experiment with my culinary skills.

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