Page 16 of Recipe for Romance

Getting to walk around the farm Aiden grew up in would not only give Nicole insight into what made him the chef he was today, but also into the man she couldn’t seem to stop crushing on. Could it still be considered a crush at this point? She was no longer twelve, dreaming of a future wedding, but was twenty-five and dreaming of something much more real, and far racier.

Despite his penchant for grumpiness, there was something about Aiden that continued to draw her in and had her fantasizing about the man almost constantly. Maybe it was the way he had let her use his private bath, knowing that it would give her a glimpse into his personal space with his toiletries neatly lined up along the bathroom counter. Or perhaps it was the way he spoke plainly with her, not bullshitting her like other people had in an effort to try and soften the blows. He treated her like the adult she was and actually expected things of her, and she found his belief in her extremely sexy.

As someone who grew up with everyone assuming she would fail, having him not immediately write her off despite seeing firsthand what a disaster she could be was incredible, intoxicating. Nicole’s body buzzed with the possibilities she could now see for herself. She’d always known she could do whatever she wanted if she worked hard enough, but having someone else see that too reinforced the feeling. It was a nice bonus, and even though Nicole still had a long way to go before she became a chef, she’d taken the first few steps and not faltered.

Smiling to herself as they pulled up the gravel driveway, Nicole took a moment to gaze out at the home in front of them. The dark gray siding was offset by a lighter rock foundation and brown wood beams that supported the steepled roof. Lush green grass and thick foliage surrounded the base of the home before spreading outward toward the driveway. Nicole followed the line of grass over to the orchard that started not far from the main house before seeming to stretch out infinitely. Her eyes widened as she peered out the passenger window, craning her neck to try and see just how big the orchard was.

Giving up, she turned to Aiden to find him staring at her. His expression was inscrutable, but there was no judgement in his Adriatic eyes, only consideration. “What do you think?”

Flicking her eyes to the house one last time, Nicole grinned at him. “I think this looks like an amazing place to grow up.” It looked idyllic, just as he’d said it had been, like a place that sprouted nothing but wholesomeness and good times.

It was much better than the impersonal mansion her father lived in now and the sleek condo he had moved them into after her mom passed. Her childhood home had been better, but Nicole knew that was more likely due to the presence of her mom than it was anything to do with the three bedroom home in Los Feliz. Everything about the cozy farmhouse Aiden grew up in screamed “family,” something Nicole had sorely missed over the last decade. She had her dad, but he was even less available emotionally than he was physically, leaving her to her own devices most times.

Having friends helped, but even they eventually got tired of her flakiness. Until college, reliability had been an issue for her, not because she didn’t want to be there for people, but because she found it difficult to remember things. By the time Nicole had gotten some of her shit together and started using calendar reminders, most people already had their little cliques formed and ingratiating herself into one of them had proven nearly impossible. Maybe she could try friendship with the man next to her. More than that would be inappropriate, though the more time she spent with Aiden, the less important keeping things professional seemed to be.

“It had its moments,” he grumbled. Aiden’s words seemed detached, but he couldn’t hide the fondness that shone in his eyes as he looked at the home. He stepped out of the car and Nicole followed him, trailing closely behind as he walked past the flagstone path that led to the front door and over toward the orchard. “Hopefully it will give you that sense of connection we talked about.”

Nicole started to groan, but swallowed it when Aiden shot her an irritated look. Over breakfast that morning they had spoken a little more about why she wanted to be a chef. He’d mentioned that drive wouldn’t be enough to get her there, and Nicole was ready for whatever hard work he laid before her. What she hadn’t expected was him telling her she needed to connect with the food more. For Nicole, the ingredients were just ingredients, but as she watched Aiden prepare a frittata with mushroom and spinach, she could see what he meant about connection. He considered each ingredient carefully, not just for spoilage, but as if looking for the hidden meaning in each one, a way to unlock its full potential.

As Aiden had chopped and sautéed, blanched and scrambled, Nicole could see the care he put into his work, and if the amazing flavors that burst onto her tongue as she ate were any indication, he truly was connected to the food he made. Even as she enjoyed the umami of the mushroom and saltiness of the spinach, her stomach sank. When Aiden had placed her plate in front of her, a quiet “bon appétit” on his lips, she couldn’t help feeling like she wasn’t just looking at a frittata, but at a puzzle she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to put together herself.

Nicole had witnessed her father cooking enough to know that he cooked just like Aiden did, with careful consideration of each item that would comprise the meal, but that hadn’t ever been something that came naturally to her. Careful consideration took time and focus that she’d just never been able to manage. Wondering if she could create that connection Aiden insisted was necessary had her feeling slightly less sure of the success of her plan than before, but she was no less determined to make it happen.

“Sounds great,” Nicole replied. Her voice held much more confidence than she felt. It would be nice if she could snap her fingers and magically connect to ingredients like Aiden did, but she knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Nothing in her life ever had been, so why would it start happening now?

Aiden’s eyes narrowed as he studied her, seeming to sense her lack of assuredness, but instead of commenting on it, he continued his walk into the thick expanse of trees. A few workers were sprinkled throughout the orchard. Some of them were up on ladders, large, white canvas bags strapped over their shoulders as they carefully plucked apples from the trees, and others stood on the hard earth, thrusting fruit pickers up into the top layer of branches.

No matter the method, one thing was true of both types: neither paid an ounce of attention to Nicole or Aiden as they made their way through the orchard. Every now and then, one would peek over the shoulder and nod at Aiden, but no words were spoken. The only sound was the crunch of twigs and brush under their feet and the light breeze rustling the leaves on the trees. It was peaceful and beautiful.

“This place isamazing,” she gushed. Nicole couldn’t imagine how wonderful it must have been to grow up in a place that seemed to hold a certain kind of magic to it. There was definitely no place like this in Los Angeles. There were citrus groves and plenty of agriculture, but it was all wedged into small nooks and crannies among the otherwise concrete jungle. This sprawling orchard was one of a kind, and she loved it.

Aiden looked over at her, his mouth twitching and his eyes twinkling for a moment before he schooled his features. “Glad you approve,” he grunted. Gesturing toward an outcropping of trees that seemed different from the rest, Aiden steered her toward it. His hand touched the small of her back before disappearing seconds later. The touch had been light and brief, but the heat from his hand lingered long after it was gone. Clearing his throat, Aiden pointed to a tree with heavy branches, some apples already scattered on the ground near the trunk. “This is a crabapple tree. We’re going to pick a few of these for practice, but we won’t use them for cooking.”

“You’d better not,” a man called. Walking toward them from the direction of a small, wooden building was a man who resembled Aiden enough that Nicole could guess it was one of his many brothers she’d read about. “I don’t take kindly to people poaching my cider apples.”

Nicole glanced at Aiden to see him shaking his head at the other man, but there was only affection in his gaze. “We’re not poaching your apples, Felix,” he grumbled. “I was just showing Nic...Nicole how to pull an apple.”

Nicole smiled, surprised that Aiden already felt comfortable enough around her to use a nickname. Then she scanned the recesses of her brain, recognizing the name as that of Aiden’s youngest brother.

“Do you even remember how?” the younger man sassed.

As the two men bickered back and forth, Nicole took a moment to study the two of them. Felix looked a good deal like Aiden. They were both tall and had the same prominent, straight nose, as well as blue eyes, but where Aiden was all dark hair and had a fuller build, Felix had shoulder length hair the color of walnuts and was leaner than his older brother.

Finally, the two men stopped arguing and Felix held out his hand to Nicole. “It’s nice to meet you, Nicole. I’m Felix and if you want to see how to pull an apple, I’d be more than happy to show you.”

His tone was flirtatious as a wide smile pulled across his face, and therein lay the biggest difference between the two men. Felix seemed to be far freer with his smile than Aiden was. Nicole had yet to see a full smile on Aiden’s face, though she had gotten hints that it did in fact exist. Taking his hand, Nicole shook it before dropping it quickly, not wanting to give any indication that she was interested.

Felix was good looking, but held nowhere near the level of attraction to her that his brother did. “I appreciate the offer, but I think I’ll stick with Chef here,” Nicole replied politely.

Despite the frown on his face, Aiden looked pleased at her comment and shoved at his brother. “Did you hear that? You’re dismissed. Go bother Travis or something,” he said gruffly.

Felix rolled his eyes, but smiled as his gaze bounced between the two of them. “I see how it is.” He winked at his older brother before turning away, only narrowly missing the punch Aiden had aimed at his arm. “See you at lunch.” He jogged back towards the building, leaving an awkward tension between her and Aiden in his wake.

“Ignore him. He’s an idiot.” Aiden’s command finally broke the silence. He toed at a fallen apple on the ground before approaching the tree again. “Shall we?”

“Sure.” Nicole smiled to try and get things back on track. “Teach me the ways of the apple, oh wise one.”

Aiden barked a laugh before grabbing a branch. “You’d have to talk to my other brother if you really want to know everything, but I can give you the basics.” He held up an apple in his palm, showing her the deep pink, almost red skin before lightly twisting the stem. The apple popped right off the branch and she smiled at how easy it was.

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