Page 90 of Mr. Infuriating

The tools were quickly abandoned, except the screwdriver, which he took with him as he scrambled to the kitchen.

I put the rest of the tools back in the box, and Gretchen snatched up the bag with the cheesecake before following her son.

I took her accepting my peace offering as a good sign and trailed behind them.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Gabe

I watched Gretchen as she prepared Jake’s dinner and was struck at how beautiful this side of her I hadn’t seen before was. I was willing to bet she was an amazing teacher, too.

Which I was banking on, if my plan was going to work.

Once she set Jake’s plate on the tray of his high chair, I cleared my throat and said, “So, about this proposition I have.”

Gretchen shot a look in her son’s direction before quietly murmuring, “I don’t think we should talk about that right now.” She motioned her head at the little man happily munching away on his fish sticks in one hand and tater tots in the other. “Not in front of …”

That confused me, but I stammered out, “Oh, okay.”

She pulled a pot out of the cupboard, set it on the stovetop, and asked, “Are you hungry?”

“I am.”

It wouldn’t have mattered if I’d just come from stuffing myself at an all-you-can-eat buffet, it sounded like she was offering me dinner and there was zero chance I’d turn that down.

Fortunately, I hadn’t eaten since lunch.

She pulled a container from the refrigerator, poured its contents into the pot, and turned the burner on medium.

“I’m just having cream of potato soup, but I can make you a grilled cheese or hamburger to go with it.”

“Are you having anything besides soup?”

“Well, no, but it’s not a problem to make you something.”

“So, let me get this straight… I was a jerk to you, and you’re still offering to make me something special for dinner?”

“I wouldn’t call it special.” She smirked as she stirred the soup with a wooden spoon. “But since I’m not sharing the cheesecake, I thought it’d be the polite thing to do.”

I gave her a sly smile. “I brought two slices.”

Without missing a beat, she replied, “And I’ll appreciate that second slice tomorrow at lunch.”

My mouth dropped open in fake outrage, and I waited for her to tell me she was just teasing. But she didn’t. Instead, she continued, “So, do you want a grilled cheese or a hamburger or something else?”

“Um… I’ll just have the soup with you.”

Finally, she burst out laughing.

“Okay, fine, I’ll split the cheesecake. But I know the soup and cheesecake aren’t going to fill you up, so pick something to go with it, or I will.”

I wanted nothing more than to kiss that feisty mouth of hers into submission, but considering our circumstances, that might lead to a knee to my groin.

Still, I couldn’t resist raking my gaze up and down her body as I replied, “I’ve got something else in mind.”

Our eyes locked and her mouth parted. We’d spent a weekend flirting with each other; I knew she understood the innuendo.

But after a beat, she looked away and said, “Oh, do you want a sandwich or something instead?”

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