Page 29 of A Perfect Match
Her gaze is stuck to the pan.Silence bloats between us as I heat a different skillet then toss a corn tortilla on.She might not have told meyesin words, but she’s certainly telling me yes with her attention.Once the tortilla is ready, I use the tongs to add the incredibly juicy short ribs, followed by sliced red onion, the mango slaw I made and marinated in the morning, and a final sprinkle of cilantro.When I look her way, I can tell she wants to say no out of principle.But I’m ready for it.
“I’ll put it in a to-go box.Then you try it and let me know what you think.”I deftly prepare the takeout box for her, handing it over before she can reject it.
She blinks up at me.“Thanks.”
“Consider it a peace offering.Or maybe just an assurance that you won’t abuse me with muffins again.”
She takes the box, her fingers brushing mine."No promises on that last part.”
“Fair enough.”
“And this doesn’t mean that I'm going to let you win the competition."
"I wouldn’t dream of it."
I watch her go, a small smile playing on my lips.It's not much, but it feels like everything.
CHAPTER NINE
PIPER
It’s Wednesday game night, and I’m feeling more skittish than normal.
Usually, this is my chance to recalibrate and reconnect with my family.But right now, I have a few things I don’t want them knowing about.So I need to focus on the priorities: eating dinner as uneventfully as possible then demolishing them all in euchre.
Mom's house is buzzing with the usual Wednesday evening chaos—Asher's deep laugh rumbling through the living room, Jett and Dane arguing about some call in yesterday's hockey game, Griffin stealing bites of dinner before it's ready while Mom swats him away as Lia dances underfoot.Mom’s weekly vase of fresh flowers sits proudly on the counter—this week, it’s white roses and pink lilies.She’s always got fresh, gorgeous blooms somewhere in the house, whether from buying herself a bouquet or one of us kids surprising her.The smell of Mom's lasagna fills the air, yet all I can think about is how damn delicious Kru’s mango slaw and braised short rib taco was two days ago.
The one-off weekend in Cleveland would almost be passable; but the fact that my usurper has nowfed me?That’s a hop, skip, and a jump away from a dinner date, and I feel like my brothers would never see the logic in that.Now I must spend the rest of my life making sure they never find out.Great.
Once we’ve all tucked away the lasagna and opened up a bottle of wine to share, I’m ready to get this show on the road.I start clearing plates.
“Jeez, impatient much?”Griff whines.
“You’ve had enough,” I tell him.“Three helpings, Griff.Where do you even put it?”
“I have high caloric needs,” he snaps as I carry off his last few bites of lasagna.“Besides, I’m not on the active roster this season, so I have to take advantage of being able to eat whatever I want.”
I sigh, bringing the plate back to him.He forks the last couple of bites into his mouth and sits back contentedly.
“Thanks, Pipe Cleaner.”
“So do you guys have dinner together every night?”Asher asks us with a warm, fatherly smile.
“We don’t eat together much,” Griffin says.“I’m usually gone; she’s always working.And then sometimes she brings dinner for herself and forgets all about me, like she did a couple nights ago.”
My chest tightens.I don’t want to venture anywhere near that story, so I pivot.“I’m your roommate, not your personal chef.Besides, I don’t have enough money to provide the amount of food your organism requires.”
Dane snorts.“Organism.”
Lia looks up at her daddy.“What’s orgamins?”
“It’s just another word for body, honey.”He presses a kiss to the top of her head.“Your uncle Griff eats a lot of food.”
“So cohabitation is going well?”Mom asks as I circle back to the table to get the rest of the empty plates.
“Of course,” I say cheerily.“What could be better than living with my big brother?”
“I’m surprised you wanted to move in with him,” Asher says in his typical musing drawl.“You loved your apartment.And it was so convenient to your shop.”
