Page 4 of Taming a Menace
“Eat up,” I instructed.
“That’s the name of your company. Eat Up with Key.”
“You would be correct.”
Iyla smiled. Her genuine smile loosened something in my chest that had been tight for a long time. She made me feel light. So much so that I felt woozy. It was like I was high, but I hadn’t smoked in a few days. While she enjoyed her food, I moved in silence making sure that the main course was on point.
I wanted to do something to get that hint of sadness out of her eyes. Knowing that she was heartbroken gave me a sense of urgency. I needed to do everything in my power for the next couple of hours to make her feel better. I was so absorbed in my task that I didn’t notice that she’d finished the salad until she was standing to top off my drink.
“That was absolutely delicious, Key.”
Confirmation. No matter how long I had been cooking, it always felt good to be complimented. Coming from her, it seemed even more important.
“Thank you, beautiful.”
“It definitely whet my palate. If that’s the appetizer, I’m looking forward to the main course.”
“Let’s hope I don’t disappoint,” I said, lifting the glass and throwing back the shot she’d poured for me.
“I need to excuse myself to the little girls room. You just take your time. I’m in no rush at all. I don’t have anywhere else to be tonight,” she said, rolling her eyes before turning and walking away from the counter.
Once she was out of the kitchen, I was back on a mission. It was supposed to be an anniversary dinner, so I’d brought along candles to help set the mood just in case. I moved over to my trunk and pulled out the candles along with the roses I brought and the rest of the ingredients to make dinner and dessert.
The carrots were almost done roasting. I made a blackberry compote then set half aside to use for dessert. The duck breast wouldn’t take any time to prepare on top of the stove. After getting them into a sizzling hot pan, I went to work lighting candles and placing them strategically on the island. When the candles were in place, I picked up the slender vase from my tote and added a single rose. Satisfied with my quick set up, I refilled her empty glass then moved back to the stove to finish cooking.
“Key.” Iyla’s gasp caused me to turn and face her.
There it was. The antidote to the cracks filling my chest. Her smile. A smile so wide and bright it almost split her face in two. I was addicted after only one hit. Anything to keep that smile on her face, I would do.
If she asked me to throw all the food I’d prepared out and start from scratch, I would snatch that pan off the stove and dump it in a heartbeat. She moved closer. The clacking of her heels didn’t stop until she was back on her perch on the stool.
“I love this set up. This was so thoughtful.”
I chuckled. “It was nothing.”
Aside from taking next to no effort, it was nothing. Nothing was too much for her tonight or ever.
“It’s really cute. I didn’t even think of candles and for sure I wasn’t expecting flowers. Where did this come from?”
“My trusty kit,” I said, motioning with my head.
“Let me find out that thing is bottomless.”
I tittered. “It feels like it sometimes.”
With those words, I went back to the mission of finishing her meal. While I sliced and diced and seasoned, Iyla sat at the island sipping her thirty-year-old scotch and watching me the whole time.
“You cook like it’s personal,” she noted.
“It is.”
“How long have you been cooking?”
“Since I was eight, so about twenty-five or twenty-six years.”
“Wow, when I was eight, I was using an Easy-Bake Oven.”
“Funny story. My mom bought me one for Christmas one year. My brothers clowned me so bad.” I laughed.
