Page 47 of No Going Back
He’d made her bed?
Dianna turned toward the kitchen, moving quietly, the sound of sizzling meat getting louder as she moved. Her foot had barely hit the linoleum when the smoke alarm above her head started to scream, the wail sending her jumping back as her heart attempted to break free of her chest.
“Goddammit.” Griffin fumbled around the counter, grabbing one of the large cookbooks she kept next to the stove and lifting it above his head. He’d just started to fan when his eyes landed on her.
“Good morning.” She glanced at the smoking pan. “Everything okay?”
“I was trying to make you breakfast.” He gave up fanning and reached to pop the battery free, leaving it to dangle from the wires holding it in place before turning to the stove. “Shit.” Griffin grabbed the burning pan of bacon and carried it out the back door, chucking the charred meat over their shared fence and into his backyard. He set the pan on the cement patio before coming back in, pausing to glance back outside. “I figured you didn’t want your house to smell like burnt bacon.”
Dianna smiled, feeling relieved and happy and flattered all at the same time. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
She expected this morning to be awkward. It was part of the reason she’d been working so hard to keep Griffin asleep. She’d also been a little worried he might go right back to his old habits and clam up, holding back anything he wanted to say. And that might still happen. But finding him standing in her kitchen wearing her well-worn apron around his hips, meant things had definitely changed. Maybe moved forward a little, as terrifying as that was.
Dianna went toward him, reaching out to finger the ruffled edge of the fabric covering his front. “You look good in my grandma’s apron.”
Griffin went still. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know this was hers.” He reached behind him. “I can take it off.”
“No.” Dianna grabbed his forearms, sliding her hands over his skin. “It’s fine. She would probably love that you’re wearing it while you make me breakfast.”
Her grandma hadn’t lived long enough to see her get married, but she’d witnessed more than a few of Dianna’s failed relationships and never hesitated to tell her she was settling.
And she had been.
But she couldn’t help but believe her grandmother wouldn’t have had as easy of a time finding fault with Griffin.
She glanced at the eggs and bread sitting on the counter. “I thought you didn’t know how to cook.”
Griffin lifted his brows. “I feel like it’s pretty clear that I don’t.” He reached out to stroke her cheek. “But I wanted to try. You cook for everyone else. I thought it might be nice to have someone cook for you.” His eyes moved over her face and hair. “You look pretty.”
Yeah. Her grandmother definitely would’ve had a hard time finding fault with Griffin. “Thank you.”
It was getting easier to accept compliments, maybe because she was so hopeful they could replace the negativity she’d allowed to collect. It seemed to be working though, so she wasn’t going to complain.
“What were you trying to make me?”
Griffin pressed his lips together before sighing. “Nothing impressive. Just a bacon egg and cheese sandwich.” He lifted one shoulder, letting it drop. “It didn’t seem too difficult when I googled it.”
“You googled how to make a breakfast sandwich?” It shouldn’t be as touching as it was, but the fact that Griffin not only tried to do something he didn’t know how to do for her, but also researched it in the hope he could accomplish it well, warmed her insides.
And also proved just how low she’d allowed the bar to drop.
“I probably shouldn’t have admitted that.” Griffin’s eyes went into the backyard once again. “Especially since I fucked it up so royally.”
Dianna moved past him, snagging another skillet from the cabinet before settling it onto the burner. “Cooking is hard. It can take years of practice, so I wouldn’t feel too bad that you didn’t get it right on your first try.” She peeled a few pieces of bacon free and lined them down the center of the pan, setting the burner to medium low. “And bacon is actually kind of tricky. Especially if you want it to be crispy.”
Griffin watched her intently. “I’m guessing that means you like yours crispy?”
“Definitely.” Dianna washed her hands off in the sink, peeking at him over one shoulder. “What about you? How do you like your bacon?”
Griffin shrugged. “I eat it however it comes.” He shot her a little grin. “You don’t really have the right to be picky when you’re not the one doing the cooking.”
She dried off her hands, mulling over exactly how deep she wanted to dig. Normally, she would’ve stopped there. Decided the only thing that mattered was that Griffin was nice enough to try to make her breakfast and that made him wonderful. But she had a habit of not looking deep enough. Or, maybe looking over things she shouldn’t.
“If you don’t cook, how have you been eating all these years?”
Griffin kept his eyes on the bacon, staring a little too hard at the meat as it began to sizzle. “Take out.”
“All you’ve ever eaten your whole life is take out?” She wasn’t going to believe that. Especially since Griffin seemed to like to skirt around conversations that might be uncomfortable. “I’m sure you’ve had more than a few women cook you breakfast.”
