Page 20 of 40 and (No Longer) Fighting It
Lily gave JD another kiss, then went to change clothes. JD followed Linc into the kitchen.
“Missing the Prime?” he asked, sniffing the air. Linc wouldn’t have been surprised if his friend’s eyes had rolled back in his head at the rich scent of food.
“I’ll never not miss my own kitchen. And speaking of kitchens, this one sucks.” He moved to the ancient oven to remove the herb-crusted rack of lamb. “This oven is so old it doesn’t even have a convection option.”
JD grunted an agreement as he settled at the table.
It wasn’t even the lack of adequate equipment that was Linc’s only complaint. The typical eighties setup had nowhere to draw diners in, nowhere to gather. There was no bar anywhere near the stove, although a long center cabinet did provide extra workspace. A small breakfast nook provided the only eat-in option, with the full dining room separated from the kitchen by a wall. “We’re going to have to open this up and do a major remodel if staff will be living here. They’ll want to do their own cooking, possibly with multiple meals going at one time, and we’ll need adequate eating space, plus a bar—”
JD held up a hand. “I’ve already discussed all that with Erin. She’s planning a full gut when we finish finalizing the resort plans and begin renovations here in the mansion next month.”
Linc smirked at his friend. “Try next week.”
JD choked on his wine. “W-what?” he sputtered.
Linc turned to grab plates from the cabinet. “I spoke with Erin this afternoon. She’s agreed to move up the timeline to begin kitchen renovations next week.”
When Linc turned back around, JD had narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
“Guess.”
JD opened his mouth to respond, but Lily chose that moment to enter the kitchen. “Linc, what smells so absolutely wonderful?”
He began slicing the lamb. “Dinner.” As Lily drew near, he noticed the weary droop of her shoulders and the emptiness of her glass. “Here, let me refill that before you sit down.”
“We can serve ourselves,” she insisted. “You’ve done the cooking.”
He glared until she extended her wineglass. “And I’m serving too,” he said as he poured her wine. “Now go sit. You look dead on your feet.”
JD and Lily moved into the dining room. Linc followed shortly with two plates, which he set in front of his friends, then returned to the kitchen for his own and a basket of soft, warm yeast rolls. One last trip for the wine, a glass for himself, and a tray of condiments and he was able to join the couple at the table.
“Lincoln,” Lily moaned, “these potatoes…”
Linc grinned, not so much at Lily’s enjoyment but at JD’s disgruntled look. “The secret is cream cheese.”
Lily eyed her next forkful of potatoes. “Really.”
“Really. These aren’t as creamy as I’d like, though. What kind of kitchen doesn’t have a ricer?”
“What the hell’s a ricer?” JD asked, forking up a piece of roasted asparagus.
Linc paused. “Well there you go.” He left it to Lily to explain while he sliced through the crumbly crust on his lamb chop, pleased with the juice dripping from the succulent meat. “This is exactly why we’ve got to move on the kitchen.”
Lily snagged a fluffy roll from the basket in the center of the table. “Move on the kitchen?”
“Mmm.” JD chewed, swallowed. “Linc has this crazy idea to go ahead and gut the kitchen next week, start the renovation.”
“Guess you’ll be staying with me then, huh?” she teased JD.
“I’ll take any excuse to do that,” he assured her with a wink.
Lily grinned, but when her stare turned on Linc, she sobered. Something in her look had him fighting the urge to squirm. “Something tells me you’re not pushing the renovation forward because you don’t like the kitchen.”
“Oh, I hate this kitchen,” he assured her. A grin tugged at his lips. “It’s just not my only motivation.”
“So what is?”
Here goes nothing.“Claire.”
