Page 66 of Justified Fear
He nodded.She smiled.
She grabbed a biscuit out of the Ziplock bag on the counter.“Here you go, sweetie.”
Maya took the biscuit, then walked over to the runner she had in the hallway leading to the front door.
“So, what kind of lobster roll did you have at your restaurant?”
She continued to get their sandwiches ready.“It was a lobster roll taco.This is the filling I used in the restaurant, but I didn’t have time to make my own tortillas.I hate store-bought ones.They are easy enough to make, but after everything that happened today, I went for simple.I already had these rolls fromCynthia’s Bakery.”
“I can’t say that looks simple to me.”
“Well, let’s say light then.I figured it was good, since I made some malasadas for dessert.”
She handed him a plate filled with a massive roll overflowing with lobster, butter, and salad greens.The side dish was some kind of potato salad.
“I would have done Hawaiian Mac salad, but some people have an aversion to cold pasta.My father and one of my brothers both do.”
“I eat just about anything.”
“I thought we could sit in the sunroom.”
He nodded.“Show me the way.”
Keely walkeddown the hallway to the small room at the back of the house.She couldn’t remember ever being this nervous feeding a date.It wasn’t like she hadn’t cooked for her dates before, but something told her that this one was more important than the others.
She stepped into the room that everyone in the family called the sunroom.
“This looks like it was built on.”
She glanced over at him.“My father had this built for my grandmother after he signed his first contract.She loved to grow things.”
Sadness came and went.Her grandmother didn’t garden anymore, although she knew her mother and father took her out in their garden every chance they got.She also loved the Japanese Botanical Gardens in San Antonio.
“Wow,” Ryan said, pulling her out of her thoughts.She glanced over at him, and he was looking at the small round table.She had made sure to set it before he arrived.She hoped it wasn’t too much.He put his food and glass down, then took hers.After placing them on the table, he pulled out her chair.
“I’m the one who should say wow.I didn’t think guys did this anymore.”
He waited for her to sit down, then helped her push it in.He leaned down, and when he spoke, his breath whispered over her ear.“You’ve been dating the wrong guys.”
She shivered.“I have to agree with you.”
He took his seat.“Does this room make you sad?”
She blinked and looked over at him.“Why would you say that?”
“You had a look in your eyes.”
Wow.The guy was observant.“It’s just that Tutu used to garden.She loved to bake, too, but she always seemed happiest in here.She always had a ton of plants.Actually, all of these are hers.Well, other than those over there.”She pointed to a table with a variety of herbs.
“That’s hard.My grandmother has terrible arthritis.Makes it hard to do her sculptures.”
“Your grandmother is an artist?”
“Yes.Kind of a badass about it too.She lived in a commune years ago, and she said that the only thing that she got out of it was her love of sculpting and my grandfather.”
She smiled.“I love that.What side of the family?”
“My mother’s side.”
