Page 15 of Thanks for the Memories
“Okay, as long as you let me help,” I say, pulling myself together. “Just tell me what I can do.”
He gives me a few orders, mostly gathering items and organizing them on the counter, which is probably a good thing. I don’t think he realizes how much of a disaster in the kitchen I am.
“This is a lot of stuff for one meal,” I say, scratching my head.
He laughs. “That’s because we’re prepping for about four days. You may even have some leftovers.”
Four days? Wait—how did a home-cooked meal turn into four days’ worth of food?
“You can’t …” I don’t even know what to say because my objection isn’t going to stop him.
He wipes his hands on a dish towel and places them on my shoulders. “Just trust me.”
As his hands brush the sides of my arms, shivers rush all over my body. He jumps right back into chef mode, while I can barely stand since my legs go weak whenever he’s near me.
Our conversation shifts between the past and the present. It’s definitely nice to talk to someone who I can share memories with.
“Next question,” he says adding a bunch of different spices to the saucepan on the stove. “Have you dated anyone since you’ve been in Miami?”
And there it is, this is the one subject we haven’t touched on all day.
“Nope,” I say, nibbling on a carrot stick. I watch for a reaction from him, but he doesn’t have one.
“Lila has introduced me to a few people—” I pause as I try to find the right words. I certainly don’t want to tell him that I’ve been too busy crushing on him.
“And?”
“What?” I say, dragging myself out of my daydream.
“You were saying Lila introduced you to a few men. Any good ones?”
I sit down on a barstool and shrug.
“They were nice guys, just no one that really caught my eye.”
He shakes the pan over the heat. “They mean well, our friends, when they try to play matchmaker.”
Oh, I guess that’s his way of telling me that he’s been a victim of matchmaking as well. Now this is intriguing.
“It sounds like you know what I’m talking about.”
He smiles. “Absolutely. I can’t tell you how many friends of mine have the perfect girl for me. I had no idea I had so many potential soul mates.”
I snort. “Well, maybe it’s another sign that you need to take more time for yourself. You won’t know until you meet her.”
Dante looks at me and grows silent. All of a sudden there’s a strange energy in the room.Did I say something wrong?
“Are you okay?”
He clears his throat. “Yeah, I’m good.”
With one swift move Dante leaves the stove and steps toward me.
Holy crap, what’s happening?
He places his hands on the counter next to me. My heart begins to beat faster inside my chest, but I’m completely frozen.
Seriously, Reagan, now is your chance to do something.Maybe he’s waiting for me to give him a sign.
