Page 92 of Thiago
“Something for you. I’ll explain when we get upstairs, if that’s okay?” He paused, their gazes meeting.
“Upstairs?”
“If you don’t mind.”
A beat passed.
“No, I don’t mind,” India confirmed.
Relieved, Thiago parked in the garage below street level, and they took the elevator up to her apartment. Inside, he felt immediately as if he had come home after a long, arduous journey.
The familiar floors, the dining area where they had eaten their meals, the sunken living room where they relaxed afterward, all brought back a flood of memories.
He followed India into the kitchen.
“So, what are you doing here, Thiago?” she asked.
“I came to talk.”
“About…?”
“Us. Before we get started, I said I brought you something.” He removed the glass containers from the bag. “Bruno made arepas. They’re best when eaten right after they’re cooked butstill good if we heat them up. My stepmother sent you a batch of chocolate chip cookies with macadamia nuts. Tonight marks the end of the reign of oatmeal raisin.” His lip curled up in mock disgust.
“I’ll be the judge of that, thank you very much. Are you going to join me?”
“Yes, I will,” Thiago said.
“I’ll get the plates.” Her eyes softened and another smile, broader this time, touched her lips before she turned away.
For the first time in a long time, hope stirred in his chest.
Maybe he wasn’t too late.
Chapter Thirty-Six
India placed the last piece of cookie in her mouth, cognizant of Thiago’s laser-focused gaze across the table. She finished chewing and swallowed.
“Well?” he asked.
She purposely took time to answer, as if she had to think long and hard. “The arepas were delicious. I could definitely eat those again.”
“And the cookies?”
“The cookies…”
Seconds ticked by.
“India!” he exclaimed impatiently.
She giggled. “All right, they were delicious! Oatmeal raisin has been dethroned.”
“Thank you!” Thiago threw up his hands with exaggerated finality.
After some additional laughter, they both fell silent.
“I heard you established a profit-sharing policy.”
“I only announced the plan this morning. How did you find out?”
