Page 19 of Scoop Me Up
“I’m so sorry,” they repeated.
I shook my head and waved away the apology, hoping I looked casual, not as tightly wound as I felt. “It’s fine. Totally my fault.” Once again, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Sam’s for several long moments. Finally, I cleared my throat and forced myself to look at Ellie instead. “Whatcha doing down there, El?”
She looked up at me, a smile on her face lighting up her light blue eyes. “They’re getting married.”
I looked more closely at Ellie’s dolls—both male dolls—and smiled at her. “Are they now?”
With a sincere nod, she turned back to her toys. “Now you’re husbands.” She pressed their faces together and made kissing noises.
My stomach squirmed and my breath hitched, though I couldn’t pinpoint why. After another moment, I looked back up at Sam, a desperation to change the subject surging through me. “Hungry?”
They nodded. “Very. I brought dessert. It’s in the freezer already. I hope that’s okay.”
“Ice cream?”
A grin spread over their face. “Two kinds.”
“I can’t wait to try.” We stood awkwardly for a few seconds. “You want to come hang in the kitchen while I finish up the meal?”
“Sure, of course.” Sam thrust their hands into their pockets and it was then that I noticed what they were wearing. Tight black jeans that showed off their muscular legs and ass, and a black tank top that revealed similarly muscular arms. The moment the thought raced through my mind, it occurred to me that I probably shouldn’t be checking out Sam’s ass.
Heat washed over me and I took a steadying breath before leading the way into the kitchen. “Dinner’s in the slow cooker. I just need to finish up a few things.”
Sam took a seat at our kitchen table and turned a chair to watch me work. I got to it, turning the cooktop on medium and dropping in the ingredients for braised carrots. As I got started, Sam stayed quiet, but not for long.
“I feel like I should be helping or something,” they confessed.
I shrugged. “It’s fine. You’re a guest. Besides, you won the bet and the deal was for me to cook you dinner.”
“I still feel like I should be doingsomethingbesides sitting here.”
Lifting the pan off the eye, I shook it, making sure the carrots were coated in the maple syrup and butter sauce that was simmering in the pan. “You could set the table,” I suggested, putting the pan back on the eye.
Sam jumped to their feet. “I’d love to.”
“Great. Silverware is in that drawer.” I pointed. “And Jennifer likes using cloth napkins. They’re in this one next to me.”
Sam grabbed silverware and set it out on the table carefully as I tended to the carrots. Once that was done, they made their way to the drawer with the kitchen linens and slid it open. As they pulled out several of the cloth napkins and I lifted the pan to toss the carrots again, their arm brushed against mine. My breath caught in my throat and I froze as Sam pulled away quickly.
“Oh,” they blurted. “I didn’t mean to get in your way. I wasn’t thinking about the hot pan and all.” There was an awkward silence for a second before Sam spoke again. “Um, plates?”
I pointed to the cabinet to the right of the sink. “There.”
We finished the rest of the meal prep in silence, the only sounds the sizzling from my pan and the clinking of flatware on ceramic plates. When the carrots were done, I put them in a small bowl and brought the bowl to the table. Before I could say anything, Sam ducked out of my line of sight.
“I’ll get Ellie.”
I quickly put out the rest of the meal—potatoes, pot roast, and dinner rolls—and by the time that was done, Ellie and Sam had returned.
Dinner conversation was light, the tension and awkwardness slowly dissolving. “What did you do today, Ellie?” Sam asked.
Ellie shrugged. “I played with Elsa and Arya.” She chattered about what they had done during their playdate and as she did, I let myself relax and unwind a little.
When Ellie stopped talking, I asked Sam the same question. “How about you? What do Maplewood teachers do on their days off?”
“Lesson plans. But I worked on a business plan, too, for the ice cream shop.”
“How was that?”
