Page 45 of For Butter or Worse
“Oh, hello, my future husband. I’m ready to worship.”
“There’s a potential deal-breaker, though...”
Leo scrolled down the page until he came to the most important photo. The guy on a couch, cuddled up with a massive poodle.
“Oh, shit, that won’t do at all.” A timer went off, and Gavin opened the oven to check on the eggplant parmigiana.
“To be fair, this is an app for people with dogs, and you have a cat. It doesn’t feel like a situation where you can be picky.” Leo had very limited experience with dating apps, though he’d been on Tinder before the show. There were even a few interesting dates that had come from it. But once he was picked to cohost, the network’s publicity team advised that he keep his social media strictly to places like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Midwestern moms—the target demo—didn’t want to think the host of their favorite cooking show could also be sending dick pics.
Helping his brother online-date had been a compromise. He still got the fun of swiping without any of the awkward first meetups.
“Yes, but I’d like to find someone who has a dog, so that when we move in together we can start an Instagram account about interspecies friendship. The dog can’t overshadow the cat, though.”
Gavin put a plate of fried eggplant slices on the table, leftovers from the eggplant parm in the oven. Leo took a bite. The fried exterior crunched in his mouth, giving way to the soft, piping-hot eggplant inside—perfection.
“Well, what would be cuter than a giant poodle and a cross-eyed tabby?”
“Hmmm...interesting.” Gavin took out a bowl filled with ricotta, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and shredded basil.
“Pizza, do you think you could chill with a dog ten times your size?” Gavin yelled out to the cat, who meowed back. “That’s a maybe.”
Their mom’s sandals clip-clopped down the hall until she appeared in the kitchen, bundled up in a sweater dress and a comically long scarf. “You want a date? I can set you up.”
“Ma, you don’t exactly have the best track record,” Leo responded. He’d made the mistake of trusting his mom’s matchmaking skills himself a handful of times. While his mother meant well, she never really asked enough questions to properly vet the women she found.
“Remember when she set you up with the married woman who thought she was on a job interview?”
“She told me she was open and looking.” Their mom shrugged back, as if she didn’t see the problem.
“For a job, Ma.” Gavin laughed.
“Why do you look tired?” His mom walked over to Leo, grabbed his chin in her palm and turned his head from side to side. She eyed the dark circles under his eyes, which he knew were more prominent than usual.
He’d brought the financials home with him and had stayed up most of the night studying what he already knew was happening. Another restaurant would need to close. Traffic at Vinny’s had increased, but not enough to make a difference. He was cutting corners to try and avoid this closure. He’d give it another week of dating Nina to see if there was any significant pickup, but if business didn’t change, he’d have to find a way to tell his mom and Gavin.
“Got up early for a morning run.” He swatted away her hand. He didn’t want his mom to worry about him, ever. She wasn’t a sensitive person, really. But she’d also suffered enough when their dad passed. It felt necessary that he keep his mom and brother from knowing how much trouble they were in.
“You weren’t up late with your girlfriend?” His mom winked.
“Ma!” Leo hadn’t told his mom about his and Nina’s... arrangement. Gavin knew the truth, but telling his mother—who loved to gossip—any kind of secret was a recipe for it no longer staying a secret.
“Your father and I couldn’t keep our hands off each other, especially when we first met.” She looked off, as if remembering something, then returned her focus to him. “Set up a dinner with her. I want to meet Nina, finally.”
“Ma, come on—” He and Nina went out when there was an opportunity to be spotted together. Bringing her home for dinner would be...outside of their terms.
“No—no excuses. You’ve worked with her for years, now you’re dating. She’s coming for dinner.”
He sighed. Trying to argue with his mother had never ended well for him, and he wasn’t about to try and make up an excuse—she’d see right through it. He’d just have to ask Nina for a favor, somehow. “I’ll see if she’s free.”
“Make sure you don’t overcook the eggplant this time.” Their mom pointed at Gavin accusingly. The food would be insanely good, and the kitchen already smelled like garlic and tomatoes. She knew there was nothing to worry about, but she also liked to keep Gavin on his toes—the way she had with their dad.
“Love you, Ma,” Gavin and Leo said in unison. She waved a dismissive hand as she left the room. While the boys cooked, she went for a massage—that was the tradition.
“I’ve been patient, monk-level respectful.” Gavin made prayer hands in front of his chest for emphasis. “But you’ve gotta tell me—what’s going on with Nina?”
Leo examined a nonexistent spot on the counter. There was no easy way to sum up what was happening between them. They’d hated each other a few weeks ago, but now they might actually be friends? He’d had multiple dates with someone he never thought he’d be alone in a room with. Maybe he was reading into the looks she gave him, or the way she’d kissed him back, but she didn’t seem to hate him, either. He’d even sent her a random text that morning—a link to a fanfic story involving them and Willy Wonka’s R-rated chocolate factory. He thought it would make her laugh. She’d sent the skull emoji back, so...
Kissing Nina was an entirely different situation. He’d seen Tom’s suggestion, but he never thought she’d want anything beyond hand-holding. So when she’d brought up the idea...he was surprised. Then, when they actually kissed and they weren’t sucked into a sinkhole, that was another shock. He wouldn’t have ended it so soon, but he didn’t want to seem desperate, either, like he was lingering when she was just trying to do her job. Still, he had a weird sense that she hadn’t minded the kiss.
