Page 31 of A Roommate for Christmas
Carter opened his mouth to speak again just as the pizza timer went off.
“Well, look at that,” Paige said.“That’s all the time we had for questions.Thanks for participating.”
She got up and took the pizza out of the oven, found the pizza cutter, and grabbed plates, willing herself to look busy so Carter wouldn’t ask any follow-up questions.
And he didn’t.
She wasn’t sure if the sting in her chest was from thinking about Chance and their breakup anniversary, or from Carter not caring to know more.After their banter earlier, she was finally feeling like maybe—just maybe—his icy exterior was just a front.
She slid a plate with two pizza slices over to him.
“Thanks,” Carter said with a soft smile.“Oh, and also, thanks for sharing your food with me.I never cook—pretty much only rely on takeout—so this blizzard really bit me in the ass.”
“Don’t mention it.I always meant to treat you to a frozen pizza, remember?”Paige nudged his shoulder as she took the seat next to him at the island.He was almost done with his first piece.
They sat in silence for a minute before she continued, “I mean, I know you have barely touched the kitchen here, but you seriouslynevercook?”
“Never,” Carter said, finishing off his second slice.“There’s one thing I know how to make and that’s it.Otherwise, I’ve just always had someone else cooking for me, whether it was my mom, restaurants ...friends.”
Paige noticed the pause before the last word.She almost thought it was like he was trying to decide what he wanted to say.The thought of him being fresh out of a breakup popped back into her mind, but she brushed it off.I just mentioned my ex, I’m sure he would mention his too.
“Well, that is just sad.Cooking and baking can be so therapeutic and fun.”Paige elbowed him playfully.“I did a lot of baking after my breakup.It helped me think and process.”
“Eh, I don’t feel like I’m missing much,” Carter replied with a sarcastic smile.
“Well, that settles it then,” Paige blurted out.“We’re baking cookies.”
“Finally a Christmas activity I can fully support,” he teased.
Paige finished her last slice in a couple more bites and immediately got to work getting the leftover pizza in the fridge, putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, and gathering up all the ingredients for cookies.Thankfully, the oven was already preheated from the pizza.
Carter stood around the island awkwardly.Man, he really never spends time in a kitchen, Paige thought to herself.
After a minute, he started wiping some crumbs into his hand.Paige couldn’t help but smile at his attempt to help clean up.
“So,” she started, “what is the one meal you make?”
He hesitated.“You need to promise not to make fun of me for this.”
“You have my word,” she said mockingly, holding her hands to her heart.
“Pancakes.”His tone was completely serious.
“Pancakes?Twisty.Why pancakes?”
“Well,” he started, “that’s the only thing my dad taught me to make.To be fair, it was the only thingheknew how to make.But when I say they are the best pancakes ...”His voice trailed off.
Was.Past tense.
“Okay, so what makes these pancakes so special?”she asked, genuinely curious about how pancakes could possibly differ that much from one batch to another.
“It’s all in the little things,” he said.He looked like he was drifting off into a memory.“Sure, there are some unique ingredients, but it’s about the order you put them in the bowl, how fast you whisk them together, when you flip the pancake.Most people don’t give these a second thought, but they matter.”
She had to try to keep her composure.If this sensitive guy standing across from her was the Carter that had showed up to the roommate interview that day, or the Carter that had moved into her condo a few weeks ago, she would surely have fallen head over heels by now.
“That’s actually pretty interesting,” she said.“Your dad ...wasa smart guy?”She turned the statement into a question in an effort to learn more about Carter’s past.
“Yeah, he was.He died five years ago,” Carter said, confirming her suspicions.“Car accident.”
