Page 7 of Bidding on a Second Chance
“You’ve got the ingredients for risotto.”
She gulped visibly and eyed him, as if to judge the sincerity of his apology. “I haven’t had risotto since …” She swallowed again. “In years.”
She hadn’t had it since he’d last made it for her, then.
Carrying the dog under his arm, he returned to the kitchen. He’d do Piper the favor of wearing out the dog while he worked. Hopefully, Bryce would wander in before the meal was finished. He’d have a quick talk with the boy about helping around the house, and then he’d be out of Piper’s life again. For good this time.
ChapterFour
Hearing but not being able to see Graham in the kitchen made Piper’s good leg bounce. Was there an inconspicuous way to move to the couch? He sure was telling the dog to sit a lot, but his voice was forever patient. Usually, after he said the command, he waited a moment, said, “Good dog,” and then she’d hear a crunch or two.
Among the beats of their never-ending cycle, she heard cabinet doors, pans, the oven, and the microwave. He chopped something. When the sizzle and aroma of bacon rose, she couldn’t resist any longer. She wrested her sore body from the armchair.
Graham appeared at the door, a glistening wooden spoon in hand. Teddy trotted at his heels, watching the spoon like it was a magic wand about to make all his dreams come true. “Did you need something?”
A better view. “An ice pack.”
“I’ll get it. Sit.”
Teddy licked his chops and obeyed the command. Choking on the cuteness, she motioned. Graham turned, and his burst of laughter brought the puppy to his feet. He took a piece of kibble from a small pile on the counter and passed it to the dog before retrieving the ice pack.
She settled on the couch, her bad foot on the cushions with the ice balanced on top.
Graham stood at the stove, the muscles of his shoulder blade shifting against his shirt as he stirred. Teddy stared up at him, looking every bit the stuffed animal Graham had said he appeared to be. The pair should not look that adorable or that well-suited to her kitchen.
This was not good.
She lowered her focus to her phone and texted Lucy.
Graham found out about the accident. He’s insisting on taking care of me until someone else arrives. Tell me you’re on your way!
Even as she sent it, she knew Lucy wasn’t. If she’d gone this long without responding to any of Piper’s messages, it meant some poor animal needed Lucy’s help even more than Piper did. After all, Piper’s biggest problem was the attractive—albeit frustrated—man in her kitchen, cooking for her and training her puppy.
The back door creaked. Piper checked the time. Of course her nephew had to be early tonight, of all nights. Plodding footsteps sounded on the stairs in the back hall. Bryce stepped into the kitchen, his look of confusion quickly transforming into betrayal when he recognized the man at the stove.
Graham, however, smiled. “Bryce, just the guy I wanted to see.” At a pop, he turned his attention back to the risotto. He poured in a little more water and stirred. “Hungry?”
“No.” But Bryce’s eyes fixed on the pan. The aromas of bacon and onion could make a stick figure’s mouth water. The plan had been for Bryce to come home for dinner. He wouldn’t have eaten with the Snowdens, and the risotto had to tempt him.
She opened her mouth to intervene before something rude popped out of her nephew’s mouth, but Graham stepped into Bryce’s line of sight. “Your aunt was in an accident, and her foot was hurt. She’s going to need a lot of help these next few weeks.”
“Not from you.”
“I guess that leaves you, then.” Graham spoke with the same unflappable calm he’d used with Teddy. “This puppy needs someone to play with and take him outside and train him. Do you think you can handle that?”
Bryce eyed Teddy, who patrolled the edge of the stove for fallen bacon. More than half the reason they’d gotten the puppy had been Bryce’s begging and his promises to help with everything Graham had listed. Her nephew’s distaste lessened until he returned his focus to Graham. “You don’t belong here.”
Once again, Piper took a breath to tell Bryce to mind his manners, but then Graham spoke, voice still even and calm—but firm. “Piper loves you, and she does a lot for you. The least you could do—”
“If it weren’t for you, no one would have to do anything for me.” Bryce made a break for the stairs.
“Bryce.” The ice pack tumbled to the ground as Piper rose, but the boy was already gone. To think she’d hoped interacting with Graham would smooth over some of Bryce’s hard feelings about Ryan’s incarceration.
His door slammed.
She put her bad foot down, but shooting pain made her lift it again. For balance, she leaned her knee on the couch. “I’m sorry, but you should go. I’ll talk to him.”
Graham let out a long, slow breath, peering after her nephew. Finally, he angled the handle of the spoon toward her. “Add the water a little at a time. Stir constantly. When all the water is absorbed, this is done.”
