Page 29 of Laying His Claim
“Huh. We think alike. Did you really not expect me to know what’s going on in your head?” Then she patted his cheek and gave her trademark smile, a beautiful, feminine version of his own. “I’m not going to torment you anymore, Big Brother. Let’s drop it, okay?”
“Okay,” he said gratefully.
“And since our parents were kind enough to provide this exemplary bottle of Scotch for our consumption, what do you say we make the best use of it? Maybe we could watch a movie.” She picked up the TV remote, turned it on, and started clicking.
Justin poured them each another shot and then carefully put the bottle away. It wouldn’t do any good to let stress cause him to overdo it. “I’ll watch a movie with you on one condition.”
“What’s that?” she answered, not looking up, still clicking.
“That you don’t torment me with any of your ghastly rom-coms.”
She pretended to be outraged. “Rom-coms? Me? Give me a good slasher movie any day.”
“That sounds more like it,” he agreed, and settled in next to her.
Chapter 11
Jalissa was surprised to discover that she had no need for a recipe. The duck meat was marinating in a blend of Dijon mustard and white wine. It would be ready to sauté in half an hour. The portobello mushrooms for the risotto were plump and fresh, and as she set about slicing them, she felt a vaguely familiar sense of excitement. The kitchen had become a place of quiet pleasure for her, where she’d begun to challenge herself day by day. She remembered finding the array of fine, expensive cooking implements and pots among her possessions in the storage container. She could sense that deep in her chest beat the heart of a great cook. The problem was that she couldn’t remember any of it. Not working as a chef, not going to culinary school, nothing.
There was the sound of a limo pulling up in the driveway, and she raced to the window to look out. Her heart beat double time when she realized it was Justin, back from his trip to his family in Ottawa. Glancing at the clock, Jalissa noted that he was more than an hour early. She’d been hoping to greet him with a fully cooked meal, but she was glad he was here. Smoothing down her apron and quickly making sure her hair was in place, she hurried to the door.
Look at me,she thought,getting all flustered! What is this man doing to me?
She put her hand on the doorknob at the same time he did, and there was a funny bit of push-and-pull before it opened. There he was, tall and handsome, and she had to resist the urge to throw her arms around him and welcome him home. Instead, she stood there, grinning idiotically, until it occurred to her that maybe she should step aside and let him in.
“Hi.” He smiled down at her.
“Hi, Justin.” She smiled back.
He glanced around. “Where’s Seb? Is he okay?”
Was there was a note of worry in his voice? Was he was concerned that she hadn’t been taking care of him properly? “He’s fine,” she said firmly. “He’s upstairs with the nanny.” She couldn’t bring herself to voice that treacherous woman’s name. Over the past couple of days, the two of them steadfastly avoided each other, meeting only to exchange custody of Sebastian. Jalissa had insisted that all practicalities, from bathing to feeding to changing diapers, were her job. She only relinquished him at times like these, when she was in the kitchen, which was clearly a dangerous place for a crawling child.
“I’ll go say hi.” He held up a large package. “I got him a gift.”
The package was bulky and awkwardly wrapped, but even so, she could see what it was. “You bought him adrum?Did you also buy earplugs for us?” she joked.
“Remind me to pick up a few pairs in the morning,” he joked back, heading inside and loosening his tie as he did so.
Jalissa returned to the kitchen and busied herself. She got the meat going and then started on the risotto. When Justin came back, he had showered, and in the place of his business suit, was wearing well-worn jeans and a light gray polo shirt that set off his eyes. He drifted into the kitchen, sniffing the air. “Something smells amazing. Did you have dinner delivered?”
She punched him on the arm. “Delivery? I’ve been slaving away at making you a top-notch dinner, you beast!”
Instead of smiling, he looked concerned. “Have you really? Do you think that’s okay for you to do? Are you tired? Are you dizzy?”
She loved that he was concerned for her, but she didn’t want him getting over-protective. “I’m fine.”
“Let me do it. Pull up a chair and I’ll finish.”
“I’m fine, Justin!” she insisted. “It’s been two months since I woke up. I’m getting stronger every day. Let me do this.”
He reached for a chef’s knife and held it in an almost cartoonish ‘I’m ready’ pose. “Okay, but I get to help. What are we making?”
Proudly, Jalissa led him through the dishes one by one. “Canard à la moutarde à l’ancienne,portobello risotto, petit pois, and a wilted-spinach salad.”
His brows shot up. “Duck? That’s a rarity. Is it a special occasion? IknowI didn’t forget your birthday.”
The implied compliment made her flush. “No, I just wanted to make you something nice.”
