Page 71 of Always Red (Chasing Red 2)

I reached for a solid package of meat as big as my bicep. “This?”

“Why not?”

“Maybe I should get two in case I screw this one up.”

“In that case,” he said, smirking, “grab three.”

I thought about it for a second. “You’re right.”

It took an hour and a half to find everything on my list, and Cameron bitched all the way back to my apartment. By the time I found all the pots and pans I needed, Cameron had set out the meat in the sink and was sucking on a beer.

“Dude, it’s supposed to look like this.” I showed him a picture of the lasagna. “How come the meat looks different in the picture?”

He leaned against the counter. “Maybe you should put it in a blender.”

“You think so?” I asked.

He gestured with his beer. “How else are you going to make it look like that?”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Do you have a blender?”

“Do I look like I own a blender?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “Totally.”

“Let’s go to the store and buy one.”

“You’re on your own, bud.” He placed the empty beer in the recycling. “Gotta go.” He walked to the door.

“Pussy.”

He turned around and gave me the finger before disappearing through the door.

Maybe I should cut it into small pieces.

What in the hell was I thinking? I should call in and order.

But then an image of Red’s lips curving into that beautiful smile pushed me on. I searched for a recipe on the internet and got to work.

An hour later, I’d lost count of how many times I had cut my fingers. Great clouds of smoke billowed from the oven. I shut it off quickly and turned on the exhaust system. I’d possibly burned my hair, and the damned smoke detector was shrieking. Coughing my lungs out, I ran a towel under cold water, dragged a chair to the smoke detector, and covered the damned thing with the towel until it shut up.

This was an epic fail. Time for plan B.

I called Kara.

* * *

Today was the last day of Red’s finals. Finally.

It made me so happy when she called me as soon as she stepped out of her last exam, excitedly telling me how well she did. Then apologizing that she couldn’t see me tonight because she was working. I grinned and kept my mouth shut because she had no idea what was coming.

It had taken a lot of planning to make sure everything was in order. I needed to make tonight perfect for my girl.

The Nuit Étoilée Tree House was located outside the city. It was far, but I kept thinking about Red’s dreams of having a bookstore/café someday. I’d love to take her everywhere, show her everything, help her in any way I could. Maybe visiting a few bookstores and cafés would give her ideas for her own. I could even talk to the owner, and maybe Red could apprentice here if she wished.

Nuit Étoilée Tree House was tucked in the middle of a small forest, surrounded by a circle of ancient trees that were as tall and thick as buildings. Inside the circle were smaller trees that housed in their branches charming huts connected by wooden bridges so that people could walk from one hut to the next.

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