Page 57 of Beau
“Why?”
“Because we have to eat.” She was almost finished and had hoped to have dinner ready before he arrived.
“No, I mean why are you cooking and not Mrs. Greene?” He came up behind her and wrapped his hands around her swollen waist, his fingers immediately massaging her belly.
“I sent her home early. She was not feeling so hot, and I had a craving for this particular meal.” Turning her head, she accepted his kiss and settled back against him. The encounter with Miriam had unsettled her and it had taken the journey home for her to calm down.
“We could have ordered takeout; I don’t want you cooking.”
“When was the last time I cooked us a meal.” Lifting the spoon, she turned and held it to his mouth. “Tell me what you think. Does it need more pepper?”
He sipped from the spoon and took the time to savor.
“It’s perfect. Not too spicy. What can I do?”
“Set the table. We are eating in the kitchen.”
“Do I have time to shower and change?”
“Of course.”
He kissed her again before letting her go. “I’ll be right back.”
Turning the fire down for the sauce to simmer, she set about slicing the bread Mrs. Greene had made earlier. She would mention the encounter with Miriam in passing because she was going to have to tell him about Monique’s proposal anyway. She was not going to start an argument and have him thinking that she did not trust him.
She refused to have that bitch come between them, because that was her intention. But it haunted her to realize that Beau had discussed marriage and children with the woman.
She had arrived home and marched upstairs to take a long hot bath to soothe her tattered nerves. Coming back downstairs, she had urged the housekeeper to take the rest of the day off and had decided to cook them dinner.
He came back down looking rumpled and sexy, his hair still damp from his shower. The black sweater he had on was molded to his wide chest and clung to his shoulders. His long legs were encased in a pair of faded Levi’s. He looked so good that she had to force herself not to jump him.
“You could have waited for me to set the table. I don’t expect you to do everything by yourself.”
“I finished cooking and was at loose ends. Sit.”
He pulled out her chair before taking his place.
“How was work?”
He looked up from scooping the gumbo onto his plate. “You want to talk about my day?”
“Of course.”
“We finally got the ad campaign going for the acid reflux medication.”
“I saw it.” She handed him the basket with the bread. “It has your hands all over it. Introducing that patient from the free clinic was a genius idea.”
“Team effort.” He shrugged the compliment away, but she knew better.
“How about your day?”
She toyed with her glass of water, before lifting her eyes to his. “I was with Monique.”
He smiled and reached for his glass of water. “Baby shopping?”
“Something like that. She wants to send a team over to do the nurseries.”
His thick brows lifted. “What’s the catch?”