Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
The last few days had been easygoing. Being a personal chef really wasn’t hard at all. Remedie was such an organized person, which made her job smoother.
She put the finishing touches on the gigantic Philly cheesesteak sandwich, homemade fries, and ranch before sending Nico a text that his dinner was ready.
After wiping down the center island of his magnificent kitchen, she grabbed the plate and walked into the dining room where Nico had just sat down.
She giggled. He always came running when she told him his food was ready.
“What you laughing at, girl?” he asked with a gleam in his eyes.
“You.” She placed the plate in front of him, and he groaned dramatically.
“This shit looks so good, cookie.”
“You say that every time.” She playfully nudged him but secretly loved that he loved her food so much. Ever since she left his mom’s and saw how she threw down in the kitchen, she worried she didn’t have what it took to keep his tastebuds and stomach satisfied.
Nico hadn’t been playing. His mom was the best cook she had ever encountered, and that said a lot for her. She had some of the top chefs in Ellwood for instructors when she was in school, and then she worked alongside them when she graduated. None of them had anything on Ms. Joyce Graves.
When Nico finally pried his eyes off his plate, he looked at her first. She noticed that he always gave her his attention.
She didn’t know how to feel about that. He’d made it clear that he wanted her as more than just a personal chef, but she didn’t know how deep that ran.
Did he just want some pussy? What did he really want from her? She couldn’t really be sure.
“Where’s your plate?”
Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. “I need to finish cleaning the kitchen and then prep for your breakfast tomorrow—”
“Stop playin’ wit’ me and go grab your plate. I don’t know why we gotta go through this with every meal.”
Remedie balled her lips up but turned to do as she was told.
He insisted they eat every meal together.
He’d told her he didn’t like the thought of her cooking for him and then eating alone.
As much as she tried to play like she didn’t want to share meals with him, she knew that was a damn lie.
She actually looked forward to those times every single day.
After fixing her plate, she walked back into the dining room and found Nico scrolling on his phone, his food untouched.
“You could have started without me.” Another mini argument they had every day. He refused to take a bite to eat until she sat right next to him with her own food.
He simply glared at her before holding his hand out. “Am I saying grace or are you tonight?”
Remedie squirmed. She wasn’t too deep into the religious stuff. She never had anyone to really show her the way when it came to God. She oftentimes found herself naturally talking to Him, but that was all in her head. She had yet to say a prayer out loud with anyone present to hear.
She liked that Nico wasn’t shy about what he believed in. She could tell he got that from Joyce. She insisted they pray before their meal at her house too. Spending time with them allowed her mind to wonder what it would have been like to grow up with a mother.
She shooed the depressing thoughts away and offered Nico a smile. “You go ahead.”
She also loved that he never judged her. He simply nodded, bowed his head, and prayed.
When he finished, they dug into their food, Nico much more enthusiastically than her. Remedie’s mind wandered. There was so much she didn’t know about Nico, yet she lived with him and saw him every day. Questions swarmed her mind every time they sat down to eat together.
“Go ahead.” His voice startled her out of her thoughts.
“What?”
“Go ahead and ask your question. You always do while we eat.”
She giggled. She didn’t realize she’d gotten so predictable. The way Nico paid attention to her and her habits was new to her. The only person who knew her that well was Isla, but Nico was well on his way to surpassing her best friend in the Remedie knowledge department.
“How do you keep a relationship with God when you beat people up for a living . . . illegally, I might add.” That question had plagued her for the past day or so.
She’d seen glimpses of some of his old fights during his study sessions, when she walked by.
She always looked away quickly, but she got the gist.
“How is doing it illegally any different from doing it legally? It ain’t like I’m beating niggas up who ain’t ask for it.”
Remedie shrugged. She guessed he had a point. She picked at her food for a second before she asked, “Do underground fights ever go too far?”
She noticed Nico stiffen. “What you mean, cookie?” he asked before he took a bite of his sandwich.
Her shoulders bobbed once again. “Like, does anyone ever get seriously injured or die?”
Nico took his time chewing before he answered. “It happens.”
“Have you ever done that to anyone? Hurt them real bad or killed them?”
“You really wanna know the answer to that?”
The way he said it kind of gave her the answer she sought. Instead of digging deeper into that, she changed the subject. “You got any friends besides your brother?”
Nico shook his head. “Niggas is weird. Gramps and Ree are all I need for real.”
“Yeah, niggas really are weird,” she agreed before popping a fry into her mouth.
Nico playfully cut his eyes at her. “Aye, watch it. Not all niggas is weird.”
“I agreed with you. How you gon’ switch up just because I said the same thing you said?” she asked after a giggle slipped past her lips.
“’Cause, you not about to use that to keep that wall you got up standing strong. I ain’t one of them weird ones.”
Remedie waved him off. “Please. I met you when you were trying to convince a big ugly bitch to give you head. That sounds weird to me.”
Nico dramatically placed a hand over his heart. “You bringing up old shit?”
“That wasn’t even a week ago,” she pointed out.
“Exactly. Old shit. That was before I met you. I’m a changed man.” He offered her his dazzling smile, and she rolled her eyes, though she felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. He seemed to have that effect on her, which she really wasn’t sure she appreciated.
After Zayden, men disgusted her. She wanted to be single and stack her money. Nico seemed to have other ideas.
“Whatever.”
“I’m serious. When you gon’ stop playin’ hard to get?”
“I’m not playing, Nico. I am hard to get. You see what I just went through. Last thing I want to do is get into another situation like that.”
Nico stared at her for several seconds without blinking. She squirmed under his gaze.
“You really think fuckin’ with me would be the same as fuckin’ with that bum ass dirty nigga?”
“Well . . . no—”
“So why you say that shit?”
She could tell he wasn’t mad. It was just like Joyce said the other day. He saw something and went for it. He was trying to figure her out, and that scared Remedie. Opening her heart up again felt equivalent to jumping out of a plane, and she was terrified of heights.
She expelled a long breath. “I didn’t mean it would be the same. I’m just not ready to be in a relationship right now.”
Nico sat back in his chair. He stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully before he responded. “I get that. I ain’t tryna rush you, but I do need you to know I fuck with you heavy.”
“But why? You haven’t even known me a week and you already moved me into your house.”
“As my personal chef. Not as my woman.” He pointed out the obvious.
“True, but still. Answer the question. Why do you fuck with me so heavy when you don’t even know me for real? How you know I’m not a crazy bitch?”
“Oh, you for sure crazy.” He grinned when he saw her getting irritated.
She swore he lived for pushing her buttons.
“Okay, for real. I don’t really know how to say this shit without scaring you away, so I’m just gon’ say this.
I feel connected to you. You probably feel it, too, but you’re too stubborn to say so.
I’m tryna court you and shit, but you makin’ it hard.
I respect that you don’t want to be in a relationship right now.
I don’t want that shit either until you’re ready, but what’s wrong wit’ lettin’ me take you on a few dates? ”
She did feel the connection, and he was right. She was too stubborn to say so. She felt it the moment she laid eyes on him. This all seemed crazy and rushed, but she couldn’t pull away, even if she wanted to. Nico had her hooked, though she didn’t feel she could tell him that. Not yet anyway.
“I don’t know how to answer that.”
“You probably scared you’ll fall in love,” he teased before finishing off his sandwich.
Her face scrunched up. Not because he was wrong, but because he was right. “Not even,” she lied.
He chuckled. “Aight, let’s bet on it, then, since you’re so sure.
You let me take you on dates and court you like I want to.
Drop yo’ guard and stop playin’ so tough all the time.
If you fall in love, then you have to admit it and be honest, and after that, ain’t shit that can stop me from making you my girl.
If you don’t, then I’ll leave you alone. ”
She couldn’t believe he wanted to put a bet on her heart. “You’re dead ass right now?”
He shrugged as he cheesed all in her face. “What you got to lose, cookie?”
She thought about it. She really had nothing to lose aside from her sanity if love let her down again, but as she looked at Nico, something in her told her to take the leap of faith. Besides, if she didn’t fall in love, she would have his word that he would leave her alone.
Bitch, you’re already halfway in love with this man. You’re delusional.
She ignored the rational part of her brain and chose to remain in delulu-ville for now. She stuck her hand out to him so they could shake on it. Everything about this felt exhilarating and reckless, but a part of her craved the excitement.
“Bet.”
He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. Chills ran up her spine, and goosebumps filled her flesh. Finally, he shook her hand with the wickedest grin on his face that let her know he wasn’t about to let up on her one bit. “Bet.”