Chapter Four #2
She had an hour before she had to start on Jared’s lunch. Unless he wanted mac and cheese instead. With extra breadcrumbs.
Just the way he liked it.
Heavens, Bella. Don’t be a nitwit.
After a thirty-minute visit, Jared bid farewell to Johnna.
She was a friend and neighbor, but at times she pushed a little too hard, and he always tried setting her straight without hurting her feelings.
It had been sweet of her to cook him a meal and to offer to help with Christmas decorating.
But ever since his breakup with his ex, he’d pretty much given up on the holidays.
He related Christmas to Helene. It hadn’t been pretty the night he’d found out she’d betrayed him and taken him for a fool.
They’d been planning a Christmas wedding before everything had blown up in his face.
This year, Marie had insisted on decorations to boost everyone’s spirits. He’d had his crew get started on the exterior of the house, but he had yet to do anything inside.
His phone rang and Jared lowered himself slowly into a chair to take the call. “Hey, Coop.”
“Hey. How’s it going? What are you doing?”
“It’s going okay. Actually, I just said goodbye to Johnna. She stopped by for a visit, brought me a dish of food.”
“Nice of her. Did you tell her you have a new chef cooking in your kitchen?”
“Actually, I didn’t have to. She met Bella and Sienna outside.”
“How did she take it?”
“Take what?”
“Nothing, bro. Just that she’s had her eyes on you for a while.”
“She’s just being neighborly.”
“Neighborly? Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
“Okay, I hear you. But I’m not interested.”
“You haven’t seriously dated anyone in two years. Maybe it’s time to jump back into the pool.”
“Or maybe I’ll never swim again.”
“No, but you could try putting your foot in the water to see how it feels.”
“If I did that, a gator would come along and chomp my toes off.”
Cooper laughed. “Okay, okay. I get it. Listen, the reason I’m calling, aside from going over some budgeting issues with you, is that Lauren would really like to see you and your new personnel. How’s it working out with her so far?”
“Bella is very talented and having them here hasn’t been a problem. I hardly see them, except in the kitchen during mealtime.”
“That’s good news. Marie seems to be lighter on her feet these days, too. She really needed the break. It’s a win-win.”
“Yep, took me almost dying to figure that conundrum out.”
“Don’t joke about that. Your accident shaved years off my life.”
Jared sighed. “I...know. I’m sorry about that. No more jokes, I promise.”
“I’d rather you promise you’re not going to be reckless with your life. That’s the real promise I want from you.”
“I’m not reckless, bro. I know my boundaries.
And I’m living my life my way.” Hell, their father had died at a very young age, his life cut short by illness.
It made Jared realize that he needed to live his life fully, do the things he yearned to do and experience life on his own terms, without fear, without regret.
Carpe diem had sunk into his skull. Each and every day he was living his life to the fullest. That was why being laid up was wrestling with his patience.
“If you say so.” Cooper didn’t sound convinced. “Listen, can we invite ourselves over on Friday night, if you’re up to company?”
“Sure thing. Come for dinner and you can taste Bella’s cooking.”
“Sounds good, thanks. Now, are you up for a talk about next year’s budget for the ranch?”
“Yeah, I will be as soon as I get over to the computer.”
“Why don’t you call me back when you’re ready?”
“I’m slow, Coop. Not totally useless. Hang on. It’ll just take me a minute.”
“Sure. I’m glad to see you’re back to being a pain in the ass. Means you’re feeling a lot better.”
“Funny, Coop. Real funny.”
Bella’s eyes popped open and she glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand.
Yep, 2:00 a.m. She’d gone to bed at ten and four hours was all the sleep goddesses allowed her these days.
While her insomnia could be her downfall, she decided long ago that rather than lie in bed and toss and turn for hours, she would get up and do the thing she loved.
The baby slept beside her, all nice and snuggled up tight under the covers, her little head resting on a pillow.
Bella bent down and blew an air kiss over her forehead.
Sweet girl, she mouthed softly before gently sliding off the bed.
She checked the video camera set on Sienna—the most valuable invention for a busy mom—and then donned a loose-fitting shift.
Tiptoeing out of the room, holding the video monitor, she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen.
Turning on the light, she set the video monitor on the counter and gave it a glance.
Thankfully, Sienna was sound asleep, looking extremely peaceful.
Bella sighed and began taking items out of the fridge and cabinets.
She had an idea for a wonderful low-cal pizza, but it needed a bit of testing first.
She grabbed a head of cauliflower and quartered it using the chef knife from her new set she was still embarrassed about accepting.
Next, she began grating a chunk of cauliflower against a stainless-steel box grater, and tiny pieces of the veggie showered down, covering the cutting board like fallen snow.
Just as she was picking up her second quartered piece, Jared walked in, his eyes blinking against the kitchen lights.
He wore a pair of jeans. Period. They hugged his waist below the naval and showed off a washboard chest. Bruises caught her eye for a second, but the beauty of his physique wasn’t lost on her, either.
He padded farther into the kitchen. “Hi,” he mumbled, sleepy-eyed.
“Gosh, I hope I didn’t wake you, Jared.”
“That would mean I was sleeping.” His mouth crooked up in a smile.
“You weren’t?”
“No. I, uh... No. I toss and turn some nights. I figured I’d get up and get something to eat.”
“Are you hungry at this hour?”
“A little.”
“What can I get you?” She dropped what she was doing and came around the kitchen island.
Jared glanced at her shorty-short shift and then at her legs and suddenly she felt self-conscious. Especially when she could hardly keep her focus on his face while he was standing there bare-chested, his hair mussed, looking quite appealing in a devilish sort of way.
“Nothing. I’ll just grab some bread and make a sandwich.”
“I’ll get it for you,” she said, brushing by him.
He gently clamped a hand around her wrist and pulled her back a bit. She turned to find Jared’s eyes on her, felt the warmth of his hand covering hers. “You’re off the clock, Bella. You don’t need to wait on me day and night.”
His eyes were soft, his voice tender. And suddenly she was fully aware of Jared Stone, a sensation sweeping through her so raw, so impossibly alluring, that she lost her voice for a second.
He bent his head a little to get her full attention. Little did he know he already had it.
“Okay?”
She swallowed and nodded.
“So, what are you doing here?” he asked, letting go of her hand.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “I have trouble sleeping, so I use this time to come down and test out some recipes. Don’t worry, I eat my mistakes. So there’s no food going to waste.”
He smiled and sat on a stool at the counter. “Go on with what you’re doing. Since I can’t sleep anyway, do you mind if I watch?”
“Oh, uh, sure.” She couldn’t kick him out of his own kitchen. Not that she wanted to, but she wasn’t about to analyze why that was. “I can’t imagine it’s all that interesting, but I don’t mind.”
She went back to her workstation and glanced at the video monitor. Sienna rolled over, but was still fast asleep.
Jared caught her eye and raised his brows in question.
“I keep an eye on Sienna while she’s sleeping. This way if she wakes up, I’ll know about it immediately. Lucky for me, she usually sleeps through the night.”
“I imagine that monitor is pretty darn handy.”
“It is. I’m sure a worried mom invented it.”
He laughed. “Probably. So what are you experimenting with?”
“Cauliflower-crust pizza.”
Jared made a face. “What?”
“Yes, cauliflower. It’s the new kale.”
He shook his head.
“It’s very healthy for you, low in calories and...well, has many uses. Do you like cauliflower?”
He shrugged. “I suppose, but it’s not one of my favorites.”
“Well then, you’re a good one to experiment on.”
“Maybe I should go back to bed.” But then he winked and smiled, and Bella relaxed as he leaned his arms on the counter to watch her. Keeping her eyes down on her task, she pretended not to notice his biceps, broad shoulders and muscled chest, but she was aware. Oh, boy, was she aware.
She finished grating the cauliflower and then poured it into the food processor, tossing in minced garlic, oregano and basil.
She pulsed it for a few seconds, added one egg and decided to also add in a few tablespoons of almond flour she’d found in the pantry.
A few more seconds of pulsing to bind it all together and she hoped she’d have a delicious beginning to her low-cal pizza.
She was beginning to roll out the dough when Jared got up and left the room. She looked up just in time to find Jared walking back into the room, gently pushing his arms into the sleeves of his shirt. His expression faltered but he managed it all on his own.
“You’re doing better,” she stated while writing down her recipe in her binder.
“A little bit each day, but yeah.”
“I’m glad,” she said, feeling his gaze on her.
“So what do you put on this pizza exactly?” he asked.
“Anything you like. Why don’t you look in the fridge and bring me some things you’d like on the pizza. I’ve got mozzarella here.”