Chapter 8 #2
In the hour it took to bring my boxes inside and get them mostly unpacked, the only thing that reminded me I wasn’t alone was the delicious smell coming from the kitchen.
Meat. Butter. Bread. All the scents that made the best meals.
My mouth was already watering as I placed the last of my clothes into the dresser.
I quickly broke down my boxes and put them in the closet, saving them for when I moved back to my place in three months. Neat. Tidy. Efficient.
With all that done, I cleaned up and came back out to the living room. The smells were even better out here, and the mouthwatering sizzle coming from the stove made my stomach rumble. I never said no to a good meal, not even one made by my worst enemy. My plush belly was a testament to that.
She glanced over at me as she worked, the open smile on her face making my heart pound. She never smiled like that around me. Was this what she looked like at Blissful Bites? I always assumed she paid people to do the baking for her. But that focused, almost excited look on her face said otherwise.
“It’s almost ready,” she said, wiping her hands with a towel. “Take a seat.”
The dining table was set with a bottle of wine, a vase of red roses, and all black dishes complimented by the golden silverware.
I would expect to see a setting like this at an expensive restaurant, laid out to celebrate someone’s anniversary.
The roses made it feel intimate, as if she planned this in advance.
Did she?
With that pleased grin still on her face, Jade brought over our plates and placed mine in front of me as I sat down.
A steak browned in butter. A small plop of mashed potatoes covered in a creamy sauce.
And steamed vegetables beside them. The final touch was a piece of chocolate cake, topped with fresh strawberries.
This was the kind of meal you made for your wife when you really wanted to suck on her tits all night.
That cake looked really good though.
“What is this?” Her eyebrows raised, her hands already reaching for the wine bottle. “Steak. Roses. Wine. Chocolate.”
Chuckling under her breath, she poured me a glass of white wine, and then poured some for herself. “It’s Valentine’s Day, Daphne.” She sat down across from me, placing a cloth napkin over her lap.
“We are hardly each others’ valentines.”
“Maybe. If you can’t stomach the thought of eating a meal with me on Valentine’s Day, then just think of it as a thank you present.”
A thank you present somehow had worse implications than a romantic dinner. That would mean we were doing favors for each other now. But… I kind of was, wasn’t I? Agreeing to live with her wasn’t for my benefit.
As much as I disliked all of this, it was nice, seeing so much effort being put into a meal for me.
She cooked. She set the table. She even made dessert.
I couldn’t remember the last time someone did something like this for me.
Then again, I rarely had anyone in my life important enough to eat dinner with.
My steak was cooked to perfection, with a zest of flavors mixed in with the butter. The tender, juicy meat all but melted in my mouth. The vegetables and mashed potatoes were just as savory.
“You may have missed your calling,” I said quietly, mostly to myself. She perked up when she heard me, her eyebrow raised as a silent question. “This is delicious. Why open a bakery when you can cook like this?”
Smiling, she brought her wineglass to her lips, taking a delicate sip before answering. “I wouldn’t be the one cooking if I owned a restaurant. People expect a chef with a reputation. At least at Blissful Bites, I can bake our products myself.”
Fair.
“Still,” I countered, sliding the last spoonful of mashed potatoes between my lips. The combination of salty, buttery, and savory danced together on my tongue. “This is the best dinner I’ve had in a while. I’m… impressed.”
Valentine’s Day or no, this surely was a special day, because I was giving Jade Rost a compliment.
She played it off, trying not to grin too much as she stared out the window and sipped her wine.
With her hair up, a grin on her face, and her delicious dinner in my belly, it felt like a rare moment, one where we were equals.
We’d known each other for so long, but we hardly ever spent time together like this, and not just because I actively tried to avoid her.
“Why were you mad?” Pausing, her eyes darted back to me, and I felt that even playing field starting to slip away as heat licked over my skin. “Is it because I’m here?”
“Not exactly. We should finish eating. I’m sure you’re tired.” I was. But it was nagging me, how upset she still seemed underneath the smiles and compliments. I had a reason to be annoyed. I couldn’t fathom why she would be. “Try the cake.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“Fine. I’m angry because you shouldn’t have to do this at all.
” She paused, her hands tightly clutching her wine glass, a whisper of fury slipping through the facade.
“I… I was drunk when we got married. I forgot about the rules with my inheritance and getting a divorce. I didn’t want this for you.
I fought my lawyers. I pissed off my parents.
They refused to budge. All because my grandfather’s first wife ran off with his child fifty years ago. ”
Why would she go through all that for me? She could’ve just stuck out the three months in silence like I was doing.
“You didn’t…” My voice faltered yet again with her staring at me. “I’m fine. You don’t have to kick a fuss over me.”
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s not like you want to be here.”
Ouch. But accurate.
“My mom said I should just stay with you.” Jade's eyebrows lifted, and her eyes grew as curiosity replaced her anger. I wasn’t sure why I was telling her.
We were about to spend three months together.
Maybe it was better to clear the air between us.
“Apparently, my brother ruined the family with his stupid investments. My inheritance and the bakery are the only things left. If my money gets split in our divorce, it will ruin us.”
“I’m not taking your money.”
“And if I leave, you lose yours.” Sighing, I ignored the potent scent of her pheromones, as impossible as that was. Did they get stronger in the past minute? “Look, Jade. We may not be… anything to each other. But I wouldn’t do that to you.”
She tilted her head to the side, her mouth curving into a teasing grin. “I wouldn’t say we’re not anything.”
“What does that mean?”
Her eyes dipped to my lips, my neck, and further down, making the heat grow deep inside me. “We’re scent matches, Daphne. Haven’t you realized by now?”
You’ve got to be kidding me.