Chapter Ten Leo #2
“I fucking love fish, especially salmon. I probably eat it four to five times a week.”
“It’s a good source of protein, so that makes sense.”
“Me and protein make sense?”
Nodding, Drea replied, “Because of how built you are.”
I wagged my brows. “Are you complimenting my body?”
“Once again, you’re impossible. Stating the obvious that you spend a lot of time in the gym isn’t the same as complimenting your body.”
Motioning to the pan, I teased, “Okay, sassy, why don’t you get yourself to work at something other than flapping your jaws?”
Before she could go off on me, I handed her a stick of butter. “Melt that.”
Eyeing the stick, she asked, “The whole thing?”
“Yes. But you want to cut it up some.”
As I handed her a knife, Drea muttered, “Okay.”
Although her expression was uncertain, she unwrapped the butter and then cut it into cubes in the pan. “Should I stir it?”
“When it starts melting.”
While I gathered the spinach and tomatoes, Drea gave the butter her undivided attention. “Now add some heavy cream.”
At her panicked expression, I motioned to the red carton on the counter. “Right.”
She started pouring a creamy river into the pan before I could reach for her wrist. “Easy now. The salmon are already dead, so we don’t have to drown them.”
“You know I’m fucking clueless,” she huffed.
“Everyone is fucking clueless until they learn,” I argued.
With an exasperated huff, she asked, “What now?”
“You add your spinach and your cut cherry tomatoes.” This time I put them in the pan. “Now stir.”
As she stirred, I added garlic and the Italian seasoning. “How do we know when it’s done?” she asked.
“You want your spinach to be wilted and the tomatoes cooked.”
Drea’s expression turned panicked. “Seriously? But I have no idea what wilted spinach looks like. Not to mention a cooked tomato.”
When I chuckled, she shot me a hostile look. “Sorry. There’s no reason to lose your shit. I’m here to help, remember.”
“I just don’t like making mistakes.”
“You being a perfectionist doesn’t surprise me.”
“It doesn’t?”
Shaking my head, I replied, “It seems ingrained into most mafia children, especially daughters.”
Drea nodded. “Exactly. You have to look perfect and act perfect, so you can attract the best marriage contract. You can’t weigh too much, but you’re also expected to have curves to please your husband.”
Sticking my foot in my mouth, I said, “You knocked it out of the park in the curves department.”
Drea gasped as the spoon dropped from her fingers to clatter noisily on the side of the pan. I held up my hands. “That just slipped. I’m not used to hanging out with a female I’m not…”
“Fucking?” Drea suggested with a condescending air.
“You make it sound so dirty.”
“Like you’re not a dirty dog,” she muttered as she grabbed a paper towel.
I snorted. “I’ve been called a lot of things, but that’s a first.”
“Cane sproco,” she said, the corners of her lips quirking.
With a wink, I said, “Nice way of driving home the point by saying it in Italian.”
“I thought the translations might differ in Sicilian.”
“Father forced us to learn Italian for business matters.”
“That makes sense.” She flicked her attention back to the pan. “Hey, the spinach looks wilty, I think.”
I laughed. “You’re right. It is.”
“What about the tomatoes?”
“Notice the wrinkly skin?” At her nod, I said, “That’s how you can tell they’re done.”
Her face lit up. “I actually figured it out.”
“Try not to get too cocky. We’re not done yet.”
That fiery look flashed in her eyes. “Fine. What now?”
“Now we’re going to do something called ‘deglazing’ the pan.”
As I poured the chicken broth into the hot pan, it sizzled. Looking up, Drea stared expectantly at what I was doing. “Even though it’s called deglazing, it’s just a fancy way of saying pour some cool liquid into a hot pan.”
“Interesting.”
Urging her on, I said, “Now stir because you want to get all the bits off the bottom.”
Cocking her head at me, she asked, “Where did you learn to cook?”
“Our family nanny, Talia, taught all of my siblings. Usually on nights when our parents were away. Talia said that while being able to feed yourself is survival, feeding others is a way to humble yourself. More than anything, she didn’t want me and my siblings to grow up to be a bunch of selfish assholes. ”
With a genuine smile, Drea said, “Talia sounds like our nanny, Vittoria. She’s always tried humanizing us.”
My chest ached when the smile faded from her face. I hated it whenever she appeared in pain.
“It makes me think of the psychology class I took this year. The whole nature vs. nurture thing. As hard as she tried to nurture Aurelio and Antonio, their nature won out.”
“Like Talia with my siblings and me, the cards were stacked against Vittoria. But she did a hell of a job with you.”
Drea’s cheeks warmed. “Thank you, Leo.”
With a wink, I added, “Like my sister, Caterina, Talia couldn’t overcome her sassy mouth just like Vittoria couldn’t with you.”
Jerking her chin at me, Drea said, “If Caterina had to deal with you for twenty-four-seven, I see why she turned out sassy.”
I threw back my head with a laugh. “Touche.”
As I reached past her to grab the shredded parmesan, she unexpectedly turned, causing her hand to graze my crotch. At my hiss, she once again dropped the spoon, sending sauce splattering over the two of us.
“Fuck,” she muttered as I grunted.
Desperate to move away from the awkwardness, I shoved the bag of Parmesan at her. “Sprinkle this on top and then add some more cream.” With a pointed look, I added, “Don’t drown it this time.”
“Yes, Chef Neretti,” she sassed.
Apparently, she wasn’t too mortified if she could still give me sass. While she poured the cream, I took up the pasta that had been boiling. After easing the salmon fillets back in the sauce, I nodded at Drea.
“Let’s eat.”