Before my body told me to do something I knew I shouldn’t, I took a step back. “I’m going to go shower and change.”
She swallowed hard as she nodded. “I’ll, um…I’ll find us something to eat.”
Fifteen minutes later, I headed back downstairs and heard Bella talking to Jack.
“The key to pasta, Jack, is knowing how long to cook it. Of course, it depends on the pasta as well. Linguini works best for this recipe, and your daddy just happened to have some.”
Jack barked, and I smiled.
“I like to use fresh parsley, but I think the basil will be okay. If I remember right, your daddy loves basil.”
I rubbed at the sudden pressure in my chest as I listened to Bella talk to Jack. God, I loved having her in my house. It felt so damn right. Taking in a slow, deep breath, I headed toward the kitchen. “What smells so good?”
Bella looked up from the stove and smiled. “I’m making a garlic lemon pasta. You probably smell the garlic.”
“You remembered I liked garlic.”
She giggled. “And the tub of fresh garlic in the fridge was also a giveaway. Same with the basil. You should come get some from my garden.”
“Your garden? Bella, it’s February.”
She rolled her eyes. “I have a greenhouse attached to the main barn. I’m growing some herbs, and I’ll have you know, I also have a ton of garlic.”
I winked. “I’d eat garlic on everything if I could.”
“Well, I put a healthy dose of it in your pasta.”
I watched as Bella put pasta in two bowls, then placed pieces of bread on the side. “Looks and smells delicious. You made garlic bread too?”
She smiled. “I just brushed some butter on two pieces of bread and then put it in your toaster oven. I need to get one of those, by the way.”
I glanced over at it and laughed. “Willa talked me into buying it. Works like an oven, as well, and it’s nice when it’s just me I’m cooking for.”
Sadness swept over her face but disappeared quickly. She motioned toward the table. “Shall we sit down and eat?”
“Yes, of course.”
Jack, who normally went and laid in his bed or on the sofa, settled down next to Bella. I grinned. “Looks like he’s made a new best friend. Should I be jealous?”
Bella reached down and gave Jack a quick scratch behind his ear. “He’s a sweet boy. He followed me all around the kitchen once he finished his treat. I think he ate the container it was in, though.”
I laughed. “Yeah, he likes those, and empty toilet paper rolls. I’ve got to be sneaky about throwing them away or he’ll dig through the trash. I have no idea how he knows they’re in there.”
She chuckled and reached for the pepper I kept on the table.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” I asked.
“I better not. I’m driving, and I don’t drink often.”
“Do you mind if I have a beer then?”
Bella shook her head. “I don’t mind at all.”
After getting a beer, I sat back down and we started to eat. The pasta was, as expected, delicious. “Thanks for cooking dinner—it’s really good.”
“You’re welcome. I love to cook, and it’s nice to cook for someone besides me or my folks. I think they’re getting sick of me crashing their dinners.”
“I think we need to make this a habit. Next time, I’ll cook for you.”
She smiled. “Deal.”
We ate for a minute or so in silence before Bella spoke again. “I heard Greer mention something about Kyle training his new partner.”
I nodded. “Yeah, she’s doing well. Damn thing is a klutz, though.”
Bella jutted out her lower lip in a pout, and my dick jumped in my pants. Look away from her mouth…look away.
“Aw, don’t be that way. I’m sure Jack was a little clumsy when he was little.”
Jack lifted his head and barked. I looked at him and nodded. “She didn’t mean it, buddy.”
Bella let out a roar of laughter. “Jack, I didn’t mean to offend you by suggesting such a thing.”
Jack let out another little bark, then put his head down. Bella looked at me with wide eyes.
I shrugged. “He’s sorta sensitive.”
“I see that.”
After shoving some pasta into my mouth and chewing, I asked, “How are things at the store? It seems like it’s gotten to be pretty popular, especially your baskets.”
A look of happiness spread over her face. “I do like doing the baskets. They’re fun. And the store is really doing well. Of course, we do better in the spring and summer with folks wanting to tour the apiary, but the café part of the store is getting a name for itself too. My folks aren’t as thrilled. It was hard to convince them to do the little store, and that was when the café was only going to be a simple spot to grab coffee and a sandwich. It’s grown a lot. More than I thought it would.”
“They don’t like it?”
She shrugged. “You know my mom and dad. They hate change. Just opening up the shop a few years back was a huge adjustment. When I decided to open the café, they both said I was crazy. But it’s working, and now with Candace coming on board and helping me when she can, I really think things will take off.”
“I’m happy for you, Bella. I really am. I know how much you love the apiary, and now with the store doing so well, I’m sure your grandmother would be real proud of you.”
Her eyes met mine and they misted over with unshed tears. Bella had been super close to her grandmother Pearl, her mom’s mother. I knew she missed her. “Thank you. I think she would have really liked the store. You know how much she loved to cook, and if she could sell anything that had to do with bees, she did. The basket idea was actually from her. She loved to do up little picnic baskets for us. I remembered how much I loved them. It’s fun for me to make them for people.”
“I do remember her love of cooking,” I replied with a chuckle. “I still say she made the best apple pie I’ve ever had.”
Bella’s eyes widened. “You better not let your mother or Willa hear you say that.”
“Trust me, I’m not that stupid.”
Another giggle slipped free, and my chest squeezed with a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a very long time—pure happiness. I loved seeing Bella happy. Loved having her actually carry on a conversation with me even more.
I stood and reached for her plate. “Did you need to get back home soon, or do you want to watch a movie with me?”
She chewed on her lip for a quick moment. “You’re not tired?”
Nodding, I replied, “I’m exhausted, but I need to unwind, and Jack and I usually watch a movie at night.”
I wasn’t even aware I was holding my breath while I waited for her answer.
“I’d love to watch a movie with you both. But only if you let me pick.”
Glancing over at Jack, I let out a dramatic sigh. “What do you think, boy? Can we trust her with that?”
Jack jumped up, ran over to Bella’s side, and barked. She looked up at me and grinned.
“Okay, you get to pick the movie.”