“I see.”
“My dad spent his life working in hot kitchens. He was so busy providing for the family, that he didn’t get out much to see the world. So, I’m going to do things a little different.”
She took a bite and both brows rose. “And you can make food this delicious in the back of a truck?”
“You ain’t tasted nothin’ yet.” Cash dashed into his kitchen. “My secret sauce will knock your socks off.” He hurried back, wearing a wide smile and carrying a bowl of sauce. I’d never seen him so bright before.
Not that I made a habit of looking at him or anything.
He put a dollop of sauce on Grandmother’s plate but took his sweet time with mine. No man had ever slopped a blob of dip on a plate as masterfully as Cash did. And he did it all without taking his eyes off me.
I shifted in my chair, uneasy beneath his gaze, or maybe it was the fact that my feet were mere inches from the shaggy dog lying beneath the table. Either way, I didn’t know quite how to act. Funny how this had all been my idea, yet Cash was the one cruising along like he’d been preparing to pretend to be my date for weeks—months, even.
I never would have believed it was possible to use a condiment as a flirtation device if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes. But somewhere along the line, Cash the flirt master extraordinaire had perfected the art. I believed in giving credit where credit was due. The man was good. There was no denying it. I’d never had to corral so many goosebumps or put out so many fireworks in my stomach. Ever.
I tucked some of my hair behind my ear beneath Cash’s watchful eye. Any other time, I’d have shot him down for looking at me like that. But now? Now we were dating—well, sort of. He was playing his part like an old pro, but I wasn’t as comfortable. It was hard to keep my body in check when I couldn’t shut Cash down and walk away. My cheeks heated and my skin tingled.
Food. I needed to distract myself with food. I dunked my sandwich in the dip and filled my cheek with a bite.
“It’s a little on the hot side,” he said, his voice a low rumble, “but I think a spicy lady like yourself can take the heat.” Was he talking about his special dip or his unique blend of tangy flirting? Because I couldn’t tell which was making me sweat more.
He walked to the other side of the table, his gaze lingering on me for an extra beat. Those blasted goosebumps on my arms couldn’t tell the difference between an act and honest to goodness flirting.
He was still acting, right?
I shot him a coy smile, for appearances only, then dipped my sandwich in the sauce again. This time when I sank my teeth into that heavenly morsel of food, I couldn’t help myself. My eyes fluttered shut, and I hummed with delight.
Cash bounced on the balls of his feet. “Do you like it?”
“I love it!” I said with my mouth much too full. My eyes darted up to meet his as my cheeks instantly super-heated. The sudden urge to clarify the fact that I was talking about the grub and nothing more rose up inside me, but how to say it and not sound all kinds of weird eluded me. So, I kept quiet.
Then my eyes cut to grandmother. I was mortified that I’d just spoken with my mouth full. It certainly wasn’t country club manners, but she couldn’t expect me to put on airs with food that delicious in my mouth. Could she?
She took another bite of her sandwich. So far, so good. She didn’t seem to notice the momentary lapse in my method acting. I sighed, partly out of a need to cool my burning tongue and partly out of exhaustion. It wasn’t easy managing these two in the same room.
I chugged my sweet tea and did my best to keep conversation going in the right direction. Over the span of about twenty minutes, we polished off the rest of the food while I asked Cash to tell Grandmother about everything I could think of concerning the food service industry. Cooking had never been my thing, but if it would keep Grandmother off the topic of real estate, I was all ears. Fortunately for me, Cash was more than eager to oblige.
During those twenty minutes, I learned more than I ever knew possible about food trucks and recipes. I also understood why he needed the money I’d offered him. Owning his own food truck was a lifelong dream of his, and those things weren’t cheap!
Grandmother laid her napkin on her empty plate and leaned back from the table with a satisfied sigh. “Delightful sandwiches. I’ve never tasted better. You’ll go far, young man. And I must say, your shared dog is very well-behaved when oysters and purses aren’t involved.”
I held back my laughter. Grandmother had jokes, but I wasn’t sure if she was intentionally funny or just funny-funny.
“He hasn’t pestered me for a single bite of food,” she said, peeking beneath the table. “What’s his name?”
Cash and I answered at the same time. The only problem was, we didn’t give the same answer. I blurted the name I’d been calling him in my head all day—Moose. Cash gave his official name—Shadow.
Grandmother’s brows furrowed. “Interesting.”
“We’re still deciding,” I said before hiding behind a long swig of tea.
“I guess we need to work on our communication, don’t we, honey woogers,” Cash said.
I coughed and sputtered my tea down the front of my shirt. “Honeywoogers? What kind of a name is that?” I dabbed a napkin over my freshly showered clothing.
“A cute one,” he said.
“Woogers is not cute. It isn’t even a word.”
