How could I ever deny the hope in his voice? I’d have to be a monster. “Yes, I’ll come.”
Xander throws his hand in the air in victory. Small actions like that are what make me lo—. Hold up. It’s not the “L” word. Lust, yes. Companionship, maybe. But love? Absolutely not. We haven’t even known each other that long.
“My mom will be so excited.” He grabs the last of the arrangements and heads to the van.
“Is there anything I should know before then? I don’t want to offend them in any way.”
He snorts and shakes his head. “I’m probably more worried about them offending you.” He slides the arrangements into the van. “They like to joke around, but if anything they say makes you uncomfortable, just let them know and they’ll stop. Or, tell me, and I’ll say something.”
“From what you’ve said about them, I doubt that will happen.”
“It’s not like they set out to offend people. They overshare and don’t often think before speaking.”
I watch him close the van doors before turning to lock up the shop.
“So, it’ll be like hanging out with my brother.”
Testing the handle before making his way to me and the van, he nods. “That’s actually pretty accurate. Want me to drive?”
“That would actually be great.” This is another one of those small things he does to make me appreciate him more.
Xander’s arm flexes as he cooks the meat. We made it back from the wedding set up in record time. Luckily, the bride decided to keep all the arrangements so we don’t have to go back to the venue to pick up anything.
Eyeing the ingredients on the counter, I can’t quite figure out what it is he’s making. A can of cream of mushroom soup, beans, and salsa are grouped together on the counter.
“What exactly are you making?”
He glances over at me and grins. “You’ll see. You have to trust the process.”
“I guess.” I’ve never seen these ingredients go into one dish. Plus, there is a bag of tortilla chips he says we’ll need.
“Do you have a strainer?”
Do I? “Let me look.”
I bend down and rummage through the cabinets. Finally, I find it shoved in the back corner. I’m shocked I’ve had everything he’s needed. I should probably learn to cook. It’s never been high on my priority list.
I take it to the sink to wash and dry it. He drains the small amount of grease into a bowl then returns the meat to the pan. He opens the cans and adds them to the meat mixture. Then he adds a small amount of salsa. Turning the burner on, he mixes it all together.
I never thought watching someone cook would be attractive. But the level of confidence he has cooking this dish is a turn on.
As the meat simmers, he opens the bag of chips and covers the bottom of a baking dish. He presses on the chips slightly to break them up. Once that’s done, he pours the meat mixture on top and covers it with shredded cheese. At least now I know it’s some sort of casserole. From the amount of cheese he’s put on top, it’s a good thing I’m not lactose intolerant.
“How long does it take now?” I’m taking mental notes on how to make it because this actually looks easy enough for me to do without screwing it up.
“Long enough for the cheese to melt.” He takes the baking dish and slides it into the oven that has been preheating while he cooks. “It feels weird making such a small portion of it. When I was in college, my roommates and I had this at least once a month. I would have to triple or quadruple it to make enough to feed all of us. And there were never leftovers.”
“Y’all cooked while you were in college?”
“Yep. A few of us knew our way around a kitchen and we’d take turns.” He furrows his eyebrows in confusion, “you didn’t?”
“Nope,” I shake my head, “I’m sure I would have burned down the dormitory. I either got food from the cafeteria, or I’d use my tips to buy my meals. I wasn’t lying when I said I wasn’t much of a cook.”
“I guess I’ll have to teach you, then.”
“Are they all as easy as this?” If so, I’ll have a much easier time preparing meals.
“For the most part. There are other more elaborate meals I know how to make, but I don’t do it often because it takes too much time. Plus, my mom usually handles dinner unless my dad decides to grill.”
