Maybe it was my imagination, but I swore I saw hint of pink spreading across her cheeks.
When we got to the spice aisle, Hazel tossed in curry powder.
I raised my eyebrows but before I could protest, she said, “Nope. You’re trying something new, Reid, whether you like it or not.”
I kind of realized Ididlike it. Not necessarily trying something new, buthermaking me try something new.
We hastily moved to the other side of the store and finished our shopping as quickly as possible. The entire thing felt like a bad concept for a game show—we’d only win the prize if we grabbed our items and got out of each aisle before spotting my ex again.
Back in the car, after we wrapped up, Hazel turned to me and smiled. “Kind of crazy that we ran into your ex a few days after you ran into mine.”
I nearly choked on my own spit. I hadn’t expected her to bring him up.
“Uh, yeah. This town is too small,” I said, instead of admitting the truth—that I had tracked her ex down because of some sort of morbid curiosity. I think I’d die of humiliation if Hazel sniffed out my jealousy.
“I can’t believe you talked me into changing the dinner plans to Indian taco night,” I said, throwing the car into drive and hoping she’d accept my change of subject.
She clapped her hands and rubbed them together. “You’re in for a treat, Reid. They’re going to be delicious.”
SEVENTEEN
Hazel
“These are…good?”Reid’s comment sounded a lot more like a question than a statement.
I chewed, suffering through another bite of the concoction. “They aren’t terrible.”
He smirked. “Exactly what you were going for, right?”
“The flavor profile with the texture of tacos is…kind of weird,” I admitted, forcing myself to swallow without triggering my gag reflex.
It turned out there was a reason there weren’t any recipes online for Indian tacos. I set down my failed attempt at fusion and offered Reid an apologetic smile. He had been so supportive throughout the entire cooking process, despite a few side-eyes any time I added a new seasoning to the mix.
“At least my chopping was on point,” I said.
The moment I’d started attacking the vegetables with a knife, Reid had panicked and stepped in right away. He gently repositioned my fingers, showing me how to hold them so I didn’t accidentally slice one off, then hovered nearby, ready to intervene at the first sign of danger.
Reid laughed at that and graciously finished the taco onhis plate. “These are the best-cut vegetables I’ve ever had. You should really start a food truck or something.”
“I’m thinking about it.”
We smiled across the table from each other.
“Has it ever occurred to you,” he started while grabbing my abandoned plate. “That you aren’t a bad cook, you’re just a bit too experimental?”
“If I don’t experiment, how will I come up with the next great recipe?”
“Is that the goal?” he asked, forehead scrunched as he placed the dishes in the sink.
“What else would the goal be?” I took my napkin and wiped off the crumbs that lingered on the table. Try as I might, I could never keep a clean place setting while eating.
“I think the goal is to prepare and eat a delicious meal.”
“Bor-ing.” I emphasized the two syllables.
Today with Reid had been exactly what I needed to take my mind off everything. Bringing him to the thrift store felt like leading an alien on their first excursion to Earth. He’d seemed both terrified and intrigued. Okay, mostly terrified, but it had still been fun. And my heart got all warm and fuzzy that he let me pick out whatever I wanted, even though he must have thought the finds were horrid.
Even running into his ex at the store hadn’t been enough to ruin the day. At first, I’d been disconcerted. She wasstunning—like, catalog-model pretty. That was Reid’s ex-wife? I didn’t stand a chance in comparison. But then I saw the way he tensed up the moment he spotted her. I’d stepped in instinctively, standing up for him, shifting the mood, doing whatever I could to ease the awkwardness.
