“What would you like?”
“A water would be great,” I say as she pulls the door open and grabs me a bottle. She selects the same despite there being a whole host of other, more exciting options to choose from.
“Okay, so,” I start once I’ve had a sip. “Come and sit down, we’ll go through everything.”
She hurries over and nervously hops up on the stool beside me.
“I didn’t know if you had any allergies or dislikes, so this is just a sample that I’ve come up with. I’ve gone through all the nutrients and ensured that it’s well balanced and will give you everything that you?—”
“Freya, it’s perfect,” I interrupt as I scan through a month’s worth of incredible food based on the schedule I sent her for the next few weeks.
My stomach growls just looking at it all.
“I can change anything you want, and of course, we can adapt where needed. I’m sure a busy guy like you has more on his schedule than just the training and games that you sent and?—"
“Stop,” I urge, reaching over and resting my hand on hers that is nervously fidgeting in her lap.
She stills the moment I touch her, and I immediately chastise myself.
Despite being closed off to most people, I can be really tactile with those I’m comfortable with. It’s easy to forget that not everyone is the same.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I’m being too much. I just…I just want to prove that I really can do this.” Worry and the fear of not being good enough bleed from her.
“You already have. If I had any doubts, you wouldn’t be here right now.”
She stares down at her menu and nods.
I wish I knew what I could say to help her see herself the way I do. She’s so talented, and I don’t think she has any idea.
“I just…I’m struggling to get my head around all of this. One minute I was making party food and then…” She waves her arm around, gesturing to my kitchen.
“Sometimes, we just have to embrace opportunities when they appear.”
“Yeah,” she mutters, keeping her eyes downcast. “I’ve done that before and been burned.”
I didn’t go into this entirely blindly. If I was going to be letting this woman into my life, into my home, then I needed to at least know the basics about her.
Casey filled in most of the details, including that she’s pretty fresh out of a long-term relationship.
Honestly, I have no idea what that’s like. The only one I’ve ever had has been with hockey, and I’m fairly confident we’re not going to be breaking up anytime soon.
But everything Casey told me only confirmed what I already knew in my gut. She’s the one.
Okay, not that kind of one. But the one who can be the missing piece in my life right now.
“I’m confident that there will be no burning in this kitchen from here on out.”
She looks up at me, her eyes narrowed. “You’ve never burned anything in here. You’ve never even turned the oven on, have you?”
With a laugh, I hold my hands up in defense. “You caught me.”
“What the hell have you been eating?”
“I found a food delivery service that does okay food.”
“Okay, food? Wow, you’re really selling it,” she laughs.
“It did the job, but it was premade and packaged up.”
