But I won’t ruin the good of this moment by comparing it to all the bad I’ve known.
There’s no point.What’s already happened can’t be changed.It just was, and now it’s over.
Behind me.
And I’m endlessly grateful.
I take a deep breath and tip my face to the sunshine.When I open my eyes again, I find Jasmine reaching into the muffin basket and Finn staring at me.
There it is again.The intense violet gaze and the serious brows.He’s looking at me like I’m the last muffin left on earth.
Uh-oh.
“This is the best coffee I’ve ever had in my life.”Finn says this to me in a flat voice.It’s as if he’s reaching for the right words—to be said in exactly the right way—so I have no room to misunderstand what he’s telling me.
It’s actually kind of cute.I never knew that a man can be smoking-hot and cute at the same time.
“It’s your coffee, Finn.Your coffee maker and your water.”
“But it’s never tasted like this before.I don’t understand how this can happen so fast—I mean, it’s so… hot… beautiful… good coffee.”
Jasmine looks up from her muffin.
“Thank you.I’m glad you like it.”
Jasmine’s glancing between us.“Can you cook other delicious stuff, Emma?”
“I do really like to cook,” I say, feeling myself blush.I take a sip of my coffee.
“Like what?”Jasmine asks.
“Well, what are your favorite things to eat, I mean, besides pizza from thePinata Parmigiana?”
“Their spaghetti?”
Finn and I laugh in unison.“How about things you can’t get there?”
“I like mashed potatoes.”
“Always a good choice.What else?”
“Sloppy Joes.And corn dogs.And chicken tenders.”
“How—”
“And French fries and grilled cheese and tacos, but not all at once.”
“That sounds—”
“And chocolate ice cream and cherry pie and chocolate chip cookies.”
I wait, because the last two times I tried to comment, she wasn’t done with her list.But now it seems she is.
“We can make some of those if you’d like, but can I propose that we make a deal?”
She narrows her eyes at me.“What kind of deal?”
“That for each one of your favorite things, you’ll try one new food.So, let’s say I make chicken tenders one night.That means that the next night I would ask you to try something you haven’t had before.”
