Adam paused at the corner of the parking lot. “Didn’t you spend the morning cooking already?”
“That wasbaking,” she said.
“Biscuits are also baking,” he shot back.
Joey grinned at him and leaned into his chest with both palms. He still hadn’t had time to find a proper coat, but she gripped the lapels of his windbreaker as he balanced her with both hands on her hips.
“It’ll be quiet at your house,” she said. “Which means we can talk, and I can show you that I’m a good cook.”
“I already know you’re a good cook,” he said. “I want this date to be easy and fun for both of us.”
“Cooking is easy and fun for me,” she said. “And I’ll be with you.” She raised her eyebrows, those pretty blue eyes filled with such hope.
He swallowed and looked away, indecision raging through him. “All right,” he said, making up his mind. “But then tonight, you have to let me take you somewhere nice and pamper you.”
Joey’s eyebrows went up.
“You said you weren’t working,” Adam said, and maybe,if he played his cards right, he could get her to stay all afternoon. They could watch movies on his boring couch, and he could send out for ice cream so that they could have mid-afternoon sundaes.
“I also don’t want you to buy the ingredients,” he said. “Let’s go to the grocery store together.”
“Oh, no,” she said, laughing, but not with any humor. “There is no way I’m letting you in my car.”
“Great,” he said without missing a beat. “Then I’ll drive.”
She threw him a glare but didn’t say anything, and when they reached their cars, she went to his passenger door without another word.
Adam smiled to himself and managed to erase the grin before he got in the driver’s seat. He’d never taken a woman to the grocery store for a date before, but he navigated them there, and even managed to get around to Joey’s side to open her door before she got out.
Of course, that was because he had child safety locks on his car and forgotten, and she couldn’t actually open her door.
“You locked me in,” she said.
Adam laughed and reached for her hand. “I forgot about the safety locks, is all.”
They went inside where Joey pushed around a half-cart and gathered cream, a tube of sausage, and a pound of butter before she turned to look at him. “Tell me what pantry ingredients I’m working with.”
He blinked at her. “Pantry ingredients?”
Joey grinned. “I knew this was going to be fun.”
“Hey, you don’t have to make fun of me,” he said. “I have sugar and stuff.”
“Does your ‘and stuff’ include baking powder?”
Adam shook his head.
“Flour?”
Again, no.
“I’ll get everything I need for the biscuits,” Joey said, and she led him down the baking aisle, where she expertly plucked ingredients in boxes and bags and put them in his cart. He had no idea how someone made bread or a biscuit from the things she’d selected, but by the time they checked out, they had five bags of groceries that Adam was sure would make more than one meal.
“If you don’t want to keep them at your place,” she said. “I can take them home with me. Grams and I do a lot of baking.”
“Yes, tell me about the pies,” he said.
Joey lit up as she pulled her seat belt across her body. She faced him again and said, “I’m actually really excited about the pies. Grams and I have been talking about doing it for a couple of years, but last year, I was still pretty new to town, and before that, I was off at college.”
