“I already ate,” she lied, thanks to the alcohol, unconvincingly.
“Oh, come on.” Bryn started for the outdoor sink to wash her hands. “After the day I’ve had you’re going to leave me to gnaw on steak all by myself.”
“What a mental picture,” she muttered into her glass, grateful that it had taken the place of the completely inappropriate image she’d conjured a moment earlier. Grateful that the wine was drowning out the memories of Bryn’s shockingly sultry voice in the booth yesterday.
“Do you want to help me prep those so I can season the steaks?” Bryn asked when she returned with clean hands and irrepressible energy. God, she was like one of those Weebles that refused to stay down when knocked over.
At Vivian’s hesitation, Bryn chuckled.
“Does Ms. del Castillo not sully her hands with culinary labor?” Bryn cracked salt over the meat.
Vivian narrowed her gaze.
“Oh, damn. I was just kidding, but do you really not know how to cook?”
“I knowhow,” Vivian snapped, leaving out that she hadn’t cooked in a while. Or a decade.
“Prove it,” Bryn teased, reaching for the pepper.
Vivian straightened, projecting every possible molecule of superiority. “You’re not going to goad me into being your sous chef.”
Bryn’s amusement would not go gently into the good night.
“That’s okay. If I were a famous Hollywood star, I probably wouldn’t know how to cook either,” she said with what Vivian could have sworn was a wink. Awink.
Vivian set her glass down too hard. “Gimme the gourds.”
There Bryn was, chuckling again, even though Vivian hadn’t infused an ounce of levity in her delivery. It was so… disorienting.
It only took a few awkward minutes for Vivian to remember how the hell to prep vegetables. But once she got into a rhythm, she didn’t have to focus her woozy brain quite so much. As they worked, Vivian couldn’t help being mildly impressed with how well Bryn knew her way around the outdoor kitchen. How she’d figured out how to use the grill Vivian didn’t even know how to turn on.
“Did you work in a restaurant?” Vivian asked because they were halfway through the Merlot and she was too buzzed to keep her curiosity to herself.
“No.” Bryn leaned back against the counter when there was nothing to do but wait for everything to cook. “Driving food deliveries is as close as I get to that.” Her smile was a little lopsided and Vivian guessed it was from the Merlot, even though she’d only had the one glass. “But cooking is a big deal in my family.”
“Food delivery,” Vivian repeated. “Is that how you supplement your income?” She didn’t add that with how astronomically expensive Miami was, she didn’t know how anyone survived. But there was no way that comment would sound anything but condescending.
Bryn’s attention darted to her glass when she shifted her weight. “Mostly, yeah. I have many diverse streams of income,” she replied like she was ashamed. Like there was anything wrong with working hard to make your goals a reality.
“Well, you’re not going to have to do that much longer.” Vivian waited for Bryn to meet her gaze. For the truth to stumble from unguarded lips. “You are talented?—”
The electronic shrill of a ringing phone cut Vivian’s compliment short. When Bryn rushed over to the table to grab it, Vivian decided it was for the best. She was too close too drunk to trust what she was going to say.
“Sorry, it’s my mom.” Bryn tossed the apology over her shoulder. “I told her I’d text her when I got here and forgot.”
Bryn stepped away, posture relaxed and tone light. She’d never spoken to her late mother with that level of comfort. She’d had a better relationship with her dentist’s office.
“Are you close?” Vivian asked when Bryn hung up after the brief call that ended with an effortless “I love you, too.” Like the sentiment was tossed around without purpose or ceremony.
“With my mom?” Bryn asked as she flipped the steaks.
“No, the Pope.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Bryn laughed. “I think it’s been long enough that I’ve repaired the damage from my angsty teen phase. Both my parents are pretty great, even if I know they secretly wish I wanted to be active in the plant nursery. They’re really supportive of what I’m trying to build, you know?”
Vivian didn’t know.
“And they were always really cool about the gay thing when I came out in middle school.”
