“The truth,” she echoed. “I’ll drink to that.”
Was she truly ready to hear it? He wasn’t sure, and he was about to drop a big theory on her that might be unwelcome. From what he’d seen, Kelly didn’t like anything even vaguely negative to be said about Lori. She clearly hadn’t been happywhen Cal had mentioned that Lori didn’t have much ambition and didn’t want to go to college.
The rest of the dinner preparations didn’t take long, and then they were able to sit down and eat.
"This is impressive," Kelly said, taking her first bite. Steam rose from the pasta, carrying the scent of herbs and tomatoes. The garlic bread, golden and fragrant, sat in a basket between them. “Wow, this is good.”
"It's nothing fancy," Ben replied. "Just comfort food."
“Where did you learn to cook like this?"
Ben shrugged, unexpectedly pleased by her praise. He definitely wasn’t the cook in the Reilly family.
"My mom. My grandma. But mostly, trial and error. When I first moved out on my own, I figured learning a few reliable dishes couldn't hurt."
"Well, you figured right." Kelly twirled pasta around her fork. "I'm embarrassed to admit how often I eat cereal or microwave popcorn for dinner."
"Nothing wrong with cereal," Ben said, breaking off a piece of garlic bread. "But sometimes you need something more substantial."
They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the only sounds were the occasional clink of silverware against plates and the soft jazz playing from the small Bluetooth speaker Ben had set up.
"So," Kelly said, munching on her toast. "Are you going to tell me what's been on your mind since we left Cal's office?"
No, he wasn’t ready. If he could avoid this topic completely, he would, but it wasn’t possible.
"After dinner," he promised. "Let's enjoy this first."
The light from the small dining area fixture cast a warm glow over the table, creating a bubble of intimacy in the borrowed condo. For a moment, it was possible to forget why they werein Bergen. Here, in this kitchen with the smell of garlic and tomatoes hanging in the air, there was just good food and easy conversation.
He was far too happy and comfortable in Kelly’s company. He shouldn’t be feeling things so strongly, if at all. He simply hadn’t known her that long. But he hadn’t been kidding earlier today when he asked her what she’d say if he invited her on a date.
She’d say yes.
He couldn’t be one hundred percent sure, but the simmering tension between them was something positive, not negative. He liked her; he was attracted to her. He wasn’t some inexperienced kid who didn’t know when a woman was into him.
It wasn’t arrogance, at least he didn’t think it was. It was the realization that the two of them had fun together, they could talk together, and there might be other, more sweaty and pleasurable pursuits they also enjoyed together.
Stop thinking about sex. Is she thinking about it, too?
"You were right," Kelly said, breaking into his thoughts.
"About what?"
He’d been so caught up in the images of Kelly in his bed that he’d forgotten they were having a conversation. In real life.
Pull it together, man.
"About taking a nap. I needed it." She twirled the last bit of pasta on her fork. "And about this dinner. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I’m glad that it helped.”
As they finished their meal, Ben was acutely aware that the moment of truth was approaching. Soon, they'd move to the living room with their wine, and he'd have to share his theory about Lori. The easy comfort they'd established would be tested.
Kelly insisted on doing the dishes since he’d cooked dinner, not giving in to any of his protests. He’d cleaned up as he wentalong, so there wasn’t much to do, and she joined him on the sofa when she was done.
Kelly settled onto the couch, tucking one leg beneath her. The subtle tension between them during dinner had morphed into something else. Her shoulders were tense, her entire body stiff as she sat next to him.
"I’m not sure why we had to wait until now, but are you finally going to tell me what you've been thinking about since we left Cal's office?"
