Asher cocked his head. “That was good advice. You should try that.”
I put Ford out of my head during the afternoon, but on the drive home, he filled it again. Images of him at the bingo night, strolling out the bathroom with wet hair, and laughing at a TV show ran on a loop.
When I got out of the car, the front door was open, and I paused because a delicious aroma washed over me. Not a mate scent but a cooking one. Had he made dinner? We’d always done it together. There hadn’t been much in the fridge, and I’d been planning on taking out frozen meals.
“Surprise!” Ford appeared on the porch wearing my apron and holding a wooden spoon. He was probably talking about the food, but I was eying him with a streak of sauce on his cheek and his brows daubed with sweat.
“I hope you’re hungry.”
I was, but not only for dinner.
10
FORD
No one would ever accuse me of being a chef, but the things I knew how to make, I made pretty well. I was halfway through prepping the steak tips, a favorite of mine, when I realized I was caring way too much about how it turned out. My onions had to be sliced perfectly, the mushrooms cleaned without being bruised. It was ridiculous. This was supposed to be a thank-you meal, not a page out of a romance novel.
Sure, the thank-you should be big because he’d done a lot for me, from taking me in when my life imploded to giving me a shower, a bed, and a place to stay. And the big one, not making me feel like an intruder after my initial arrival when I sort of really was one.
There was more to this than thank you, though. It was time I accepted that. I went so far as to check the steak sauce, just in case he didn’t like the sauce I made, and make sure it wasn’t expired.
My dragon, on the other hand, was prancing around like the king of the world. I ignored him. Mostly.
Dinner was just about ready. The meal smelled amazing, which only reminded me how horribly I smelled when I’d arrived. Everything always came back to Zack.
The table was set, and the food was nearly ready to be plated. The only thing missing was him. Being a dragon, I’d be able to hear him pulling in before I could see him, but that didn’t stop me from looking out the window every minute to see if he was there. Anybody who saw me would think it was pathetic. They might’ve been right.
I was getting all ready for a date, despite not having an actual date. I missed him, which, given that I saw him every day, didn’t make sense. True, I hadn’t talked to him this morning, but that was hardly an “I haven’t seen him in days” kind of vibe.
Finally, I heard the truck pulling into the driveway.
Zack was here.
Zack was home.
I stared out the window like a little dog waiting for their owner to come in, not even trying to be subtle. When he parked his truck, that was when the anticipation really hit me.
Not able to wait anymore, I stepped out on the porch. “Surprise.”
I stepped out of the way so he could walk in. “I hope you're hungry.”
He came in and froze in his steps. “You cooked all this?”
I nodded.
“Smells amazing.”
“I wanted to say thank you.”
A small smile touched his face. “Our dragon seems to like us,” he said.
Our dragon.That had to mean something, right?
“Why don’t you go wash up, and I’ll get everything on the table?”
He went quickly, and I was almost finished getting everything set up when he came back out.
“It smells delicious, but I don’t see the steak sauce.”
