Page 65 of The Sweetness of Life

“Michelle, I hate to break it to you, but your job responsibilities are going to be expanding when she leaves.” Kyle shoots her a mischievous grin.

My heart sinks and Zach’s fingers stop their slow circle. Not once have we mentioned my leaving.

“What do you mean?” She shifts in her chair to face him, and he crosses his arms over his chest.

“You’re going to have to cook more,” he says matter-of-factly.

Zach and I both laugh, but Michelle glares at him as if he’s lost his mind.

“It’s funny—I have no idea what we ate before you got here,” Zach says to me as he releases my foot, leans back, and stretches his arm until it rests across the back of my chair. The movement doesn’t go unnoticed by the two of them, and a blush creeps up into my cheeks. Zach lightly pulls my hair and winks at me.

“I can tell you what we ate—steak and chicken off the grill. I cook for the two of you at least five nights a week.”

Zach starts chuckling. “Oh yeah, that’s right! Maybe your job responsibilities are changing then.”

Kyle huffs but smiles back.

“What I can’t tear my eyes off of is that dessert over there. Did you get some ice cream, too?” Michelle asks.

All four of us glance at the pie.

“I might have, but it isn’t needed for this one.”

“Banana pudding is hands down one of my favorites,” Zach chimes in.

“You should try Lexi’s pecan pie—it’s to die for. Meg and I don’t even attempt to make it. We just buy them from her and stock them at the restaurant.”

“She ships pies?” he asks, his fingers falling under the weight of my hair and onto the back of my neck.

“Oh, yeah. How do you not know this? She’s world famous for her pies.”

“I know she is the for fillings, but I guess I’ve never thought about her shipping whole pies. We’ll have to stock them here, too.”

“What’s so good about them?” Michelle asks, watching us.

“Oh, just about everything. Her pecan pie is lick-the-plate-in-public-worthy.”

Everyone laughs, and I blink quickly, trying to take in as many details as I can.

“Do you like owning a restaurant?” This comes from Michelle, and the both guys look at me, waiting for my answer.

“I do, but it’s really my best friend Meg’s. She owns the majority of it and pours endless amounts of blood, sweat, and tears into making it what it is today. All I’ve ever wanted is to work for Food Network.” Zach’s fingers dip under the edge of my shirt at my neck, and I love that he’s found some way to be touching me all night.

“Isn’t that what you’re doing now?” she asks, tilting her head.

“Yes, I guess so. This is more of a one-time assignment, though. Currently, I’m a freelance writer for them, but in a perfect world where dreams come true, I’d like to work for them permanently. I’ve always wanted my own show.” Hesitating, I look away from them and drain my glass. Other than Meg and Lexi, no one else knows about these dreams or what I’ve been doing to make them happen. “Actually, I recently interviewed for a host position on a new show. Obviously it’s not my own, but it would be a foot in the door and one step closer to that dream. I’m a candidate in the final round and am waiting to hear from them.”

Michelle claps her hands together. “You would be perfect on television!”

“Thank you.” I grin at her.

“Is this job in Charleston?” Zach asks.

I turn to face him, and instead of finding his expression curious or excited for me, he’s frowning. “No, it’s in New York City.”

“So, you’d be moving there?” His hand slides off my neck, leaving traces of an imprint, and he returns it to his lap.

“Yes, if I got the job.”