olives?” she
asked.
“ Ahh , I
have no idea.”
She pulled them out anyway.
“They’ll do. They keep for ages anyway.”
Maddison hobbled a little, placing them on the counter and going back to the pantry.
“You’re walking better.”
“Yeah,” she said, looking over her
shoulder and smiling. “It’s better when I’m not thinking about it. And I think
the anti- inflammatories have worked.”
And
he’d be better off it he wasn’t thinking about her.
“You have raisins in here
anywhere?” she called out, disappearing into the walk-in pantry.
“Not sure.” Didn’t sound like
something he would buy.
“So I’m pushing my luck for
capers?” she asked, walking out with a jar of something he couldn’t remember
purchasing. “I know there’s no chance of actual caper berries, so I’m trying to
improvise here.”
“I don’t even know what they are,
so yeah. Definitely pushing it.” He walked in behind
her. “What are you cooking anyway?”
“Chicken Marbella,” she announced,
sliding past him like she was doing her best to keep her distance, to not touch
him. “I need white wine too, and white vinegar. Would you mind putting the oven
on for me?”
Jack did as he was told. “You don’t
have to cook, you know.”
“What else are we going to do?”
He cracked up at the same time as
her face turned beet red. He could think
of plenty other things. “You’re absolutely right. Cooking is exactly what
we should be doing.”
Maddison opened a few cabinets until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out
a large dish, then opened the chicken thighs she’d found in his fridge and
placed them in. She looked up when he held out the wine bottle.
“Is it too early for a glass?” he
asked.
“No,” she said with a laugh.
“What’s the old saying about one for the pot and two for the cook?”
He grinned and uncorked the top. “I
have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’m liking that saying a lot.”
Maddison held her glass up when he passed it to her. “I think a toast is in order.”
“Yeah? For being alive or for taking one of my nine lives?”
Her smile was soft, gentle. “Old
friends reuniting,” she said, touching their glasses together. “It’s been a
long time since I’ve been back, and it’s about time I had some perspective.”
“Meaning?” He took a sip and leaned forward, elbows on the counter as he watched her. She
was back to preparing the food, like she was trying to stay distracted, keep
herself busy.
“My boss keeps calling me. She
can’t stand the fact that I’m actually taking some time off, despite everything
that’s happened to me lately and the fact that I never, ever take vacations.”
“Is it worth it?” He had to ask.
“I used to think so,” she told him,
washing her hands and reaching for her wine again. “I love what I do most of
the time, but I’ve lost that balance. It’s what I want and it isn’t at the same
time, and I know that doesn’t make sense at all. I just feel like I’m in this
gray area of not knowing what I want or where I want to be.”
Jack watched the way she moved
around his kitchen, enjoying the fact that he was sitting back and being cooked
for. Part of him wanted to get as far away from Maddison as he could, to protect himself. But the other part? That was telling him to forget about everything else and just enjoy her company.
The last few years had been all about hard work and no play, which was maybe
why he was finding Maddison so damn tempting.
“When are you going back?” He was
almost hoping she’d say never.
Maddison bunched up her shoulders. “Soon, I guess.” She sighed. “I was supposed to be
here for as long as I needed to be, have a decent amount of time off, but
suddenly everything’s supposedly falling apart without me.”
He stared straight into her eyes as
she leaned forward, elbows on the counter, glass stretched out in front of her.
“Did it ever cross your mind to say
asked.
“ Ahh , I
have no idea.”
She pulled them out anyway.
“They’ll do. They keep for ages anyway.”
Maddison hobbled a little, placing them on the counter and going back to the pantry.
“You’re walking better.”
“Yeah,” she said, looking over her
shoulder and smiling. “It’s better when I’m not thinking about it. And I think
the anti- inflammatories have worked.”
And
he’d be better off it he wasn’t thinking about her.
“You have raisins in here
anywhere?” she called out, disappearing into the walk-in pantry.
“Not sure.” Didn’t sound like
something he would buy.
“So I’m pushing my luck for
capers?” she asked, walking out with a jar of something he couldn’t remember
purchasing. “I know there’s no chance of actual caper berries, so I’m trying to
improvise here.”
“I don’t even know what they are,
so yeah. Definitely pushing it.” He walked in behind
her. “What are you cooking anyway?”
“Chicken Marbella,” she announced,
sliding past him like she was doing her best to keep her distance, to not touch
him. “I need white wine too, and white vinegar. Would you mind putting the oven
on for me?”
Jack did as he was told. “You don’t
have to cook, you know.”
“What else are we going to do?”
He cracked up at the same time as
her face turned beet red. He could think
of plenty other things. “You’re absolutely right. Cooking is exactly what
we should be doing.”
Maddison opened a few cabinets until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out
a large dish, then opened the chicken thighs she’d found in his fridge and
placed them in. She looked up when he held out the wine bottle.
“Is it too early for a glass?” he
asked.
“No,” she said with a laugh.
“What’s the old saying about one for the pot and two for the cook?”
He grinned and uncorked the top. “I
have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’m liking that saying a lot.”
Maddison held her glass up when he passed it to her. “I think a toast is in order.”
“Yeah? For being alive or for taking one of my nine lives?”
Her smile was soft, gentle. “Old
friends reuniting,” she said, touching their glasses together. “It’s been a
long time since I’ve been back, and it’s about time I had some perspective.”
“Meaning?” He took a sip and leaned forward, elbows on the counter as he watched her. She
was back to preparing the food, like she was trying to stay distracted, keep
herself busy.
“My boss keeps calling me. She
can’t stand the fact that I’m actually taking some time off, despite everything
that’s happened to me lately and the fact that I never, ever take vacations.”
“Is it worth it?” He had to ask.
“I used to think so,” she told him,
washing her hands and reaching for her wine again. “I love what I do most of
the time, but I’ve lost that balance. It’s what I want and it isn’t at the same
time, and I know that doesn’t make sense at all. I just feel like I’m in this
gray area of not knowing what I want or where I want to be.”
Jack watched the way she moved
around his kitchen, enjoying the fact that he was sitting back and being cooked
for. Part of him wanted to get as far away from Maddison as he could, to protect himself. But the other part? That was telling him to forget about everything else and just enjoy her company.
The last few years had been all about hard work and no play, which was maybe
why he was finding Maddison so damn tempting.
“When are you going back?” He was
almost hoping she’d say never.
Maddison bunched up her shoulders. “Soon, I guess.” She sighed. “I was supposed to be
here for as long as I needed to be, have a decent amount of time off, but
suddenly everything’s supposedly falling apart without me.”
He stared straight into her eyes as
she leaned forward, elbows on the counter, glass stretched out in front of her.
“Did it ever cross your mind to say
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