Read Online The Escape Collection: (The Escape Collection) by Elena Aitken - Free Book Online Page B

lunged for the pot on the stove and lifted the lid to see what was supposed to be bright green, only slightly crisp asparagus had become a mushy, green mess.  

    ***
    Reid knew she was going to cry. She was displaying all the telltale signs. The frequent blinking, the shiny eyes that kept glancing away, the strained voice.  
    Damn. It’s not that he couldn’t handle a woman in tears; he’d had plenty of practice with Lizzy, after all. No, he could handle it, but it was easier for everyone involved if he could prevent it from happening. Especially if they didn’t want any awkwardness between them. And it was never a good idea to start a living arrangement with awkwardness.  
    “Hey,” Reid said. He grabbed the tongs again and picked up a soggy piece of asparagus. “See? It’s not so bad.” They both watched as the vegetable slipped from his grasp and slopped onto the counter with an undignified splat. “Okay, forget the asparagus,” he said. “Nobody likes it, anyway. And it makes your pee smell funny.”
    To his surprise, Whitney smiled. She was beautiful when she smiled.
    “It’s true,” he said, trying not to get distracted. “Especially guys. And didn’t you say you had a date?” He swallowed hard so he wouldn’t choke on the last word. Whitney nodded, the small smile still on her face, so Reid continued, “Perfect. You’ve still got the steak, and all men really care about is the meat. If you ask me, serving only a piece of red meat is the perfect meal.”
    He offered her his goofiest grin and leaned back against the counter.  
    Whitney sniffed hard and buried her face into a dish towel.  
    “Oh, no.” Reid stood up but wasn’t sure if he should go to her or stay put. “Whitney, don’t cry. Really. It’s just a few shrimp, and some stupid green vegetables. I swear, it’s nothing to get upset about, I—”
    “I’m not crying.” She lowered the towel and he could see that although her mascara had smeared, and her cheeks were suspiciously wet, she definitely didn’t look upset. But she was looking at him with a strange expression and that smile he thought was super cute but still hadn’t seen enough of. “Well, not really,” she said. “It’s a really stupid and totally embarrassing trait, but I tend to leak when I get overwhelmed or frustrated.”
    “Leak?” Reid raised an eyebrow at her. “You mean, like cry?”
    She wiped her face again with the towel and tossed it in his direction. “No, I mean leak. It’s not like I’m really upset, I just have an emotional spillover or something.” Whitney waved his question away. “It’s annoying, really. Forget about it.” She took a deep breath. “But this is a problem.” Whitney gestured to the mess on the counter. “What am I supposed to serve William? I promised him a homecooked meal and he already thinks I can’t cook.”
    “Well, he’d be—” Whitney gave him a look that challenged him to finish his sentence, but Reid wasn’t dumb. It was never a good idea to provoke a woman already on the verge. And he definitely didn’t want to make her leak again. “How about I help you? I’m actually pretty good in the kitchen and we should have enough here to salvage dinner,” he said instead.
    Whitney agreed without hesitation, not that she had a whole lot of choices left, and Reid quickly took command of the situation. He’d meant it when he told her he could save things, and really, a few burnt shrimp and some soggy asparagus wasn’t the end of the world.  
    Reid dug up some carrots and set Whitney to work slicing them while he seared the steaks and put them in the oven. He bit his tongue to keep from commenting on her knife skills. She concentrated so intently on cutting each piece of carrot, Reid was afraid dinner would never be ready. Eventually, she finished and put them in a steaming basket on the stove.  
    “Now what?” she asked and looked around, her eyes widening as she took in the kitchen. Reid had finished