Read Online Yours to Keep by Serena Bell - Free Book Online Page B

first thought was that Theo had cooked to surprise him, and he ransacked his memory to see if there was an occasion he’d forgotten. It wasn’t Ethan’s birthday, or Theo’s, or Trish’s, or an anniversary of any kind. What was cooking? It smelled vaguely Mexican. Then he remembered that it was Ana’s second time tutoring Theo, and his heart leaped. Could she be cooking?
    He came upstairs to find them sitting at the kitchen table just as they’d been the otherday. Latin music played quietly on the kitchen stereo. Theo was laughing. Laughing! Something lightened in Ethan’s chest.
    Ana looked up. A slow smile spread across her face, starting at her mouth and moving to her eyes. Her teeth flashed white, and her eyes lit up. Ethan smiled back, unable to stop himself. A lazy happiness bloomed in him. She was here, and she was as happy to see him as he was to see her.
    Oh, he was in trouble.
    “I hope you don’t mind.” She gestured toward the stove. Three pots simmered there, covered. “Theo was studying cooking in this unit, so I thought it would be good to do some hands-on. I brought all the ingredients. And Theo said he usually does the dishes, so I hope I haven’t made any extra work for you.” She dipped her chin.
    He shook his head. Her long, straight hair gleamed dark on her crown. He wanted to put his hands in it. Both hands. Lift her face to his. His chest tightened with desire.
    “I was hoping it would mean less work for you if you didn’t have to worry about making dinner.” She was nervous, he realized. “It’s red beans and rice. If that’s not enough, you can always throw some chicken in. Theo said you always have chicken in the freezer for emergencies.”
    “It’s wonderful.” He turned away from the intensity of his own reaction and her worried scrutiny. He went to the stove and lifted one lid, then another. Fragrant steam, spicy and exotic, rose from the red-bean stew. “It’s amazing. It doesn’t need chicken. It doesn’t need anything.”
    “It might need salt. I chronically undersalt.” She stood and began to pack up her things. “Anyway, I’ll leave you two to it. Enjoy.”
    He set the lid back on the pot and turned quickly to see if she was serious. She slid a notebook into her backpack.
    Theo stared at Ana incredulously. “You’re not staying?”
    “You’re kidding!” Ethan said.
    Ana looked quickly from Theo to Ethan.
    “You’ve got to stay. You cooked it. You should enjoy it.” He wanted her to stay. Whether it was a good idea or not. He couldn’t imagine wanting anything more. She wore tight jeans, a fitted gray long-sleeved T-shirt, and boots. Her lashes were thick, her lower lipglossy and full. His teeth ached, looking at that lower lip.
    She shook her head. “I can’t. I have to teach. It takes awhile to get there. I have to take the shuttle and a bus.”
    “You teach at night?” Theo said, at the same time Ethan asked, “What do you teach?”
    “I teach adults English as a second language. Their schedules can be pretty crazy—multiple jobs and night shifts—so I teach in the morning and the evening.”
    So she tutored and taught? Did she have any downtime? He knew nothing about her life, he realized, but he was starting to suspect that money was an issue. Maybe that’s why she wanted to be paid in cash. Less lost to taxes.
    “How far away is it?” Theo asked eagerly. “Would it be faster if you didn’t have to take that shuttle? We could drive you.”
    She hesitated with her hand on the zipper of her pack.
    “Where do you need to get to?” Ethan asked her. “What time?”
    Her chin came up a fraction of an inch. “Duarte Elementary. On Adams Street, in Hawthorne. By seven-thirty.”
    “What is that—fifteen, twenty minutes away?”
    She nodded.
    “That’s not far at all. I can drive you there. Stay.”
    Her glance flickered between them, then to the door, as if she were contemplating her options. In the fitted shirt, the contours of Ana’s