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His heart contracted. “She didn’t support your choice, did she?”
“No.” Lindsey kept her back to him as she withdrew a large stirring spoon. “As Mom made clear, she didn’t send me to a high-priced college so I could flip pancakes or be a scullery maid.”
Jack cringed. “I’m sorry.” Not close to adequate, but it was too soon for the hug he was tempted to give her.
“Thanks. But I did fine. After I graduated, I landed a job at a high-end restaurant in South Carolina. I planned to work on that side of the business for about ten years, then venture out on my own. The grocery store incident accelerated my timetable.”
“How did you end up in St. Louis?”
She swiveled back toward him, her features schooled into a neutral expression. “I’d visited Clair on several occasions after she got her job here, and I liked the town. It seemed like it would be a good fit.”
“Has it been?”
“Yes. Except for everything that’s happened in the past three weeks, I’ve enjoyed living here and establishing a business.”
“All of the bad stuff will be behind you eventually.”
“It can’t happen soon enough to suit me.” She set the spoon on the island, pulled the piecrust from the oven, and returnedto the counter that separated them. “Ready for me to add the rest of the ingredients?”
They were done talking about her parents.
Yet from the condensed history she’d provided, her life hadn’t been a bed of roses on the family front, either.
And it helped explain why she’d been angry with him for urging her best friend to do something that didn’t reflect her interests or personality.
He gave the contents of the bowl another quick whisk and pushed the mixture toward her across the island. “Have at it.”
It took only a couple of minutes to stir in the remaining ingredients, but he did a double take as she measured the last one. “You put pepper in pumpkin pie?”
The corners of her lips tipped up. “A secret ingredient shared with me by one of the pastry chefs I used to work with.” She measured out an eighth of a teaspoon, blended it in, and poured the filling into the crust.
Once the pie was in the oven, Lindsey set a timer and motioned to the stools at the counter. “Shall we sit? The cheesecake has to bake at least another half hour, and the pie will take close to an hour.”
Uh-oh.
She was expecting him to keep his promise to explain the comment he’d made earlier, about the necessity of learning to cook.
His pulse picked up.
While he’d intended to follow through, a sudden wave of doubt crashed over him. His story wasn’t pretty, and who knew how she’d react?
Cradling her mug in her hands, Lindsey remained silent. She didn’t push. She simply waited for him to get comfortable with the idea of sharing confidences—or not.
He had seconds to make a decision.
Honor his promise to tell her more about his background, or succumb to a case of cold feet and flee?
Yet she’d opened up to him. Didn’t he owe her the same in return? Especially if he wanted this relationship to progress?
Just do it, Tucker. You’ll haveto tell her at some point, and if your background turns her off, you may as well know now ratherthan set yourself up for heartbreak later.
That was true.
But how did you launch into a tale you’d never told a single soul?
WHATEVER JACK’S SECRET,he’d changed his mind about sharing it.
Curious as she was about his earlier cooking comment and his odd reluctance to rescue the boy’s Frisbee in the park, it would be unkind to press the issue. Best to give him an out.
