Page 21 of Searching for Love

By the time the smell of the rich food filled the entire house, she was starved. For both the food and the man.

She’d never really found guys wearing an apron sexy before, but Lucas pulled the look off very well.

Thankfully, she’d set out her parents’ good dishes and had cleared the table of her normal clutter. Now, there were only her mother’s new honey candlesticks in the stone holders she’d bought one Mother’s Day along with the vase of fresh wildflowers that she’d picked the evening before on her walk with the dog.

After Lucas set several dishes full of colorful food down, he held out a chair for her.

“This all looks so amazing. I have no idea where to start,” she said as she sat.

Instead of sitting down beside her, he motioned to each dish as he called out the names and gave a short explanation of each.

She smiled when she noticed that his accent got thicker when he talked about the food.

Some dishes she knew, such as the beef carnitas and sopes. The others she wasn’t familiar with, but she could tell that she was going to enjoy them, no matter their names.

At his suggestion, she tried the stuffed poblanos first, followed by a sampling of both beef and chicken tinga. By the time she dug into the beef birria tacos, she was in love.

“My brother and Hannah are going to love all of this,” she said with her mouth full as she took another bite.

“I was thinking of these three dishes, along with either beef albondigas or pork verde as the soup,” Lucas said, finally sitting down and taking one of the birria tacos.

“All of it,” she said, “Of course, Hannah has already planned for an open margarita bar.” She finished off one of the tingas and grabbed another one. “You’re going to cook all of this for us again this weekend?”

He nodded as he took a sip of his beer.

She took a moment, what felt like her first since sitting down to eat, to breathe and take a sip of her wine.

“I’ll have time to prepare the soups. The verde takes several hours to slow cook.” He smiled and then motioned. “I didn’t bake anything, but this weekend I was thinking of having both tres leches and my take on the classic churros. I know they’ll have a wedding cake, but it might be nice to have smaller sampler-style desserts. I was going to suggest the idea to them this weekend.”

“I love it.” She set her wine glass down. “The last wedding I attended, there was a long line for the cake and by the time I got there, the chocolate cake was all gone. I had to settle for yellow cake.” She rolled her eyes, causing Lucas to chuckle.

“Chocolate is my favorite too.” He picked up another taco.

“When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?” she asked, returning to her food.

She watched his smile slip a little.

“I was about eight. My mother had… broken her arm and couldn’t make me dinner. She was laid up in bed and told me I could go into the kitchen and make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Instead, I made us chicken tacos like my grandpa had shown me the last time he’d been over at the house. I remember watching him cook and thinking it was magic. Taking all those different things and putting them together to make something so tasty. Every kid can make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” His smile returned. “Not every kid can make my grandpa’s tacos. My mother was so impressed that I hadn’t burned the house down.” Avery laughed and Lucas glanced over at her with a smile. “She also thought my tacos were the very best she’d had. Of course, she’s my mother and was required to say that.”

Avery laughed again. “My mother has never hesitated to tell me just how bad my cooking is.”

Lucas laughed. “I’m sure you’re good at other things.”

Avery’s face heated and she reached for her wine as thoughts of being with Lucas filled her mind.

She needed to go out on dates more often. Sure, there was that kiss. Even now her knees went weak at the thought of his lips against hers.

This was her chance to settle herself and her life down. Her first opportunity to prove to herself and everyone else that she could make something of herself. That she wasn’t just a feather in the wind, being blown around from job to job.

She wanted this job to last. And flirting with her new boss might just jeopardize that future.

“What about Sophia?” she asked and leaned back in her chair. If she didn’t stop eating now, she’d have to unbutton her pants.

Lucas’s dark eyebrows rose slowly.

“Does she like cooking as much as you?” she asked.

Lucas shook his head. “Nope, she’s really into her cat video thing. She’s taking violin lessons from our grandfather, but even that she’s already bored with.”