Page 35 of Capture The Moment

“What time should I have it ready by?”

“Six thirty, ok?”

“That’ll be perfect.”

“Great. See you in an hour.”

After they hung up, Harper shut down her laptop and went into the kitchen. She’d decided earlier that she would make dinner for Finn as a thank you for letting her stay there. Besides, she was tired of eating out, and she was looking forward to a home-cooked meal. When Blake was alive, they’d taken turns making dinner, and it had worked out wonderfully. But afterwards, she’d lost her motivation to cook, along with a lot of other things. She took it as a good sign that she wanted to cook again, even if it was for the wrong man.

With the dogs for company, Harper went about preparing the meal. It took her a while to figure out where everything was kept, but once she did, she moved around the kitchen with ease. Just like riding a bike, she mused. The menu consisted of oven-baked chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans. She’d also found a tube of slice-and-bake chocolate chip cookies, which would serve as dessert.

By the time Finn came in the door, everything was being kept warm and waiting, and the table had already been set. She’d been sitting in his recliner with her feet up, reading her book, and she quickly inserted her bookmark and slammed it shut. I probably shouldn’t have brought this book with me, she thought, but it was too late.

Standing up to greet him, she pressed the book against her leg and hoped he wouldn’t ask her about it.

“Smells great in here,” he said, shooting her a wide smile while bending over to pet Hunter and Daisy.

“Dinner’s ready. We were just waiting on you.”

“I think Petunia’s starting to like me,” he said.

“It’s probably because you fed her this morning.”

“Speaking of food, let’s eat!”

Laying her book face down on her laptop, she led him into the kitchen, playing the part of hostess. “Since you had to work all day, I’m serving. Have a seat.”

“Wow, I really need to clean out my ears. Either that or I’m hallucinating.”

Ignoring the comment, she said, “This is my way of thanking you for letting Daisy and me stay here.”

“Well, in that case, you’re welcome to stay anytime.”

She knew he was joking, but something about the way he said it… Either that or it was her overactive imagination again.

“Wow,” Finn said with a long, low whistle. “You really went all out!”

“It was no big deal,” she said as she set down the bowl of steaming mashed potatoes next to the plate of baked chicken. Once she’d placed everything on the table, she went to the refrigerator and brought out two beers, handing one to Finn and keeping the other for herself. Finally, she lowered herself into the chair across from him and picked up her fork. Her walk in the woods had stoked her appetite, and she was ready to dig in, but when she looked up, Finn was staring at her.

“What?”

He shook his head. “I just can’t believe you did all this for me.”

“Well, it wasn’t just for you. I had to eat too.”

He laughed and picked up his fork. “I can’t wait to taste it.”

Ok, why did that sound so erotic? Oh, right, because of the stupid book I’m reading! She waited for him to take the first bite, and then she said, “Well? How is it?”

“Mmmm. Delicious!”

And now she was staring right at his lips, which looked especially full, soft, and inviting.

“Harper?”

“Hmm?”

“Aren’t you going to taste it?”