Chapter Nineteen

Zoe sat on Luke’s back porch and watched the final rays of sunshine disappear from the sky. She’d heard his motorcycle announce his arrival after he spent a half a day in the shop.

She was leaving in the morning, and while she hated the fact that she was leaving behind a mess, she understood there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it staying in River Bend.

“Zoe?” Luke called from inside the house.

“Out here.”

She glanced over her shoulder when she heard the screen open.

Blue jeans hugged Luke’s hips, and a tight black T-shirt stretched over his chest.

She leaned her head back and puckered her lips.

Luke’s smile was instant before he reached down to accept her offering. He kissed her, pulled a hair away, and said, “I like this.” And then kissed her again.

“How was work?” she asked.

He looked at his hands. “Greasy.”

“Dinner is in twenty minutes, if you want to shower.”

He pretended to smell under his arms. “Is that a hint?”

Zoe reached for one of his palms. “Yep.”

She accepted another kiss before he walked away. “I’m going.”

The water in the shower turned on, and Zoe left her perch on Luke’s back deck to make the salad.

She’d done everything she could to get her mind off her family. And by everything, that meant she’d cooked.

Luke had a vast supply of sealable rubber containers, which she made good use of. She started with tortilla soup and worked her way into making enchiladas that Luke could toss in the oven to cook on another day. She moved from south of the border to West Texas and a recipe she had for chili and beans. Zoe packed that in the freezer with heating directions taped to the lid. She baked three dozen snickerdoodles and finally placed a small pork roast in the oven for that night. Unable to stop herself, she tossed together a plum sauce for the pork and a carrot puree to go over the potatoes. For the first time in what felt like a week, she was hungry.

She opened a bottle of white wine and sipped while she shredded parmesan cheese for the Caesar salad.

Luke slid a hand over her hip when he walked up behind her. His lips touched the side of her neck. “I could get used to this.”

She picked up a crouton, store-bought, unfortunately, and lifted it to Luke’s lips. “I leave in the morning.”

He crunched on the stale bread and grumbled, “I know.”

Zoe missed the heat of him when he walked away and opened his fridge. “What’s all this?”

“I can’t have you hungry while I’m gone.”

He lifted the container holding the soup. “Seriously?”

“I could give it to Mel if you—”

“Hell, no. Mel can get her own.” He set the soup back down, grabbed a beer, and closed the door.

She dusted off her hands and reached for the dressing. “Why don’t you grab us some plates?”

Luke took a swig and turned to the cabinet where the plates once were.

“One over,” she told him.

He gave her a sly smile before he found the plates and put them on his small dining table. They worked together to get the meal on their plates.

She refilled her wine and sat beside him.

“It smells amazing.”

“Not something you’re going to find at Sam’s,” she told him.

He used his fork to cut into the tender meat. Zoe watched as he took his first bite.

Luke did an eye roll and moaned. “Oh, man.”

“Glad you like it.” She took a bite and silently patted herself on the back. She would have liked the tarragon to be fresh, but she did her best with what she had.

Luke filled his fork with the potatoes. “Amazing.”

She picked up her wine to help wash down her bite.

“If we get married, will you cook like this every night?”

Zoe felt the wine stick.

Luke was smiling and digging into the next bite.

“If we got married, I’d teach you how to cook.”

He waved a fork in the air. “Deal.”

He was kidding, she knew he wasn’t serious. The dimples in his cheeks etched in from the smile he wore. “What is this?”

“Carrots.”

He took another big bite. “I don’t like carrots.”

She smiled. “Good to know.”

He pulled his salad bowl closer. “So how are you feeling about this morning? You look better.”

Her morning conversation with her mom weighed on her until about three hours into her cooking spree. Then her mind started to let go. “I’m sure I’ll be pissed again tomorrow. But I’m okay right now.”

“It’s probably good you’re going back to Texas.”

She knew he hated to say the words, and knew even more he disliked the truth in them.

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

He moaned over another bite. “Good thing. I’ll starve if you don’t.”

“I saw your refrigerator. You won’t starve . . . malnourishment is a serious consideration, however.”

Luke shrugged. “I’m not that bad.”

“Cold pizza and fried chicken?”

“There’s vegetables on pizza.”

“Pepperoni and sausage?”

He had the decency to look guilty. “The sauce.”

It was Zoe’s turn to roll her eyes.

They finished their meal without any more discussion of her mom or Ziggy. Instead, they talked about Mel and Wyatt’s wedding and discussed what gifts they should add to the table. He was all about something manly for Wyatt. A beer tap was the brilliant idea in his head. “What about a grill?”