Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
To my surprise, he replied back before I had a chance to pocket my phone again.
Absolutely. Wren has a rare sleepover with some Dungeons and Dragons friends who want a marathon game. It’s Friday night, so John’s likely gone with friends too. We can start watching early for once.
I texted quickly, glancing over to make sure Diesel was still occupied.
Or get wild and eat together. Come over to my place, and I’ll feed you. My TV is smaller, but I’ve got privacy.
Eric’s reply was brief.
It’s a date.
It wasn’t the most romantic text, nor was it an answer to the gift question, but anticipation surged through me nonetheless. Of course having a plan to meet up wasn’t the same as actually dating. However, maybe it could be a baby step in that direction.
I wasn’t one for new year resolutions, but getting Eric to step out of the shadows of secrecy with me wasn’t a bad goal. We were exclusive. We cared about each other. We spent as much time as possible together. Surely adding dating to the equation shouldn’t be too hard? Maybe if I sneakily romanced the man, he wouldn’t even notice enough to object.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Eric
Apart from the novelty of a midday text from Magnus, my shift had been depressingly average for early December. The older I got, the less my body liked these short days, with darkness arriving around four. By the time I made my way home near the dinner hour, night had fallen, a dark, cloudless sky with a smattering of stars. More than a few houses on our street had their holiday lights up, a cheerful distraction from the dark and the cold.
I’d taken the liberty of a fast shower and change at the station since Magnus had suggested coming to the carriage house for a rare dinner together. Was the small kitchenette even up to producing a full meal? As I walked from the car to the house, I debated the merits of offering to order takeout for a restaurant owner. However, all thoughts of takeout fled when Magnus swung the door open to greet me, along with the most divine smell of onions, cheese, and herbs.
“What’s this?” I stepped inside the carriage house, where Magnus had prepared food and set the little dining nook table with an actual tablecloth, dishes, wine glasses, and a large glass candle as the centerpiece. Rather than greeting me with their usual enthusiasm, the dogs were both occupied with bones on their large, cushy double bed near the small kitchenette.
“Dinner.” Magnus plucked off my coat as easily as if he did it nightly and set it on a hook next to his own. He motioned for me to sit. “We should eat while the food is still hot.”
“It’s fancy.” I obediently sat, but I wasn’t done being confused. Apart from holiday meals, neither of us was much for fussy, fancy dishes. And the overall atmosphere was disturbingly romantic, complete with soft music playing and low lighting.
“I figured we were both overdue something a little nicer than a late-night scramble. You’ve been working a lot of long hours since Thanksgiving.” Magnus’s no-big-deal tone seemed pitched to make me relax. Maybe this was simply a friend thing. I might not do elegant dinners on the regular, but maybe Magnus was built differently. “Let me spoil you a little.”
“Okay.” I couldn’t exactly argue with that request, not when he was carrying a steaming casserole dish to the table. “Well, it smells fantastic.”
“No one was around, so I borrowed the oven at your place to make our dinner, then kept it warm over here. Scalloped potatoes, pork tenderloin, and roasted carrots and green beans.”
“Wow.” I half-moaned the word, already in culinary heaven. I sat back to allow Magnus to dish the food onto my plate. “I’m not sure when I last had scalloped potatoes, but I love them.”
“I figured potatoes and cheese were a safe bet for you.” Magnus gave a warm, knowing chuckle. He was also fancier than usual, wearing clean jeans and a white shirt with actual buttons, not his usual black T-shirt. “This version is inspired by a dish I had in France, heavy on the cheese and cream sauce, so definitely an indulgence.”
“You should add this to the menu.” I didn’t need to taste it to know it was a showstopper of a dish, thinly sliced potatoes floating on a sea of cream and melted cheese and flecked with herbs.
“Nah.” Magnus shrugged before serving himself. “It’s one of those dishes that’s wonderful at home and very hard to pull off as part of a nightly menu.”
“Well, I’ll consider myself lucky then.” Grinning, I surveyed my full plate.
“You should.” Magnus shot me a teasing look and then filled each of our glasses with a white wine that looked pricey from the label year alone. Thanks to Montgomery, I knew a small bit about wines, and this Sauvignon Blanc was definitely not a budget choice.