Page 59 of Man Seeking Woman

Chapter Fifteen

August

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Icould smell somethingamazing in the elevator. The doors opened and I stood outside my apartment, wondering how something that smelled so incredible was coming out of my place. It was almost six, a little later than I had expected, but not too late for dinner. Or what was coming after.

Tonight we're doing. My mind is made up, we're not wasting any time.

Opening the door, I was smacked in the face with a savory stew of pork and onion, mixed with the scent of ginger and peppers. It smelled delicious. My stomach grumbled as I dropped my keys into the small bowl by the door and stepped around the corner of the entry way to find Ella moving around the kitchen as if she had been cooking in there for years.

She was standing at the stove, flipping a pan with one hand, tossing the vegetables into the air, and catching them easily. Ella poured bowls of different seasoning onto the vegetables, continuing to coat them with giant sweeps of the pan.

“I'm starving and something smells amazing,” I said, moving to the center island, my eyes never leaving her. “What is it?”

“Yakisoba fried noodles, it's Japanese.”

Walking to the fridge, I opened it and grabbed a bottle of beer. “Want one?”

“Sure,” she said, pulling her eyes off the food just long enough to give me a small smile.

Taking two frosted glasses from the freezer, I popped open the beers and began to pour.

Ella's eyes kept flicking between the noodles and me, watching what I was doing just as closely as she watched her own task. “What are you doing?” she asked, dropping chunks of chicken into the pan.

Holding the glass at a forty-five degree angle, I slowly poured the beer. “I'm pouring you the perfect beer.” Straightening the glass, I passed it to her. “Here, take a sip and tell me it's not the best beer you've ever had.”

“That's really good,” she said, licking the thin layer of foam off her top lip. “It tastes different, why does it taste like that?”

“It's a trick of the trade. You never want to drink quality beer out of a bottle or can. It does the beer no justice.”

“So this is what you do for work, you play with booze and different ways to drink it?” Plating the noodles, she carried them to the table and placed them down at two seats she had set.

“Yeah, I guess you could put it that way. I make beer, and all of this goes hand in hand with it. It helps to sell the product if you know the best way to showcase it.” Following her to the table, I carried our drinks. “This looks great, thanks for cooking. It's actually really nice to come home to a hot meal. Most of the time my housekeeper will cook and put it in the fridge for when I get home.”

Twisting to look at me, she had a satisfied smile on her face. “It's no problem, I actually enjoy cooking. It's even nicer to be cooking for someone else and not just myself.” The candles in the center of the table were lit, the small flames flickering back and forth, casting a glow of orange and red across Ella's face. Fanning out her arm, she said,“Dinner is served.”