Page 33 of Rugged Hearts: Part One
“I’m cooking us dinner at her place.”
“Romantic.”
Second guessing myself, I ask, “Should I have done something more casual?”
He looks thoughtful. “No it’s probably better to start the courting somewhere she’d be comfortable and at ease than going somewhere crowded.” He’s right, though I’m more worried that she’ll be uncomfortable around me.
When I told her my plan for our date, she looked excited. My hands are full with the bags of supplies for dinner but I manage to reach up to knock a couple times on her door. It’s a coupleminutes before the door opens. She looks a little flustered, was she not ready yet? I’m on time. I actually waited in my car down the block so I wouldn’t be early.
My mouth goes dry as I take in the vision before me. She’s in a long-sleeved black sheer top with a black undershirt, high-waisted skirt that flows out to just over her knees, giving a glimpse of her thick thighs that are covered in semi-sheer black tights. Her hair is curled lightly, more so than its normal wavy texture. Her hazel eyes are bare of any makeup other than mascara, and her plump lips have a gorgeous shade of red on them. Everything she’s wearing compliments her pale skin.
“Hi,” I croak out, internally face palming myself. “You look amazing.”
She gives a shy smile. A shy smile when she looks like sex on stick. I will never understand women. “Thank you, so do you.” She gestures for me to come in. I look frumpy next to her in black slacks and a navy dress shirt.
I head to the kitchen, placing the bags on the island. Knowing the layout of the house helps since I’ll be the one cooking tonight. Guess us being the landlords comes in handy for once. The island is all cleared off other than the envelope that she suddenly moves out of the way to the other side of the counter.
I decided to prep some of the cooking—mainly the sauce—ahead of time so it wouldn’t take long for me to finish cooking our dinner. “What do you need?” she asks and I list off the types of pots and pans I’ll need for the meal. Once I have everything laid out, I begin cooking the chicken and pasta. Thea is seated at the island, and so far it’s been small talk as I set up.
“How are you feeling?” I ask as I start cooking at the stove, my back turned away from the island where she sits.
“I’ve been okay. Nothing really of note regarding the whole heat thing so that’s good.”
“And everything else?”
Thea glances to the envelope at the other end of the counter. “I’m still working through things but it’s good to be getting toknow you and your pack.”She changes the topic. “So I take it by this date you enjoy cooking?”
I laugh lightly as I stir the veggies. “Yeah I find it relaxing. Me and Micah are the best cooks in the pack.”
“Really? I can’t see him being much of a cook.” Yeah he’s firmly in grumpy asshole category for her. He really needs to pull his shit together.
“I’d say he’s better than me. He hasn’t done much cooking though in the last year and a half.”I put the finished veggies in a bowl.
“Why?”
Well, I walked into that, but she should know of our ex. It’s only fair. I don’t say anything as I finish plating everything and turn the stove off. Handing her a plate, I place one in front of me and remain standing on the opposite side of the island so we face each other.
“We had an ex that left her mark on all of us. For Micah, part of that was he lost his interest in cooking. I don’t know the details beyond that.”
She looks contemplative, but her scent sours a little. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I don’t want her to be upset. “Were any of you bonded to her?” she asks.
“No we never got that far. We courted her for nearly six months. It didn’t feel like that long since for most of it was long distance.”
She doesn’t say anything and instead starts eating. I’m thankful for the reprieve. After her first bite she lets out a groan. “Wow this is so good Ben.”
Smiling at the compliment, I murmur, “Thank you, I’m glad you like it. It’s a comfort recipe for me.”
A few minutes pass of us eating in silence. I can tell she wants to ask more about our ex. However, I’m surprised when she asks, “So what made you want to start the lodge?”
“When we moved up here for Liam’s residency at a local hospital, we rented a place closer to it but were looking for land tobuild our pack house. All of us were in agreement we didn’t want to live in a big city. Liam was lucky he found a hospital that had a program he was interested in and a location we all loved. When we found the land, it was a lot more than we planned to buy but it just felt right. When we started planning the house, the lodge idea just came to me as I kept thinking how beautiful it was here with the lake right there. It kind of just spiraled from there,” I explain, remembering how busy we all were back then, before continuing. “Before the lodge I worked with Eli and Micah managing our real estate company. I basically approached the lodge idea like I would a new property for that business. I researched and put together a business plan. I wanted the pack to see it as another revenue stream since it would’ve been a huge investment to start.”
“They obviously got on board. It’s always been clear to me how much you love it. The care and welcoming vibe it has says a lot. I think everyone who works at the lodge sees it and feels it. More bosses should be so passionate and caring about their staff and the work environment,” Thea says sincerely.
“Why does it seem like you have a story behind that comment?”
“Behind what?”
“The boss comment, did you have a bad one?”