Page 24 of Necessary Roughness

“If you’ll cook, I’ll buy the food.” It looked like it was all he could do to not burst out laughing again. “This deal’s off, however, if you have some exotic eating habits.”

“‘Exotic eating habits’? What does that mean?”

“You know. Are you a vegetarian? How about a vegan? Paleo? Gluten-free? Fruitarian?”

“And what if I was? That stuff is not exotic.”

“I like food and lots of it,” he said.

“What’s your point?” she burst out.

He got up from the table, crossed the kitchen to his refrigerator, and drew out a couple of boxes. “Here’s tonight’s dinner.” He set the boxes down in front of her. “I got the family plan because I eat the leftovers for lunch the next day.”

She had to admit that crispy salmon with orzo, green bean, and cucumber salad didn’t sound too bad. Everything was already in the box, complete with directions. Anyone who could follow directions could cook the meal. She wasn’t going to admit that, however.

“What would you have done if I couldn’t boil water?”

“Call for pizza,” he said as he sat down at the table. “Let’s make a deal. If you will help with the cooking tonight, I’ll start looking for another chef.”

“This means we’ll have to see each other twice a day.”

“I’ll make the sacrifice. You’re saving me from being left alone with Nurse Barb.”

A yellow Lab padded into the kitchen. He stroked the dog’s head. “There’s my good girl. Sit.” He nodded at Jordan. “Sadie, this is Jordan. She’s going to be living with us for a while.” Tanner glanced at Jordan. “Want to meet her?”

“I’d enjoy that.”

“Sadie, visit,” he said. The dog approached and laid her head in Jordan’s lap.

“Hello, Sadie,” Jordan said. The dog licked her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Okay. Dinnertime.” He reached out to grab the directions from the box. “Are you hungry? I’m starving. How about some crispy salmon?”

It wasn’t hard to find the pans and utensils she needed to cook dinner in Tanner’s kitchen. Half an hour later, the food was ready. She had to admit she’d enjoyed using his top-of-the-line appliances and cookware to come up with a meal that wouldn’t have been out of place at an expensive restaurant.

“How about a bottle of wine?” he said. “I can’t drink right now, but if you want some, the wine fridge is right there.” He nodded at the glass front set into his kitchen island.

“It’s a work night. I’ll have some ice water. Would you like some?” she said as she put a plateful of delicious-smelling food down in front of him.

“That would be great,” he said. “Thanks.”

Jordan busied herself with getting them both more ice water and sat down in front of her own plate of delicious-looking food.

Tanner was shoveling the food in like he hadn’t eaten for a week. “This is good,” he managed to say between bites.

Jordan took a bite of salmon. Delicious. The salad was fabulous too. He bent over his plate again. She took another bite of her dinner and watched him mow through one portion of salmon in short order. There were people in the world who wanted to savor a good meal. They took their time and enjoyed it. Tanner seemed to believe that relishing food was for wimps or something.

“Don’t choke,” she said.

“Oh, I won’t.” He caught her eye. “You might like that.”

“I haven’t performed the Heimlich maneuver in a while.”

“You won’t be doing it tonight.” He’d cut into the second portion of salmon and had polished off his salad. “I’m going to have to order this again.”

“I’m glad you like it,” she said.

“My compliments to the chef,” he muttered.

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