Page 36 of The Princess and the Pizza Man

“My momma lost her right arm when she was about twenty-seven.” He waggled his brow, letting her know that he hadn’t forgotten her age. “I was ‘bout six, and so Bells and I started helping out ‘round the house more, and Bells’ cooking was horrible, Frosty. I’m telling ya, even at six when I would eat a bug, I could not for the life of me choke down her penne pasta and homemade Alfredo.”

“Alfredo sounds so delicious, though.”

“Yes, that’s what I thought, too before it all came back up.”

She wrinkled her nose and giggled. Will put his hand on hers and stirred, reminding her to keep doing her job.

“So, I told her I’d make dinner the next night. Mind you, I was six, so there wasn’t much I could do. No oven, no stove… but I could order pizza just fine. Problem with that is, well, Alabama ain’t known for their pizza, right? So, I asked Momma to teach me how to make it. She’d do the adult stuff, like putting it in the oven and taking it out, but I learned how to get the dough ready, get the sauce—it wasn’t made from scratch back then, but I learned how to do that, too, when I was old enough—and sprinkle cheese, and make funny faces with the toppings.”

A light started spreading in his eyes, making crow’s feet and tickling Winter from the inside out. It was the most handsome she’d ever seen him, and she prayed he’d keep talking forever.

“After choking down that Alfredo, Momma had no problem eating pizza for the rest of her days.” He laughed and took over stirring now that all the ingredients were in the sauce. “But I tried to expand my cooking knowledge.”

“What was her favorite?”

“Pepperoni and olive pizza.” He smiled—a different kind of smile she hadn’t seen much of. Almost like pride. Or maybe just joy. “But my cookies ain’t bad either.”

“I want some.”

He laughed and nodded. “You got it.”

She did know where the chocolate chips were, so she hurried over to her old stash and fished them out. The amused look on Will’s face that she knew where those were but not a sauce pan was crystal clear.

“Shush,” she said.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“So… is Momma a frequent visitor at your pizza place?”

“She is when she’s home, but she’s a world explorer at the moment. Met a man, got an RV, and off they went.” He pointed at her. “That’s how I know opposites attract.”

“And I thought it was because you had a thing for a quiet, reserved girl.”

He jolted back, almost a little too quickly, and a deep sense of dread filled her. Apparently, she’d hit the nail on the head, and she’d only been teasing.

“Oh, that is the case.” She smiled, but it did not meet her eyes. “What’s her name?”

She didn’t give a single hoot, but she couldn’t help but ask. Let him confirm what she’d unintentionally inferred.

Or deny it.

He let out a shaky breath. “Uh… Penelope.”

Dang it. “She’s quiet, then?”

“Very.” He paused. “Almost too quiet.”

A light flickered in the dark corner her heart was hiding in. “I don’t think you have any problem filling conversation.”

“No,” he admitted with a small laugh. “But… it’s hard to feel like I ain’t gonna scare her off. Just doesn’t come easy.”

“Things that are worth it rarely are.” She ripped the chocolate chips open and gorged herself on a handful, not caring how that looked.

They fell silent, and Winter feared that if he didn’t say something soon, she’d have the entire bag in her belly.

“What about you?” he asked.

“What about me?”

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