Page 20 of Recipe for Romance

“Really?” Nicole’s head bounced between him and his mother, her expression wistful. “That sounds like a nice tradition.”

“It is. You’ll have to join us for Christmas morning if you don’t have other plans.” It wasn’t unusual for his mom to hand out invitations to their home for the holidays, but Aiden hadn’t been quite as invested in the answer of any of the invitees before now.

Nicole glanced at him for a moment. “Thank you, though I’m not sure how long I’ll be around.” She looked to him for the answer, and he was more than happy to give it.

“From what I saw in the kitchen this morning, you’ll probably be around for at least a few months,” he informed her. Her skills were so rough he wouldn’t be surprised if it took years to get her to a point where she was ready to join a kitchen. Aiden not immediately hating the thought of having her around for that long was a problem. They needed to get out of there before his mom invited her to live with him permanently, another thought he didn’t mind nearly as much as he should have. “Speaking of, we should get back to work.”

Nicole nodded and stood, turning to his mother. “Thank you again for letting me explore the orchard and for the lunch invitation.” She awkwardly held out her hand for a shake, but his mom batted it away and drew her into another hug instead.

“I’m more of a hugger dear, and unless that makes you uncomfortable, you should probably get used to it,” his mom said, winking in his direction.

Aiden rolled his eyes and went to pry Nicole from his mother’s arms, stopping when he saw how at ease she was as his mom hugged her. He couldn’t imagine not having his mom around, or any member of his family. Guilt flooded him as he realized he’d probably taken all of them for granted for a long time. In one afternoon, Nicole had offered more gratitude to his parents than he had in the last decade. Maybe his getting fired from Zoretti’s was a blessing in disguise in more ways than one. Yes, he was getting to open a restaurant on his own terms with his own menu, but he was also getting to be closer to his family, a family he should fall on his knees and thank whatever higher power existed for.

When the two women separated, Aiden pulled his mom into a hug. Initially looking a bit shocked, his mom eventually sank into the hug and patted his back. “Thanks, Mom.”

His mom leaned back and stared at him like he’d been taken over by a body snatcher, her blue eyes crinkling in the corners as she squinted at him. “What are you thanking me for?”

Aiden shrugged and released her from the hug. “Everything, nothing. I don’t know.” He rubbed the back of his neck feeling awkward. “Just felt like I needed to say it.”

His mom beamed at him and nudged Nicole with her elbow. “I think I like the influence you’re having on this one,” she told her.

Nicole giggled lightly, but covered her mouth when Aiden glared at her. “Um, we should go,” she said, bee lining for the door. “Thanks again, Cora.”

“Anytime dear,” his mom called after her. Aiden turned to leave, but his mom’s words stopped him in his tracks. “I like her, Aiden.”

He sighed heavily. His mom was likely to get attached if Aiden didn’t nip this in the bud. She was the type of woman to pull over on the side of the road and coax a stray dog into the car before semi-adopting it. Nicole wasn’t a stray, but she did have a little of that lost quality about her, like she hadn’t been cared for as well as she should have been. That was like catnip to his mom, something she wouldn’t be able to resist taking advantage of if Aiden didn’t put a stop to it.

Aiden gave his mom a pointed look. “It’s just business, Mom, nothing more than that. I’m only helping her out because her dad basically forced me to, so don’t get any wild ideas, okay?”

The smile on her face was wry and knowing. “Sure, honey.” His mom patted his cheek like he was five years old, his teeth once again caked with mud. “You keep thinking that.”

With a huff, he turned on his heel and walked out of the dining room. He found Nicole leaning against the wall, a downtrodden expression on her face. “Ready?”

“Yup,” she said curtly. They walked out to his car in silence, something that was in rare supply around her. Her current mood was such a 180 from what had been moments ago that he couldn’t help but wonder what happened between the dining table and the door.

Aiden tried to forget it, let things be as they were, but once they were on the road and the silence had gone on for too long, he flicked his gaze over to Nicole, finding her arms crossed and her lips pursed in a pout. “Everything okay?”

She turned to him with a forced smile. “Everything’s great. Lunch was nice, but I’m looking forward to getting back to business. That’s why I’m here, right? Business?”

Fuck.Aiden knew his voice carried, but he didn’t think she would overhear him with his mother. Clearly she had and wasn’t happy about what he’d said. An apology was on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it. Wasn’t it better for everyone if they kept things professional? He hadn’t needed to take her to his family farm. There were half a dozen others in the area they could have visited, but he hadwantedher to see it, to be in the space that he called home for so long.

That alone was a giant red flag that he was acting out of character and needed to get things back on track. Determined to keep their relationship strictly professional, Aiden nodded as he drove them back to his house. “Right. Back to business.” The words tasted sour as they tumbled from his mouth, but it was for the best. His heart thumped heavily in his chest as if to protest his decision, but Aiden ignored it. Something he’d been doing since the moment he met Nic.

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