Page 125 of To Love or to Lose
I smile. “I think I could survive it.”
“Good.”
There’s a moment of silence between us before we look back and forth between each other and the door.
“Well, now we have to get back to the kitchen without them noticing we were both gone.”
He spins me toward the door. “You go first. If anyone asks, I’m upstairs grabbing something.”
Before I can give any type of snide remark, Jameson pushes me toward the door by the shoulders. “Okay, okay, I’m going!” I laugh before heading back into the kitchen.
Everyone else has already taken their seats around the island in front of the plates that we are going to be making our pizzas on. Only once I notice all the ingredients in front of us is when I realize how disgusting this is going to be.
I walk toward the sink, wanting to wash my hands before this chaos ensues. So far, no one has even noticed my entrance.
“Everyone, line up behind Genevieve,” Jameson yells as he enters the kitchen.He definitely did not wait long enough.“You’re all washing your hands before we start.” He’s already standing behind me, waiting his turn.
I turn my head toward him as I scrub my hands, silently thanking him. All he does is nod and smile as if it wasn’t a big deal.
It was a kind gesture, making sure that nobody creates a cesspool of germs in the bag of mozzarella. Plus, I know he did it for my peace of mind.
Once everyone’s hands are washed and we’re all sitting around the island again, we form the dough into circles.
“Pull this.” Eloise faces Winnie, struggling to stretch the dough on her own.
They each grab a hold of one side, pulling it until it rips, making them both fall into giggles.
“Watch this!” Logan shouts over the commotion of the kitchen. He throws the lump of dough in the air over and over until it looks like an actual pizza crust.
Everyone around the table smiles at his enthusiasm before Luke smacks a hand straight in the center of the dough, ruining its perfect shape.
“So…” I turn toward Jameson once everyone else is in their own side conversations. “Oxford it is.”
He hums, as if he’s contemplating. “We’ll see.”
“What?” I ask, suddenly confused. “I thought Oxford was a done deal?”
He shrugs, spooning sauce onto his dough. “Things could always change.”
“What other universities are you looking at?”
“Columbia.” He smirks, like he’s trying to get a rise out of me.
I point a finger at him. “Don’t do that.” He cocks his head to the side, silently asking what I mean. “Don’t decide what college you’re going to because of me.”
“I can promise you that, if I don’t go to Oxford, it will not depend completely on you,” he laughs, setting a discreet hand on my thigh under the countertop.
“I’m glad,” I tell him honestly.
“Are you guys not done yet?” Eloise asks as she puts her pizza in the oven.
“E, that pizza looks like shit.” Logan tells her, looking up from where he is methodically placing pepperonis on his pizza.She smacks him in the back of the head, making him bite down on his stuck-out tongue.“Ow!” He winces, putting a hand over his mouth.
“I’m not going for style; I’m going for substance,” Eloise says, shutting the oven.
“And I don’t think whateverthatis will accomplish either.” Jameson grimaces as he looks at what’s supposed to be Eloise's pizza.
“I didn’t ask for commentary,” Eloise snaps in return, plucking a pepperoni off Logan’s pizza and stuffing it in her mouth.
