Page 21 of Slow Burn
She might've been somewhere across town, but I felt her narrow her eyes. "Mmm- hmm, yeah. I was going to invite you over to sample the new additions to the menu, but now I'm not so sure."
This had me groaning very loudly. "As much as I would love to come over and try your delicious offerings, I can't." I sighed. "I got hurt." I explained to Frankie about the fall, choosing to leave out the part about my neighbor carrying me home.
"Say no more. I'll be there in ten." I could hear her moving about. A few cupboards opened and closed. "I'm bringing lunch."
I smiled into the phone. "I don't deserve you."
A puff of laughter filtered through the line. "Of course not, but because I'm so damn awesome, I'm letting you keep me."
"How awfully kind of you." My smile stretched even wider.
We shared another laugh and with a promise of being over soon, Frankie said goodbye. It was a good thing she knew where I kept my spare key, I thought as I hobbled back to the couch, snatching up the TV remote along the way.
At least sitting back down was a little less painful than the standing up and walking to the kitchen part had been. As I leaned back against the soft cushioning, Sheldon hopped on and made himself comfortable against my hip.
My hand moved to his head, fingers threading through his impossibly soft fur. "Now what to do whilewe wait for Frankie?" I shot him a glance. "You got any ideas?" He stared at me with his big eyes for a few seconds before burying his nose between his front paws.
Laughing softly, I poked the button on the remote and mindlessly scrolled through the channels. Nothing caught my attention, but then again, nothing would when Adam was still so firmly stuck in my head.
The scruff peppering his jaw, the way he held me, his scent. The tortured look on his beautiful face. I couldn't stop thinking about the man, and honestly, I didn't think I wanted too.
After who knew how long, Sheldon's head snapped up right before he launched off the couch and set off for the front door with a string of barks.
"Honestly," Frankie huffed out when she appeared in my living room a few moments later. "He has known me for how long? And still he yaps at me." She aimed her glare at Sheldon as he made himself comfortable next to me again.
"He's just saying hello," I told her with a grin.
She rolled her eyes before shifting her gaze to my ankle. "Ouch."
"You can say that again."
Hefting the bags in her hands, she turned headed for the kitchen. "Let me fix you lunch and then you can tell me all about it."
"You're too good to me."
"Trust me," she said, pulling out item after item. "I know."
She spent the next few minutes telling me about her plan to have a cupcake and cocktail pairing evening. Kind of like a wine tasting, she'd said, but with pretty drinks and decadent cakes.
I wasn't going to need too much convincing to attend that.
"All right, from cupcakes to sandwiches." Her smile had a nervous edge to it when she handed me a plate with another mouthwatering savory stuffed croissant.
Forgoing my manners, I lifted the treat and took a big bite. "Aaww," I moaned around a mouth full of half-chewed food. "This one is even better than the one I had the other day. My taste buds have officially died and gone to heaven."
Salty pork and sweet braised apples with just a hint of pepper danced on my tongue, reminding me how lucky I was to have a friend who loved cooking.
I went in for another bite and another, demolishing the goodness on my plate embarrassingly fast.
"So, it's good?" Frankie was sitting at the opposite end of the sectional, an untouched croissant perched on her lap.
"It's better than good. In fact." I jerked my chin toward her. "If you're not going to eat that—"
"Hands off!"
I threw my head back and laughed. "You're not eating it."
Something odd struck me then. Treats of any kind made people happy. Or most people at least. Maybesomething rich and decadent would have the same effect on Mr. Grumpy Butt next door.
