Page 58 of Tumbleweed Temptation
“In the produce.”
She didn't have jars, but he grabbed a bulb of garlic and a metal press nearby. He inspected the produce before choosing a green pepper and a handful of green beans.
“I usually buy the frozen ones,” he admitted to Ginny, who was following, bemused. “So we’ll see how this comes out.”
They passed the refrigerated section and she grabbed a package of cookie dough.
“I don't have a baking sheet,” he said, so she grabbed one of those too, from the other side of the store and added it to the cart as he pulled up to the register.
“Did you bring a bag?” Mrs. Lopez asked.
Austin looked at Ginny, who shrugged. “It’s not an environment thing so much as she doesn’t want to spend the money on grocery bags,” Ginny said.
“It serves both purposes,” Mrs. Lopez grumbled as she rang up the purchases. “I have a reusable bag here you can buy.”
Austin motioned for her to add it to the total.
“How does this fit into your healthy eating plan?” she asked of the tube of cookies.
“Doesn’t,” Ginny replied. “I just wanted them.”
“Don't let her just get what she wants, or you’re going to end up with a fat cow.”
Austin lifted his gaze to Mrs. Lopez and stared her down. “Not my business to butt into what she likes. If something makes her happy, she should have it, and not be guilted out of it.”
“She says stuff like that all the time, don't let it bother you,” Ginny said as they walked down the street to his place. “She’s just a bitter woman. I don't think she wanted to be stuck here in town running the family store, but she was the only one left, so it kind of fell to her.”
“Yeah, I can see that, but she didn't have any business saying that to you. I mean, if she feels comfortable saying it to you, and you’re pretty confident, what happens when she says it to someone who has low self-esteem?”
Pushing aside the laughable idea that she was self-confident, she frowned. “You’re not going to be able to change her. Even if you say something to her like that, you’re not going to change her.”
“Well, maybe not overnight, but I’ve got seven years.” He opened the door to the building and ushered her inside.
*****
AUSTIN WAS SURPRISINGLYnervous. He hadn’t cooked for a woman in a long time. When he was dating Nicole, he kind of had to, since she was vegetarian, and Waco didn't have a lot of options. He’d actually made this dish for her using tofu.
He wondered what Mrs. Lopez would have thought if he’d asked for tofu. For that matter, he wondered what Ginny would have thought.
“What can I do?” Ginny asked, sitting at the counter while he unloaded the groceries.
“I think with fresh green beans, you have to remove the end. You mind doing that?”
“Not at all.”
He rinsed them, and handed them over to her with a knife and a tiny plastic cutting board. He hadn’t bought very many, so her part didn’t take much time at all. She reached for the green pepper and sliced it while he crushed garlic into the combination of hot sauce, soy sauce and pineapple, then cut the chicken breasts into chunks. He dropped them into the mixture. He turned to the stove to start the burner and cooked up the vegetables, setting them aside before adding the chicken to the pan, then starting a pot of water to boil for the rice.
He grabbed a couple of bottled waters from the refrigerator and passed her one before he turned his attention to the stove again.
She took a deep breath and plunged into the topic she’d been thinking about all day. “You haven't brought me up here to soften me up so I’ll come work for you, have you?”
“Yup, exactly what I’m doing. You come work for me and I’ll make you lunch and dinner every night.” He didn't even look at her when he said it.
“Well, I’m going to first have to see how well you cook,” she teased.
“Oh, I cook very very well,” he said, and at that moment, the scent of garlic hit her hard enough to knock her off her seat. He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Have you been thinking about it?”
“Maybe a little. I just—it’s not worth getting with a fight with Janine over, you know?”
