Page 43 of Off the Grid
“In that case, to the kitchen!”
He took off running, unable to fight his grin as she yelped and held on tighter. By the time they zipped around the corner and entered the open living area, she was laughing.
He deposited her on the island. “Stay there. Let me check the phones and see what supplies I can gather up.”
Leo walked back into the living area and grabbed the phone on the end table. There was no dial tone. He tried the other set on the opposite side of the room, but that was dead too.
Okay, power is definitely out. We need light.
He checked all the drawers and shelves first, but couldn’t find a flashlight. Fighting his better judgment, Leo gathered all the candles and placed them around the living area, lighting them one by one with the box of matches he’d seen near the fireplace. It was too romantic, but there was no way around it. He’d just have to keep his head on straight and power through. Tomorrow, they’d be able to call for help. Just one more night with McKenzie and then everything would go back to normal.
You’ve got this.
Leo found a pantry filled with nonperishables and grabbed a bag of chips and an unopened can of salsa.
“Hey, can you tell if the stove is gas?” he called out.
“Um…” McKenzie answered, clicking her tongue. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Excellent,” he muttered to himself as he went back into the pantry for more. A few minutes later, he returned to the kitchen with his arms overflowing.
McKenzie practically tore the chips from his hands. She ripped the bag open and stuffed one into her mouth. Midchew, she nudged her chin in his direction and asked, “What’s all of that?”
“Black beans,” he said with a grin, placing the cans onto the granite countertop. “Kidney beans. Diced Tomatoes. Tomato sauce.”
“Yum?”
“Just wait,” he countered, quickly crossing the room toward the freezer. The power was out, so he felt less bad about pillaging their resources since it would all go bad anyway. He found ground beef—major score!—and some frozen corn, and tossed them both onto the counter.
McKenzie pulled her brows together, scrutinizing the supplies. Her eyes widened, and she looked up at him. “Chili?”
“Damn straight.”
She snorted. “Youarefrom Texas.”
“Well,realTexas chili doesn’t have beans, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?”
He kept scrummaging, this time through the spice rack on the counter, and grabbed some chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, and cayenne. Then he pulled a pot out from one of the drawers. Using a match, he lit the stove. When he started cooking, McKenzie fell back against the counter, crossing her ankles as she continued to munch on chips. He handed her a glass of water, which she finished in about three sips. He refilled it and kept watch on the thawing ground beef.
“I could get used to this letting-the-man-do-all-the-work thing,” she mused.
“Seems like you already have.”
“Hey, I’m injured here.” She crunched on another chip. “My stomach is growling like crazy. How long until it’s ready?”
A laugh slipped through his lips. “I haven’t even started yet. I’m just browning the meat.”
“Did you add some spices though?”
“Some cumin, some cayenne, and a little chili powder.”
“Smells good.” She inhaled deeply and a soft smile widened her lips, making him wonder at the memory playing behind her eyes. “Did your mom teach you how to cook?”
“She tried,” he murmured with a shake of his head. “Don’t let this fool you. I definitely wasn’t the best student.”
That secretive little grin still played across her lips. McKenzie closed her eyes. “What sort of things did she make?”
“The usual—enchiladas,tamales,empanadas,mole,croquetas. My favorite, though, was her pork tacos. Oh man, she’d put the meat in the slow cooker in the morning and let it simmer all day. The apartment smelled unreal when I got home from school. Somehow she’d know, every freaking time, if I tried a little before she got back from work.Aye, Emilio, no!It was like she had eyes everywhere.”
