Page 39 of First Date: Divorce
“Anything you make will be great,” K.D.said.“I’m still full from cake samples.”
“You know,” Rebecca said, as if she hadn’t heard that exchange, “there’s the superstition that wearing the dress of a happy bride will make you happy, too.So you should be ecstatic.”
“But this isn’t a real wedding.It’s fake.Totally fake.”
“Uh-huh.”
K.D.didn’t like the small smile Rebecca wore.
K.D.didn’t like the small smiles Ellyn and Kendra wore, either.
With the dress pooled on the floor, she stepped free of it, pulling on her normal clothes fast.
*
With the fitting complete, the women went to the kitchen, where the other men watched Daniel pulling a baking sheet out of the oven, while eagerly sniffing the scents wafting toward them.Eric and Grif moved up, as if the temptations from the oven lured them in.
“It dinged,” Daniel said with a note of self-justification.“Didn’t want it to burn.”
“How thoughtful of you, Daniel.”Ellyn’s eyes sparkled with amusement.“I’m sure it had nothing to do with wanting to eat what’s been baking.”
“Now that I know you can take things out of the oven,” Kendra said, “it opens a whole new world.”
While the others continued to joke at Daniel’s expense, K.D.caught Grif giving her a long, assessing look.
He knew she’d caught him.
But he didn’t look away.He kept studying her.
She put on her cop face, confident he wouldn’t see anything beneath it.
“Hey, I cook,” Daniel protested good-naturedly.
“You grill.”
“And mac and cheese.On the burner from the box.Our son’s favorite.”
“That’s not cooking.”
“You and Matthew think so when you eat it, gourmets that you are.”
“Quit talking about eating and let’s do it,” Luke said.“What is it, Ellyn?It smells terrific,”
“It’s a twist on pigs in a blanket.”Ellyn passed the platter around.“For fun.”
“Finally,” grumbled Luke.“I’m starving.”
“Wait.Not yet.I want you all to try it at the same time.It looks like what you’d expect on the outside, but that’s only a cover story for what’s going on inside.Like you two.”She smiled at K.D.and Eric.“Okay, now.”
Silence.Then soft moans of pleasure.Before those faded, hands reached for seconds.
“But what do you think?”Ellyn asked.
Grif put an arm around her shoulders.“Empty platter in ten seconds flat.And look at their faces.There’s your answer.”
“The pastry—”
“—melts right into that amazing sauce, against the crisp—”
