Page 22 of Mark Us Little Bear
I do notice Amber is staring, her eyes narrowed.
“Okay, you’re not lying.”
“How do you know?” Ronnie’s brows pull together.
“You look to the left when you are,” we both respond in unison, snapping our gaze at each other. Nana shoots me one of her pensive stares that looks more terrifying with her big icy-blue eyes, and I mouth,“What?”
Amber’s little laugh lingers in the background.
“I need to go to the men’s room.” Ronnie strides away, leaving his sandalwood scent behind him.
I turn my head in Nana’s direction catching her staring at me with a suspicious smirk.
“What?” an ounce of embarrassment is laced in it.
“I don’t need to ask for something I already know.” She cackles, washing some dishes in the sink. “If a guy doesn’t drool all over me I don’t want him.”
“Go you, Nana.”
“That’s the spirit,” Amber agrees, gulping down Nana’s soup.
Nana laughs loudly but stops fast.
“Taste,” she orders, putting a chicken wing in my face and I peel it away from her fingers slowly. “I made it this morning.”
Okay.
I bite the meat off it. “Ohhh spicy, I like it.” The flavors sluice against my tastebuds and something a little sweet mixes in there too. “I think Ronnie will love these he’s been into spicy food lately,” I add with my mouth full.
Her eyebrow quirks, smirking again in contentment as if she already figured out I like her grandson.
I don’t hide it and would gladly shout it from the rooftops.
“Caroline, are you awake from the breaking dawn?” Amber inquires, shifting on her stool, and the old thing creaks.
“I run a restaurant, I have to. The staff will arrive later but I like to start early and be alone in my kitchen, dance with the smell of fresh food and my favorite songs.”
“Is he into me?” I blurt out quietly, grabbing a water bottle from the table and downing half of it.
“You’re a big boy, figure it out yourself.” Nana claps her hand on my shoulder and I realize it wasn’t as quiet as I thought. “Never give in so easily. That’s what makes you more desirable.”
“So you’re basically saying he’s into me.”
“Don’t twist my words around.”
“The way you look at each other is your answer,” Amber adds, her beautiful eyes encouraging.
Ronnie returns, his eyes meeting mine and the coil in my stomach tightens as something begins to sizzle in a pan.
“Okay, kids. Time to go, shoo.” Nana waggles her palm and snaps me back to the present. “I need to clean and get this place in shape for tonight’s event—a wedding proposal in my restaurant.” She proudly informs, swinging her body from side to side like a little girl—I guess, in some way, certain parts in life allow us to stay forever young.
“We can help,” Amber offers eagerly and Ronnie and I slowly nod, accepting the sentence because Nana will whoop our asses by the time we’re done.
After long hours, my left ear is traumatized by the endless yelling. Nana is not the grumpy type just loud and pumped that it transfers to her vocal cords.
“What are you doing?” Ronnie whispers.
“Drooling over the food.”
