Page 28 of The Fake Girlfriend's Billionaire Match
His head and his heart had finally found the same page, and now they were both singing the sad notes.
Bear yawned and held his chest as it turned into a cough. Yeah, he needed to lie down and grab a nap before Jim’s appointment. Maybe that would help him clear his head a little more.
Chapter 20
Closing her eyes, Winnie inhaled the aroma of garlic, onion, rosemary, and basil filling her mom’s kitchen. The flavors were perfectly married for the meal. She opened her eyes and stirred the squash to keep it from burning.
It was more of a celebratory meal now that her dad’s test results were in. It had only taken a couple of days to get them back. Her dad was given orders to reduce his stress and a prescription for blood pressure medicine.
“That smells divine,” her mom said as she stopped in the doorway.
Winnie’s dad joined her mom. “It sure does.”
It wasn’t a surprise to Winnie. His favorite was pork loin stuffed with cream cheese and green chilis, with roasted potatoes and pan-fried butternut squash. If he didn’t love this dish, she’d take him back to the hospital for broken taste buds.
As much as she loved the compliments from her parents, she was missing Bear’s input. His opinion had come to matter more to her than anyone’s. “Have you seen Bear?” Winnie asked.
“Last time I saw him, he was going to lie down,” her dad replied.
A cough drew her attention to the area behind her parents. Bear rubbed his hand over his head and stopped behind them. “That really smells good. You can’t go wrong with green chilis.” He smiled.
Winnie tilted her head, studying him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m used to sleeping in the middle of nowhere. All these city lights are wreaking havoc with my sleep.” He chuckled. “Do you need any help?”
A timer beeped, and she shook her head. “Nope, that beep means it’s time to eat.”
Once she had everything plated, her parents and Bear helped her get it to the table. “I hope you guys like it,” she said, taking her seat next to Bear across from her mom and dad.
Winnie held her breath as her dad sliced a piece of tenderloin off and ate it. His shoulders rounded as his body melted with a moan. “Oh, sweetheart, this is…this is incredible.”
“Yeah?” Her pulse quickened as she held back tears. “I was hoping you’d like it.”
“I love it,” he said, slicing off another bite. “Oh, it’s so good.”
Her mom nodded. “It’s delicious. Is this one of the dishes you plan to serve once you open the restaurant?”
Shrugging, she said, “I wasn’t thinking so, but I might.”
“You should. I think people would love it. It’s amazing.” Her dad looked at her, and for the first time in her life, it felt like he was actually seeing her for who she was and not what he wanted her to be. “You’re amazing.”
Bear covered her hand with his and smiled. “She’s pretty incredible, but I think that about all of her.”
Lifting her gaze to Bear’s, she smiled. “Thank you.” Then she noticed how tired his eyes looked. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, sweetheart.” He leaned closer, whispering, “This is your night. Your parents are proud of you, and so am I. Not just because of your talent, but because of who you are.”
After that, Winnie couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She’d cooked for her dad, he’d loved it, and he was proud of her.
Once they were finished eating, her mom and Bear had taken on dish duty, which was their way of giving her a chance to talk with her dad alone. Joining him in the living room, she sat in a chair adjacent to his.
His arms were crossed over his chest, and his gaze seemed focused on nothing in particular. Minutes ticked by, and the longer he was quiet, the more she wondered if maybe he’d said all he needed to while they were at the table.
“Winnie,” he finally said and lifted his gaze to her. “You were right, and I was wrong.”
She blinked, certain she’d hallucinated. “What?”
He dropped his hands to his lap and scoffed. “You heard me. I was wrong. You have an incredible talent, sweetheart. If your other dishes are anywhere near as good as the one you prepared tonight, you’ll be turning people away.”
