Page 7 of Dragon's Unwanted Love
“Yeah, I guess you’re right, but if you ever change your mind, let me take you shopping, my treat,” Yvonne said, giving her a hug. “You’d better go, you don’t want to be late for the ogling.”
She laughed and grabbed a long coat off the rack next to the front door. “I’ll be back with pizza around ten,” she said. “And since we’re celebrating, I might just grab a gallon of ice cream; we can eat it right out of the container.”
“I knew it was a good idea to have you move in,” Yvonne said, grinning at her. “Make it chocolate, and I’ll love you forever.”
CHAPTER 4
***JACKSON***
Jackson took the steps up to the backdoor of the fraternity house two at a time, pulled open the screen door, and stepped into the kitchen. His mood was greatly improved thanks to an unexpected afternoon off. It would give him a chance to finish getting unpacked and settled into his room, and then he could enjoy the rest of the night catching up with the rest of the guys. Coming back the day before classes started had been a mistake, but he’d wanted to be as much help on the farm as he could since it was the last summer he’d be able to go home during the break.
“What is that smell?” Hattie demanded from the counter where she was making sandwiches. “Is that you, Jackson?”
“I’m afraid so,” he said, smiling at the housekeeper. “We had to clean the dissection lab this morning.”
“Well, go take a shower,” she said, wrinkling her nose in disapproval. “You’re not sitting down at my table smelling like that.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, trying not to smile. “I’m starving. I don’t suppose I could get a little something to hold me over?”
“Don’t you dare touch these sandwiches,” she warned, but he was already reaching for one. “Jackson Howe, get out of my kitchen and clean yourself up.”
He snagged the sandwich and ate it in three bites as he climbed the stairs to his room, deciding that it felt good to be back. “Is lunch ready?” Walker asked when he passed him in the hallway. “I’m starving. Coach had us running all through practice this morning.”
“Not yet, I just got a preview,” he said, heading for the bathroom. “I’ve been ordered to shower before I can eat, I guess I stink.”
“Now that you mention it, you are a bit smelly,” Taylor said, backing away from him. “I’ll see you at lunch.”
When he got out of the shower, he dressed quickly and then ran downstairs, his hair still wet, afraid that he was going to miss lunch and be stuck with leftovers. Everyone was just sitting down when he skidded into the kitchen, earning him a frown from Hattie, but he just grinned at her and took his place at the table. Looking around at his friends, he thought about how different they all were, and marveled that the one little thing that connected them could have resulted in such deep friendship.
None of them had gotten there the easy way; they’d all had to fight to get where they were, and he was proud of them all for making it as far as they had. Each had their own story, their own heartbreak and loss, but he realized that also united them, and it hit him then how much he would miss them all when they graduated and went their separate ways.
“Now, boys, don’t eat too fast. There’s plenty more where that came from,” Hattie said, setting two huge platters of sandwiches on the table. “And don’t forget to eat your vegetables, they’re good for you.”
There were groans around the table, but piles of raw vegetables made their way onto every plate under Hattie’swatchful eye. “You’re all going to starve when you leave here,” she said, shaking her head. “I think it’s time I started teaching you to cook.”
Since they’d moved into the fraternity house their freshman year, Hattie had been threatening to drag them all into the kitchen but, so far, hadn’t gone through with the threat. Looking at her face now, he had a feeling it was no longer a threat and knew that by the end of the school year, they’d all be able to do more than heat a frozen dinner in the microwave.
“My mom taught me to cook,” he said. “But I wouldn’t mind learning a few tricks from the best cook I know.”
“Suck-up,” Aaron said, elbowing him in the ribs. “Stop making the rest of us look bad.”
“We’ll talk,” Hattie said, smiling at him. “I’ve got to go get dinner started. You are all on clean-up duty until I can put together a chore chart.”
That earned her another groan. “Now, you listen, I won’t send you boys out into the world unprepared to take care of yourselves.”
“I’m going to be so rich I won’t have to take care of myself,” Malcom said, then sighed when he saw the look on Hattie’s face. “But I’ll do my share until then.”
“It makes financial sense to be able to cook, you know,” Gabe said from the other end of the table. “Takeout is expensive, and we won’t even talk about how much it costs to hire help these days.”
“I’ll never be able to afford either one on a teacher’s salary,” Ryan said. “I’m in, Hattie, just tell me when to be there.”
“We should make a schedule. That way, everyone gets an equal chance to learn,” Taylor said. “I could even draw up a contract if you want.”
“I don’t think we need a contract. You’re not a lawyer yet,” Cooper said. “Give us a break with the contracts.”
“I need to practice,” Taylor defended himself. “Besides, weren’t you just out in the backyard playing with blocks?”
“I wasn’t playing with blocks, I was testing out a design I’ve been working on,” Cooper said. “If I’m going to get into that program at the architectural institute, I’ve got to have something that will blow them away.”
