Page 83 of Hail Marry
“I’ve made a Canadian feast,” she says energetically. “I think.”
“A Canadian feast,” I repeat, narrowing my eyes as I come into the kitchen. There are pots and pans on the stove, and the island is covered with numerous ingredients and measuring cups.
She grabs a spatula and flips a pancake. “Pancakes and maple syrup—in a leaf-shaped glass bottle, no less—poutine…” She stops. “Okay, so not a feast. Just two things. I tried to find out if there were any vegetable dishes that are really Canadian, but I struck out, so I just made some artichoke since it’s got a lot of leaves on it, and your flag has a leaf. Okay, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” My stomach clenches. Can she tell what I’m thinking right now from my face? Does she know that I’m one unchecked impulse away from wrapping her in my arms and burying my face in that delicious-smelling neck of hers?
“Like I’m a crazy person.” She turns to move the pancake onto the existing stack of them by the stove. “At this point, that shouldn’t be a surprise.”
I smile, but my heart twists with affection as I watch her try to flip the pancake onto the stack with flair.
I snatch it before it falls to the floor. “I don’t think you’re crazy.”I think you’re amazing and thoughtful and knock-out gorgeous.I keep that last bit to myself. “Are we celebrating Canada Day?”
“We missed that boat by a few weeks, right?” She turns toward me as I come over to see if I can help. “Did you not get Preston’s email?”
I shake my head and snatch a fry, covered in delicious gravy and cheese. “I haven’t checked my email today.”
She smacks my hand half-heartedly, and the domesticness of the scene hits me strangely. “He sent us a list of some of the questions we can expect at that interview, and it made me realize how little we know about each other.”
“So, you made poutine and pancakes...”
“I made a Canadian feast for us to eat while we get to know each other thanks to same-day delivery and this.” She holds up a book.
I take it, looking at the cover. “Love Maps: Charting the Path to a Deeper Relationship.” My brows go up.
“Awful title,” she says, taking the plate of pancakes to the table. “There aren’t even any maps in there. I checked. But it’s full of questions that can help us get to know each other while we eat dinner every night.”
We start from the very beginning of the book, our dinner conversation centering around the basics: favorite colors, animals, and holidays. Then the questions get a little deeper: favorite movie and book. Preferred way to spend a weekend. Go-to comfort food. Where you’d travel if you could go anywhere.
“Not Canada?” Tori asks with her head cocked to the side after hearing my answer is Machu Picchu.
I shake my head.
“Huh. I mean, I guess maybe it’s not as exciting as Machu Picchu. I’ve never been to either, so I wouldn’t know, but you haven’t been home for ages, right?”
“No,” I say. “But not because I haven’t had the option.” I pause. “I kind of hate Canada.”
Her brows shoot up. “You…hate it?”
I shrug a shoulder. “I don’t have anything against the countryper se. My memories there just aren’t happy ones.”
Her eyes get wider, then she covers them with her hands.
I try to pull a hand away, confused, but she resists. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, just the Canadian feast I made you.”
“Hey.” I scoot my chair closer to hers. “I didn’t say I hate Canadian food.” Not that pancakes are really Canadian, but whatever.
“Yeah, but…” She drops her hand and clenches her eyes shut like she might just disappear if she does it hard enough. She lets out breath, then opens her eyes and looks at me. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Tori. You made me a delicious dinner, and I enjoyed every bite of it. Besides, this is why we’re doing this, right? To get to know each other.”
She nods, and I can see her trying to throw off her embarrassment. It’s Tori, so she will. She always bounces back.
Sure enough, she shakes out her hands and shoulders. “Okay. Let’s move on.”
I nod, happy to oblige. “Your turn. What one place in the world wouldyougo if you could?”
