Page 10 of The Widow's Dom

He shrugged. “Animals like me.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

He handed over the brown bag. “Here’s some wine I thought might be good with the spaghetti.”

She pulled it out of the bag and looked at the bottle. “This does look good. Thank you. Would you like a glass of this or a beer?”

“I guess a beer right now. Maybe wine with the meal.”

“Sounds good.” She set the wine to the side and pulled out a beer. “Here you go. You can sit here while I finish cooking.”

He sat down, opened the can, and then watched her as she moved around the room. He would have been tired watching her scurry around if she hadn’t been so graceful.

“Is there anything I can help with?” he asked.

She looked surprised again.

Nick tilted his head to the side. “What?”

“I haven’t had anyone ask that for a long time.”

He smiled. “They knew you’d run circles around them.”

She snorted and stirred the pot on the stove again.

He sniffed the air and almost groaned. “It smells really good.”

“If you like pasta with red sauce, I think you’ll like this. I’ve gotten a lot of compliments over the years,” she said.

“I don’t get home-cooked meals very much, besides what I make myself, and I guarantee it’s not up to this caliber.”

She glanced at him. “I’m glad I could do this for you.”

They stared at each other, but he jerked away when the back door opened, and Shane walked in.

“Hey, guys. I’m not late, am I?”

“No, sweetheart. The pasta and bread are about ready. You could set the table for me, though.”

“You got it.” He looked at Nick. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it.”

She handed him the bottle of wine he had brought and a corkscrew. “Would you open that for me, please?”

“Sure.”

She set wineglasses down. “Honey, do you want wine?”

“No, but thanks. I’ll get myself a beer. Nick, you want another one?” Shane asked.

Nick shook his head. “No, I’m going to have some wine with your mom.”

“Cool.”

They sat down, handed each other bowls, and started eating.

He couldn’t help it when his eyes closed in ecstasy. The taste of the spices burst on his tongue. “This is really good.”

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