Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41351 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41351 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
One the way home, she picked up some Chinese takeout. As she got out of her car at her house, she froze to see Ethan standing by her door with a big cardboard box in his arms.
She approached him warily. “Ethan what are you doing here?”
“Since you couldn’t make it to my place, I thought I’d bring dinner to you. I figured the only illness you were suffering from was cold feet.”
“Ethan, I can’t do this tonight. Besides I already have dinner.” She held up her takeout bag.
“You can eat it for lunch or dinner tomorrow.”
“Why do you persist in this crazy idea of yours when we can just as easily be pleasant to each other when we have to appear in the same venues?”
“Because that isn’t sufficient. Open the door, Riley, this box isn’t getting any lighter.”
“Well, I didn’t invite you or your stupid box.”
Ethan smiled in the face of her hostility. “You’re not going to think it’s so stupid when you see what’s inside.”
Riley glared at her ex-husband knowing he wouldn’t go away until he got what he wanted. “You are such a pain in the ass.”
“The best kind, I assure you.”
She rolled her eyes as she nudged him out of the way to unlock her door. She turned off her alarm system. “The kitchen is through there.” She pointed in the direction he needed to go. “How did you get here so fast?”
“Like I’ve said before, I know you well Riley. Even though you accepted my invitation, I had a feeling there was a good chance you’d chicken out so I prepared for that scenario.” He unloaded his box and revealed two covered trays, some candles, a table cloth and a bottle of expensive wine. Riley also noticed a box from her favorite bakery.
“Is that what I think it is in the Ferelli’s Bakery box?”
“It is. You still like chocolate cherry cheesecake don’t you.”
She loved it but Riley didn’t want to get too excited just because he remembered her all time favorite dessert. “I eat it from time to time,” she spoke with a nonchalance she didn’t feel.
Ethan grinned but thankfully didn’t challenge her. “Would you like to eat dinner in the kitchen or the dining room?”
“Well, since you’re providing the food, I’ll let you pick.”
“How about the living room to set the mood.”
“Ethan—”
“Why don’t you have a seat while I set things up? I’ll pour you a glass of wine.”
“I don’t have any proper glasses. I’ve always meant to get some but—”
“Not a problem. I’ve come prepared. I was a boy scout after all.” He produced two wine glasses and a corkscrew.
“Really? You never told me that?”
“Well, I was only in the scouts for less than a year. Baseball became my passion and took up a lot of my time.”
“Yes, I remember you were the star pitcher in your high school according to Megan. She said you were even scouted in college. Whatever happened?”
“As much as I loved playing the game I recognized it wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. And when I tore my rotator cuff my senior year my arm was never quite the same. It’s okay because I knew I wanted to study law by then.” He handed her a glass of wine.
She took a sip. “Mmm, this is good.”
“Glad you like it. It’s from my private collection.”
“You didn’t have a wine collection when we were together.”
He shrugged. “I had more time on my hands when we weren’t together. There’s a lot about me that’s changed from seven years ago.” He grabbed the table cloth and headed to the dining room.
Riley felt a bit awkward after his confession. Ethan had said it in a way that made her think he wasn’t just referring to his hobbies. She took small sips of her wine to keep herself busy as he put everything together.
“Okay, everything is set up. Let’s take a seat at the dining room table.”
“Wow, this is amazing. Ethan, you didn’t have do all this.” Besides the fancy table cloth and candles, he’d placed flowers in the center. The food looked great as well, steak with a mushroom sauce, roasted potatoes and string beans.
“It was no trouble at all. You should try my lobster thermidor.”
She raised a brow. “When did you learn to cook?”
He pulled the chair out for her. “As I’ve already said, I’ve picked up many hobbies in the past seven years, cooking is one of them. I now have a vast appreciation for all those meals you cooked for me.”
“Meals you were too busy to eat because you were working late with your assistant.” The minute the words were out of her mouth, Riley wished she hadn’t uttered them if for nothing else but to maintain the peace established. Admittedly, she was still rattled by the conversation she’d had with her mother.