me, even as he kept talking. “No, I’m doing good work here, probably better than when I was home.”
He sat on the other side of the couch as he listened to the response, then, “Yeah, you don’t have to worry about that. Libby’s keeping me on my toes.” He winked at me.
I rolled my eyes. He must have been talking to Randy.
“Uh-huh,” he said, continuing to listen.
I leaned back against the armrest and put my feet up on the couch, then reached out to poke his leg with my toes.
He raised his eyebrows in question, so I nudged his free hand with my foot and batted my eyelashes at him.
He rolled his eyes, but immediately pinned his phone between his cheek and his shoulder before taking my foot in hand, pushing both thumbs into the center.
I lay the side of my head on the back of the couch and closed my eyes, half listening to the constant stream of mm-hmm, and right, but mostly just enjoying the foot rub.
Sean eventually cut Randy off. “Look, you’re just going to have to trust me, okay? I know what I’m doing, but I need to go now. Libby needs help with something.”
I snorted at his half-truth.
“Understood. Bye, Randy.” He ended the call and then went right back to rubbing my feet. “You are Little Miss Demanding today, aren’t you?”
I just smiled, grateful for the solid footing we had found in our friendship. “It’s the nugget’s fault.”
“Nugget, huh?”
“Yup. She’s my golden nugget.”
“So, you want to tell me what the mystery grocery list was for?”
My grin could probably have been described as evil. “I’m going to teach you how to cook.”
He threw his head back and laughed out loud. “I love that you looked so villainous making that pronouncement.”
“Not villainous.” I wiggled my foot, reminding him to keep rubbing. “Just selfish.”
“Ah,” he said. “So I’m acquiring these skills to serve you, huh?”
“Yes. But also it’s just good to know how to make a few things.”
“No argument here. You want to get started now?”
“In a minute.” I closed my eyes again, determined to revel in the relaxation for a little bit longer.
He chuckled and kept rubbing. “I hope whatever meal I’ll be slaving over doesn’t take too much time,” he hinted broadly after a couple minutes.
I gave an exaggerated sigh. “Fine.” I pulled my feet from his lap and pushed off the couch. “Come, my apprentice.”
He followed me toward the kitchen. “I never realized waddling could be adorable,” he snickered.
“Shut it,” I threw over my shoulder before settling myself on a barstool.
He went to the sink to wash his hands, giving me the side-eye. “Are you going to direct me from there?”
“Yes,” I said with my sweetest smile.
It was just a simple one-pot pasta dish, but it did require that he cut onions and sauté chicken. I figured it would be easy enough, but also make him practice some skills.
“How long is it going to take for this chicken to cook?”
“About seven minutes on each side.”
He glanced over this shoulder, his face half unhappy, half confused. “Can’t I just turn up the heat so it will be faster?”
I gave an over-exaggerated sigh. “So impatient.”
“Well, can I?”
“Nope. That would burn the outside and not cook the inside enough.”
“Oh.” He turned back to the stove.
When the chicken was cooked, I had him take it out and then add chicken stock to the pan before cutting up the chicken.
While he struggled a bit with that, I got off my barstool throne and went to stir the contents of the huge skillet.
“Hey now,” Sean objected, putting his knife down. “I’m supposed to be doing this.”
“I don’t think it will impede your education if I stir.”
He put his hand out, palm up, and wiggled his fingers. “Hand over the spoon, Mrs. Caster.”
I turned to face him with one hand on my hip and the other holding the spoon up and behind me, out of his reach. “You do realize this is my kitchen, right?”
“Yeeeees,” he said as he eased a step closer, slowly reaching up to take the spoon from me, which, as it happened, wasn’t out of his reach at all because he was way taller than me. Curse his long reach.
I stubbornly held on to it and so did he as he stared at me, his face determined.
Our face-off ended when I realized how close we were and how warm his body heat made me feel. I was suddenly strangely aware of him and his pretty eyes.