and watched the pale, gold liquid spin into a micro tornado. “Of course, his plans never panned out. They just got more expensive and outrageous after each failed attempt. Still, I believed that he would set everything right.”
“Oh, Landon.” She covered his hand with her own. Her sympathy washed over him like warm, tropical rain, improbably melting away layers of loss and guilt.
“By the time I was in high school, I worked odd jobs at restaurants to help out. My mom was working herself to an early grave to provide for our family while my father spent every cent she managed to save.” The usual burn of betrayal and disappointed tore through him, but he felt stronger against it. Almost as though he could drown it out someday. “But I was lucky. I ended up falling in love with cooking. I worked as a line cook and moved up quickly, and then I created a food blog, writing about the chaos of a restaurant kitchen and the beautiful dishes born from its depth. I did well enough to give my mom a few hundred dollars a month and support myself through the CIA.”
“Balancing all that must’ve been draining.” Her hand tightened around his.
“It was worth it.” After everything, it had truly been worth it. The memory brought a fond smile to his face. “By the time I finished my degree, the stars lined up for me. My blog was doing well, and I was offered a sous chef position at David Ferrand’s restaurant in Oregon. It was a dream come true.”
“What happened?” she whispered.
“My old man. He piled up debt as high as Kilimanjaro. Our house was mortgaged out, and with his latest bust, we were about to lose it. I couldn’t bear to watch the house being taken away from my mother. She loved that house. She talked about growing old in it and having me and my brother visit with our own families someday.” Landon found and held Aubrey’s gaze, letting her anchor him. “I searched for ways to keep the house, but I found out my dad had dug himself into a hole too deep to crawl out of. He knew it, too, so he took off and left us to clean up his mess.”
“Your hero should never let you down so thoroughly. You must’ve been devastated. I’m so sorry, Landon.”
“I couldn’t afford to feel sorry for myself. Mom and Seth needed me, so I did what had to be done. I refused Ferrand’s offer and sold my blog to the highest bidder. I made enough money to pay off my father’s debts and buy the house outright for my mom. That’s how I traded in my kitchen knife for a mighty pen.” His old wound seeped blood, and his voice came out a hoarse whisper. “I haven’t cooked since then. For anyone.”
Except you. His unspoken confession rang out between them, but his emotions were too raw and muddled to face why.
“Well, you have to make up for lost time.” Aubrey said with a tremulous smile. “My dinner, please, Chef.”
“Coming right up,” he said as a boulder slid off his chest.
Relief coursed through him, and a stupid grin took over his face. He didn’t understand his feelings, but at least he knew how to feed her. Because that’s what chefs do.
9
Since Landon walked into Weldon Brewery, Aubrey’s nights had been filled with vivid dreams of him, which left her spent. She’d all but forgotten what a good night’s sleep felt like. Well, it feels fan-freaking-tastic. She remembered her head touching the down pillow last night, and when she opened her eyes, it was morning. She’d gotten eight hours of dreamless sleep.
“I just saw the most beautiful doe right outside my patio.” Aubrey strode into the kitchen and found Landon slouched over a steaming mug in the kitchen. He grunted and waved in the direction of a coffeepot. “Woke up on the wrong side of the bed?”
He glanced at her with bleary eyes and gulped down his coffee like it was tequila after a hard day. Aubrey shrugged and maneuvered toward the coffee, giving him a wide berth. Humming under her breath, she searched the cupboards for a nice, big mug. She was filled to the brim with optimism, and she was ready to tackle anything that came her way—including a grumpy Landon.
“Do you really have time to chauffeur me around today?” Aubrey studied his hunched form. “More importantly, are you even capable of it? You can’t seem