Hot SEAL, Confirmed Bachelor- Cynthia D'Alba Page 0,18
a wide grin.
“I’ll remember that. This is the easiest, fastest dish I can make. Keep me company while I cook?”
“Sure. Can I get a refill?” He held up his empty water glass.
“Of course. Are you sure I can’t interest you in wine or beer? I’ve got just about any booze you can think of in the bar. You’re welcome to help yourself.”
“A beer with be great.”
When she pulled the raw hamburger meat from the refrigerator, she left the door open and pointed to the beer with the white, plastic meat tray. “Help yourself, if you don’t mind.”
Sizzling sounds and the aroma of cooking beef rose from the stove top as he settled back onto a stool.
“What can I do to help?” he asked.
“Nothing really. This isn’t a two-butt kitchen, so it can get tight with more than one person moving around.”
“Understood.”
He watched her stirring the meat while selecting various jars of spices and seasonings. She opened cans and started other pots heating on the stove.
“Can you talk and work?” he asked.
She glanced over, her face a pretty pink from the heat. “I can. Where do you want to start?”
“I saw your daughter when you were at the Breakfast Club with her. How old is she?”
“Twelve, going on twenty-five.”
He chuckled remembering the conversation. “And her dad? Are you divorced?”
She shook her head. “He’s deceased.”
“I’m sorry.”
She looked over at him. “It was a long time ago.”
He waited, giving her time to piece together how she wanted to tell her story.
“His name was Steve,” she began. “We met in the tenth grade when we were both fifteen. We went steady through high school and married as soon as we graduated.” She sprinkled spices into the bubbling tomato sauce. “And yes, we were way too young, but you couldn’t tell us anything.”
She paused, shook her head, and with a sigh, continued. “I’d been a good student and finished my high school requirements by my junior year. The school and San Diego State University had an arrangement that allowed me to take college courses while I was still in high school. By the time I actually started college, I began as a second semester sophomore.”
“Overachiever,” he said with a chuckle.
She smiled. “Something like that. Anyway, Steve and I immediately got married after high school. I went to college on scholarships and he went to the police academy.”
“A cop.”
“Yes.” She looked at him. “I think I mentioned my whole family is made up of cops, going back to my dad’s dad.” Returning to her cooking, she said, “Steve wanted children immediately. I wanted to wait. After two years of constant discussion, I got pregnant and had Katie when I was twenty.” She turned on the oven and pulled a sleeve of saltines from the pantry. She put the crackers in a pan and slid them into the oven. She looked at him. “I love my daughter more than I can put into words, but I was too immature to balance a marriage, college, and a sickly newborn. There was a lot of stress.”
He crossed his arms on the counter. “I imagine so. Too many irons and not enough fire.”
“Exactly. Anyway, my parents were saints, doing whatever they could to help me and Steve manage.” She stirred the meat sauce in the pan one more tie then set the spoon aside. “Dinner’s ready.”
He stood. “Point me to where everything is, and I’ll set the table.”
She did, and he did. Soon, a bowl of hot spaghetti noodles covered with a chili meat sauce, beans, and cheese sat in front of him, the aroma so rich with spices he couldn’t help but inhale.
“Wow. This looks and smells fabulous.”
“Thanks.” She set warm saltines and soft butter on the table. “Need another beer?”
“Water please, but I can get it.”
She waved him down. “I’ve got it.”
He held her chair as she sat.
“So, where was I?” she asked after they’d both taken bites of their food.
“Married to a cop with a baby.”
“Right.” She exhaled a loud sigh. “Steve was a San Diego patrol officer. He was called to a robbery in progress and was the first officer on the scene.”
She paused. The artery in her neck pulsed as she stared at her plate. Again, he waited for her to find her footing to continue.
“Long story short, because it doesn’t matter how it happened, Steve was shot and died at the scene.”
“I’m sorry. That must have been a difficult time for you.”
“Yeah, it was. Katie doesn’t remember him, although I do have pictures of