Runaway Wolfes of Manhattan Three - Helen Hardt Page 0,17
away. Not only that. He’d been murdered!
As far as the public knew, I was his little princess. So sad about his demise.
Yeah… I had to call her. I’d do it this afternoon. Right now, I planned to enjoy this delicious-smelling lunch.
And yeah, Fredricka, I’m going to gain a few pounds this week.
After all, I’m dealing with my daddy’s death!
Ugh. The thoughts were beginning to nauseate me, and I really wanted to enjoy this lunch.
“Everything’s set out,” Mrs. Carson said. “Can I get you men a beer?”
“You bet,” Lucas said.
“And for you, dear?” she asked me.
“I don’t drink beer. Just some of the marvelous tap water would be great,” I said. “I’ve never tasted such delicious water.”
“We do have the best water. I don’t suppose they have such good-tasting water in Pittsburgh.”
“I should say they don’t.”
Not that I would know, but it sounded good. I never drank tap water at home. Always Evian straight out of a bottle. My brother Reid preferred Pellegrino.
The thought of my brother saddened me. They were worried about me, I knew. This wasn’t the first time I’d taken off without any notice. Of course, it was the first time I’d taken off on my own and not gone into hiding at my father’s request. Request? More like command. My brothers were used to me taking off for no apparent reason. This was on brand for Riley Wolfe.
I sat down at the table with Lucas and Matt, and Mrs. Carson slid a plate heaped full of meaty and cheesy delights in front of me. The initial plan had been to eat a little bit of pork and a big plateful of rice. I held back a chuckle. The rice on my plate was about the size of a golf ball. The rest of the plate was enchiladas and what looked like pot roast made of pork. That must be the carnitas. I couldn’t help myself. I inhaled and closed my eyes.
How could anything truly smell this delicious?
A far cry from the nonexistent aroma of grilled tilapia and brown rice.
“Dig in,” Mrs. Carson said.
I waited until Lucas and Matt each took a bite, and then I speared a piece of pork on my fork and slowly brought it to my lips.
Oh. My. God.
It was so tender and delicious. I had no idea what kind of spices she had used other than the onions. Probably some chili powder of some sort, maybe a little coriander? I wasn’t a big cook, so I truly was only guessing.
“What do you think, dear?” she asked.
“It’s delicious,” I said after I swallowed. “You should be running a restaurant around here.”
Lucas and Matt burst into laughter.
Had I said something funny?
“Everyone says that the first time they eat Mrs. C’s goodies,” Matt said. “It’s like a ritual, you know? Every time I bring someone over here, they say the same thing.”
He brought other people over here before? Just friends, maybe?
Or other women?
Did it matter? I’d just met the man, and I was leaving in six days. Still, it pierced my heart just a little. After all, Mrs. Carson had said I might be a keeper. That seemed to imply that Matt had brought other women here.
Why let it bother me? Right now, I was starving, and I had a plate of the most delicious food I’d ever eaten in front of me. I tried a bit of the enchilada next. It was a cheesy, corny, creamy delight topped with a red sauce that I’d thought might be tomato, but it wasn’t. It was a mild blend of some kind of peppers.
“The sauce is divine,” I said.
“I gave you the mild. The boys here like theirs spicier.”
“I love spicy food,” I said. “I eat Thai a lot at home.”
“Do you want to try the spicy, then?” Mrs. Carson asked.
“Careful, honey,” Matt said. “It’s not for the meek.”
That did it. “Yes, if you don’t mind, I’d love to try it.”
Mrs. Carson brought over a pot from the stove and spooned some reddish-brown sauce over the edge of my enchilada. “Best try a bite first, dear. It does pack a whopper.”
I brought a bite of the newly sauced enchilada to my mouth. It was delicious indeed. Almost smoky, and yes, very spicy, but I could still taste the flavor, which was remarkable.
I swallowed and cut off another bite with my fork, brought it to my mouth, and—
My jaw dropped. Heat invaded my mouth and throat. I grabbed my glass of water and drank half of it down.