Page 180 of Bend
I smiled, feeling better already. I wanted these men to like any man I brought home for them to meet. I needed their seal of approval, for some strange reason. What they thought about me mattered.
chapter 11
I gazed at the dining room table that was beautifully set. The water glasses were filled, the wine was breathing and my homemade lasagna was baking in the oven.
I returned to the kitchen, chopping up celery for my salad. I popped a piece of it into my mouth, just as I felt strong arms encircle me from behind, causing me to jump and let out a high-pitched shriek.
I heard Eli's playful laugh. "Sorry, sweetie," he said, releasing me. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"What the hell, Eli?" I said, trying to swallow the chunk of celery now lodged in my throat.
"You okay?" he asked, smacking me on the back. "Sorry, babe, the smell of your lasagna makes me do impetuous things," he winked.
"I'm fine," I said, rolling my eyes. "How about you put some of your energy into making the salad?" I suggested. "Where's Cain?"
Eli grabbed a paring knife and started peeling a carrot. "He's just getting out of the shower. Don't worry; I laid out clothes for him. Wouldn't want to bring shame to our best girl while she tries to impress Kevin."
"It's Kenneth," I told him for about the fifth time this week. "Kenneth," I annunciated.
"Got it, got it," he said. "So what's Kenneth's story?"
I checked the lasagna, and turned the oven down a bit. "Well, he's older than me, probably thirty-ish—"
"Ah-hah—geezers like us," he teased.
"Sort of," I replied with a smile. "Truthfully, Eli, he is kind of a serious guy, so maybe you can drop our usual banter down a notch or two? I mean the guy's an accountant, for Chrissake, so I think the word of the day is conservative."
"Conservative?" he quipped, "My fucking word of the day is 'mismatch'."
"Huh?"
"Why the hell would you pursue a relationship with a dude who you admit is a stuffy bean-counter?"
"I didn't say stuffy," I replied.
"It was implied, babe."
Just then, Cain came into the kitchen, dressed in the casual Dockers/Polo ensemble that Eli had selected for him.
"What the fuck smells so good?" he asked, his eyes widening.
"See," I snapped. "That's just what I mean." I tossed my hand up in the air in exasperation.
"Chill, Paige," Eli replied, and then directed his attention to the befuddled Cain. "It seems as though we need to act like we have couth and manners this evening, Maddox. Paige just described Kenneth as being…well, boring."
I grabbed the wooden salad utensils from the counter and started tossing. "I didn't say boring; I said conservative. I mean, come on guys, I don't want him thinking I live with heathens, alright?"
"Hey, this is your gig, babe," Cain said. "We'll take our cue from you, how's that?"
"Perfect," I replied, taking the salad bowl out to the table.
~~~
Well, to say that dinner went well would be…an all-out lie.
Fuck me.
What had I been thinking, inviting Kenneth over? And I won't say my guys didn't try to find some topic of interest to draw my date into some masculine conversation. I mean, my God, they had to have been exhausted by the time the meal was blessedly over.
