Page 74 of Wilde Abandon
“Oh my God, this looks delicious.”Amy cut into the prime rib, dipped a piece in the au jus, then slid the fork in and out of her mouth.She chewed and moaned.“So good.”
Fox cut off a slice of his sandwich and slid it onto Melody’s plate.“Try that, sweet Dee.”
She used her knife and fork to cut off a thick piece.She grinned at him as she chewed and swallowed.“That’s good.”She picked up her bowl and handed it to him.“Put some on your plate.”
Instead, he took a big bite from the bowl and handed it back.“That’s amazing.”
“My mom used to make this when we were little.I’ll have to get her recipe, so I can make it for us.”
He stared at her, knowing she’d know how much it meant to him that they’d be cooking and sharing meals together in their future.“I’d love that.”
“Do you cook?”Amy asked.
Melody swallowed a bite, wiped her mouth with her napkin, then answered.“My sister Lyric is the chef at the bar.She’s a whiz in the kitchen.But I’m pretty good, too.My mom and grandma taught us all how to cook.”
“I didn’t have a lot of options after high school.I needed to get a job quickly, so I went to culinary school.The program was ten months long.I had to get a student loan, but at least I got to eat at school.”
Melody’s gaze softened.“Your parents didn’t help?”
Amy shook her head.“They had their own struggles.Alcohol mostly.And trying to keep a job.I pretty much raised myself.”
Melody stopped with her fork in the air.“I’m sorry to hear that.It must have been really rough.”
Amy glanced at him, then back to Melody.“Sounds like maybe Fox knows something about that based on the fact he didn’t grow up with his parents.”
Fox didn’t comment.He didn’t want to give Amy any room to feel like they connected in some way, even if they did.He focused on Melody.“Did you say you were going to work at the ranch tomorrow before dinner?”He knew that’s what she said, he just needed to change the subject.
“I’ve got some orders to fill.I have a design idea for something new, too.I’ll head out there after we see Tanya in the morning.”
“I’ve got a bunch of coding to do on a project, plus I have to go over some financial stuff Max left me.”
“I could come by your place with lunch if you’d like,” Amy suggested.
Melody eyed him.
He quickly shut that down.“No, thank you.I’ve got some leftovers in the fridge.”
Melody scraped her bowl with her spoon.“I could eat a whole other bowl of that if I wasn’t already stuffed.It was so good.”
Fox had demolished everything on his plate.“Mine was really good, too.I love it when the beef falls apart like that.And the gravy…so good.”
“Those fried potatoes were delicious, too.”Melody had stolen one, or ten, from his plate.
He didn’t mind.
Amy finished off the last of the prime rib and roasted garlic mashed potatoes on her plate.She left the asparagus behind.“Who’s having dessert?”
“We have cupcakes back at our place,” Melody chimed in.
Amy scrunched her lips.“I thought I saw cheesecake on the menu with fresh strawberries.Maybe I’ll get it to go.”
Shari arrived at the table a moment later.“I thought I heard you’d like some dessert.”
“Not for us,” Fox said.
“I’ll take the cheesecake to go.”Amy’s cheeks flushed.“I just can’t pass it up, even if it will go straight to my hips.”
Shari rushed off to fill the order and bring back the check.