Isaac placed a plate in front of her that was heaped with so much food that she had no hope of eating it all, but being allowed to have anything other than the vegetables she'd eaten for so long was a luxury she still savored.
"Relax, baby," Isaac said in a low voice. "No one will say a damn thing, and they'd never do anything to embarrass you."
She nodded, feeling stupid for being so worried. Isaac's teammates had been nothing but solicitous of her and not once had she gotten the impression that they'd ever do anything to make her feel uncomfortable.
She examined each offering on the plate in giddy delight. Never had she been offered so much food and so many delicious-smelling-and looking-kinds of food in her life. She realized she was smiling like an idiot when her cheeks actually began to ache, but she simply couldn't contain her delight at the new experience and the freedom to eat-or not eat-whatever she wanted.
When she'd fully examined every different food on her plate, she picked up her fork and for a moment paused, her brow furrowing as she stared down at the banquet he'd simply called a meal. Which one did she want to try first? Not one of them had an unappealing smell or appearance, though she had no clue what any of it was. Embarrassment flooded her and heat crept up her neck and into her cheeks. Even a child could identify the different dishes Isaac had prepared, surely. She suddenly wasn't as delighted by the new experience as she had been a few moments ago.
Feeling eyes watching her, she glanced up without lifting her head, instead peeking from underneath her lashes to see Isaac regarding her with so much sadness that her embarrassment made her faintly nauseous, and she suddenly lost any desire to eat.
Refusing to look up, she subtly pushed the plate forward and stared down at the fork she still held, wishing there were a hole that would just swallow her up.
"Baby, eat," Isaac said, his voice holding a gentle ache to it. As if he hurt for her.
She closed her eyes and just a second later, she felt Isaac slide onto the stool next to her, his heat enfolding her in its embrace.
"Honey, you have nothing to be embarrassed about," he said, sincerity echoing solidly in his tone, and when she got up the courage to glance up at him, she saw the same absolute sincerity etched in every line of his face.
"I wanted you to have the opportunity to try several new things," he explained. "It's why I made such a variety. You'll learn what you do and don't like, and that's information I need to know so that I don't ever serve you something that doesn't taste good to you."
She looked at him, appalled and confused at the same time. "You don't care if I don't like something you cooked for me? But it would be so rude for me to not appreciate something you put such an effort into."
She glanced nervously back at the plate. The idea of not liking something he'd cooked for her when he'd gone to such lengths to please her filled her with dread.
Isaac sighed and then curled his hand around her knee, swinging her around on the stool to face him. He tipped her chin up with his finger so that their eyes met.
"Baby, everyone has foods they love and foods they absolutely despise and wouldn't eat under any circumstances. It's called being human and being an individual. No two people like the exact same things. I want you to love what you eat every single time we sit down to have a meal and in order for that to happen, we have to experiment with foods until you have a good grasp of what you like, what you don't like and what you love, as in your absolute favorites. You'll learn I have my own share of foods I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole."
"Really?" she asked hopefully. "You won't be mad at me if I don't like something you cooked for me?"
"I will never-listen to me very closely, baby-I will never be angry at you for being honest with me. What I would be angry over is if you kept eating something you absolutely hated because you were afraid to tell me you didn't like it."
He grinned and tweaked her nose. "I already know not to serve you vegetables or I'll end up having to sleep on the couch."
She blinked in surprise and then realizing that he was teasing her, she laughed, relief spilling over into her amusement.
"Now, will you please eat whatever you want and leave whatever you don't want?"
Feeling more than a little bit silly after his explanation, she nodded and then eagerly reached for the plate, pulling it in front of her. She sampled each of the different items, taking a single bite with her fork from them all, taking in the tastes and textures, what tasted the best and what was the least appetizing to her.
She pointed in turn to each of the foods she'd sampled, giving Isaac her rating, her favorite being the fluffy, buttery biscuits. The scrambled eggs were an either/or for her, but bacon was absolutely decadent and she ate every single piece on her plate. She frowned at the grits as she rubbed the grainy mixture around her mouth, deciding she had no interest in ever eating it again. The pan-fried ham was delicious and the fresh fruit, she devoured, licking the juice from her fingers so as not to miss a single drop.