"Not to worry," he assured her. "Besides, that meal was worth waiting for. I understand now why Ian works out so often and so intensely if you cook for him like this every night."
Ian grinned, giving his dark head a brief shake. "Not every night, no. At least not a feast like this. I'd easily be twenty pounds heavier if my bride cooked this way all the time. But she does adore taking care of me, and insists on cooking almost every night of the week despite how busy she is."
Tessa shrugged, taking a sip of the very expensive Chardonnay that Matthew had brought as his contribution to dinner. "I'm not that busy," she demurred. "Not like you and Matthew are. And I like to cook. Besides, Ian's right. We usually have a very simple meal most evenings - just some fish or chicken with vegetables or a salad."
"Well, I certainly wouldn't call tonight's dinner simple," declared Matthew, indicating the array of serving dishes and bowls that were spread out on the glass-topped patio table. "You definitely outdid yourself, Tessa. And my stomach and I are very, very appreciative!"
The weather had been unseasonably hot in San Francisco today, hovering in the low nineties, and it was still quite warm at seven-thirty in the evening. Tessa had chosen to serve dinner on the spacious, flagstone courtyard located just outside the French doors leading to the kitchen. Matthew liked the quiet intimacy of the Gregsons' outdoor space, vastly preferring it to the sprawling grounds of the Hillsborough estate that had never truly felt like a home to him.
And he'd sure as hell never enjoyed a home-cooked meal like the one Ian's wife had just prepared for them – a perfectly seasoned and grilled surf and turf combination of juicy Chateaubriand and tiger prawns, accompanied by a wedge salad, saffron risotto, fresh vegetables, and soft, buttery rolls. And when both men had stuffed themselves of the delicious meal until they were groaning a bit, Tessa had laughingly warned them to find a bit of room for dessert – an apricot tart she'd made from scratch, using fruit she had just picked up this morning at the farmers market.
Matthew patted his very full belly. "I might need to wait a bit before I can do that tart justice," he cautioned.
"There's no rush," replied Ian, as he topped off their wine glasses. "Unless, of course, you plan on working when you return home tonight."
Matthew shook his head. "I promised myself not to even think about work tonight. I've been putting in way too much time lately, both at the office and after hours as well. I fell asleep in my office yesterday, literally face planted right on my desk. Elena swore I'd been out for over half an hour when she found me that way." He winced, rubbing his nape. "Guess that's why I can barely move my neck today."
"You need a massage," declared Tessa. "And not just because you have a sore neck. I'm guessing with everything you're going through right now that your stress level is off the charts."
Matthew grimaced. "That's probably the understatement of the century, Tessa. And a massage would definitely do me wonders right now. I'll ask Elena to call the health club tomorrow and try to set something up with one of their therapists."
Tessa shook her blonde head. "Don't bother with one of those guys," she told him. "From what I've heard they're all brute strength and zero finesse. If you want a real therapeutic massage, you need to call Sasha. When she lays her hands on you for the first time, you'll melt right there on the massage table."
Matthew frowned. "Sasha? Why does that name sound so familiar? I – oh, now I remember. She was one of your bridesmaids, wasn't she? The one with all that curly hair who was dancing up a storm at the pre-wedding party. And - God, I forgot all about this until now. I ended up talking to her at the wedding for a little while. I was at the bar belting back another bourbon when she came up and asked the bartender for hot water so she could brew some sort of tea she'd brought along with her."
Ian rolled his eyes. "Yes, that definitely sounds like something Sasha would do. I always considered my diet to be extremely healthy until she told me I was missing at least a dozen different nutrients and vitamins, and wrote up a list of supplements I should be taking. But she does knows her stuff, Matthew. And she's definitely the best masseuse I've ever had. You wouldn't imagine that someone as slim as she is could also be so strong, but she's made me yelp more than a few times."
Matthew groaned. "And I also just remembered that she encouraged me to get a massage. She, uh, sort of strong-armed me into dancing with her, and could tell how tense I was just from that contact. I was supposed to ask one of you for her business card after you got back from your honeymoon, but, well, it's sort of been a hell of a summer, you know?"