“What will we talk about?”
“For starters, I hope it’s how to cook without burning because I’m starving.”
She sighed, shaking her head as if she knew she shouldn’t let him in but did anyway. “Fine. I can’t believe I’m going to say this but, c’mon on in.” Shannon moved aside and he walked past her into the tiny apartment. He tried not to notice how cramped everything was and how her furniture was worn and secondhand. He found the kitchen easily and started unpacking the bags. Shannon followed, scooping Aubrey up from the floor where she was playing, watching him with a perplexed expression. “I have to say I’m a little confused by all of this,” she said.
He turned to her, his gaze taking in the mental picture of Shannon and Aubrey. Shannon wore motherhood well. It was a wonder no man hadn’t staked his claim on her yet. He cleared his throat, determined to keep his thoughts pure and his motives innocent. “We don’t have to be enemies but I realized we aren’t even friends, yet. I want to change that. You’re the mother of my child and I want to get to know you.”
A smile played on her lips, plainly warmed by his honest answer and he returned the smile. “Do you think we could do that?” he asked.
She considered his request and then nodded. “Yeah, I think we can. Or at the very least, we can try. I’d like to get to know you, too.”
“Good.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “How about you start with the salad and I will try and figure out how to grill this steak in an oven.”
“Or,” Shannon said, grinning. “You could make the salad and I could fire up the barbecue I have on my patio. I’m a grilling queen.”
He couldn’t have been more relieved and he wasn’t afraid to show it. “Far be it from me to keep a woman from showing off her natural talents. Please, by all means, take over the meat detail. I will not consider it a slight to my manhood in the slightest to chop lettuce.”
She laughed and placed Aubrey in the living room with some toys. “Okay, keep on eye on Aubrey while I heat the grill.”
Nolan began the process of washing the produce, all the while watching Aubrey as she played quietly with her favorite toys, and he was struck by how calm he felt in such foreign surroundings. By all rights he ought to feel as if he were ready to jump from his skin but in fact, the opposite was happening. Don’t analyze it, a voice warned. Just enjoy it. Shannon returned and went to her cupboard to pull a dusty bottle of wine. She looked at him in question, almost nervously, as she said, “Drinking alone seems so pathetic. I’ve had this bottle of wine for quite a while now but since I never have anyone to drink it with, I’ve kept it in the cupboard.” She bit her lip, unsure and Nolan gently took the bottle from her hand. Her shoulders slumped ever so slightly as she said, “Never mind—“ but Nolan was already expertly popping the cork. “Oh!” Her cheeks colored as she emitted a small laugh. “I’ll get the glasses,” she said and he grinned at how cute she appeared when she was flustered.
She poured the wine, saying, “I don’t know if it’s good wine or not. I won it in a raffle.”
Nolan took an exploratory sip, swished it in his mouth for her benefit and finally swallowed in approval. “Tastes good to me,” he announced. “I’ve never been a wine snob. If it tastes good, I drink it. I don’t care about the vintage or the price tag.”
Shannon smiled and her face lit up with such beauty that Nolan had to wonder why he hadn’t chased her down that morning, begging her to come back to the bed. How could he have let her walk away without so much as a phone number? Damn, he’d been an idiot. “Tell me about Shannon Garrity,” he said as he chopped tomatoes. “Tell me something I don’t know…something shocking.”
She glanced at him from beneath her wine glass, her blush deepening. “How shocking?” she asked and the breath left his lungs. Oh God, he wanted to know every deep, dark secret she’d ever held to her breast. He forced a negligent shrug that belied the intense longing he was suffering and she released a shaky sigh, saying, “Well, I’m allergic to strawberries. I puff up like a blowfish and I itch like crazy until I can get some allergy medication.”
“Oh, come on,” he chided her playfully. “You can do better than that. I mean something truly shocking, though the strawberry allergy is good to know in case, Aubrey is also allergic. For the record, I’m allergic to garbanzo beans.”
She made a face. “Eww. Who eats them in the first place. So gross.”