The first time I’d met her, I hadn’t been able to get a good look at her. Mostly because I’d been standing on the kitchen counter, terrified out of my mind by the rat. Also distracted by the fact I had just been dancing with Lucas—had been in his arms minutes before Alexia had knocked. But now, I noticed that she was in her early fifties, making Adele a little older than I’d initially thought.
Lucas looked at me over his shoulder and said, “Have a seat, Ro.”
Ro.
That nickname, again. Doing silly, silly things to me.
“I’m okay,” I replied, keeping the effect in check as best as I could.
“I’m sure you are. But it’ll be good for your back. I’ve seen how tense those shoulders are from writing all day.” He followed that with a quick wink, leaving me no choice but to obey before I fell on my ass.
I’ve seen how tense those shoulders are.
I took the only other stool left in the kitchen and sat next to Adele.
“Good,” he muttered before returning to the pan at the stove. “Okay, ladies, a few more minutes and this will be ready.”
A happy sigh left all of us at the same time.
I laughed and when I looked in Lucas’s direction, I caught Alexia’s eyes on me, holding back a smile. “You’re a lucky girl, Rosie.”
My puzzled expression must have given away my total confusion because she explained, “Men like Lucas are hard to find.”
I started nodding but stopped myself quickly. “Oh no. We’re just friends. We’re not together. Just roommates. Friends.”
Alexia’s brows rose, and her eyes bounced to Lucas, who said in a confident voice, “Best friends, soon enough.”
“You keep saying that,” I murmured. “But either way, us living here is all temporary. I’ll return to my apartment and he’ll…” I trailed off, having a little trouble finishing that, “go back home. To Spain.”
Lucas’s motions seemed to come to a stop for a moment before he resumed chopping parsley.
Alexia nodded. “Too bad, really. We could use a man like him around.” She sighed. “The way he all but ran to Mom’s rescue… He really is a true hero.”
“What rescue?” I asked. “Did anything—”
“I was barely rattled, dear.” The old woman pursed her lips. “No need to fuss.”
“My mother here,” Alexia remarked, “left a pressure cooker sitting on the stove and went to take a thirty-minute bubble bath.”
Adele exhaled loudly. “The thing was malfunctioning. And the long baths are good for my bones.”
“Lucas must have heard the explosion,” Alexia explained, ignoring her mother. “Because when I got here to bring Mom her prescriptions, I found him scraping stew off the walls with Mom.”
“It was a small explosion,” Lucas finally said. “And it was no problem.”
“See?” Alexia laughed. “He won’t even take the credit. And believe me, that was a lot of cleaning. It was splattered all over the place.” She shook her head. “Guys like him…”
“Are very rare to find,” I finished for her.
Lucas’s motions halted again, making me wish he wasn’t facing away and I could see his face.
Something occurred to me. “So that’s why you guys are over for dinner?” Not only had Lucas gone to Adele’s rescue and helped with the cleaning but he’d offered to feed them afterward.
“Yes.” Alexia beamed. “We both were a little rattled after that. My wife will pick us up in an hour, though,” Alexia added. “Mom will come to stay with us for a few days, right, Mom?”
Adele sighed. “Not like I have a choice anyway.”
“Anyway,” Alexia said, angling her body in Lucas’s direction. “I have to admit that I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to figure out what apartment all these rich and distinctive scents came from every evening I’ve visited Mom. Most people do takeout around here.”
Lucas stepped back, turned off the stove, wrapped a cloth over the handle of a large cast-iron pan, and lifted it in the air.
“It was all Lucas, yes,” I said, not wanting her to get any ideas about my cooking talents.
He walked to the island, where Adele and I were, and placed the pan between us. Seared steaks dressed with red chimichurri glistened under the kitchen light, making my stomach growl.
Alexia joined us at the table, and with only two stools available, I jumped off mine and offered it to her. “Please, sit. You’re a guest.”