When he’s done with the butter, I hand him the cheese. “Put that on the sandwich and then, with the butter facing out, set the sandwich on the pan.”
“Easy enough,” he says, though he gets butter all over his fingers in his attempt to put the sandwich on the pan. I hand him a towel, which he uses to wipe his hands. “Now we wait?”
“Yes. I have the heat on medium and we’re going to cover the pan with this lid so the cheese melts, and then we’ll check on it in a minute or so.”
He stares at the pan and then runs his hand through his hair. “This seems far too easy. I’m looking like an asshat right now.”
I let out a loud laugh. “No, just . . . interesting, is all. If no one showed you, how would you know?”
“I could ask.”
“Which you did.” I pat his bare chest. “You asked me. Aren’t you lucky to have me as your teacher?”
“Very,” he says, his eyes serious.
Well . . . okay then.
Uh, let me just go, uh, get something so I don’t have to feel like a wilting flower under this man’s strong gaze.
I smile awkwardly and then head into the pantry to get some chips I saw in there the other day, as well as two bananas.
I don’t know what’s with the change of attitude on his end, but I’m going with it, because this is a Huxley Cane I could very much get along with. And given the man fell asleep with me on a pool float and then carried me upstairs to rest, I think I’m the Lottie Gardner he could get along with too.
“It doesn’t taste that bad after you scrape off the burnt parts,” I say, examining the sandwich.
“You realize this is your fault, right?” He takes a bite of his partially burnt grilled cheese.
“How is this my fault?” I ask.
We’re sitting at the outdoor dining set, a small bowl of chips between us, as well as pre-cut veggies from Reign. I must say, the personal chef thing is pretty nice, a luxury I’ll miss when this is all over.
“You left me in charge while you went to the bathroom.”
“I told you to check it in a few seconds to see if it was done and then to take it off the heat. You turned up the heat.”
“Something the supervisor should’ve been there to watch.”
I roll my eyes and lean back in my chair. “Keep telling yourself that, Hux.”
He sets his sandwich down and picks up his water. Casually, he leans back in his chair as well and looks out toward the pool. “Do you have any questions for me today?”
“I always have questions.”
“Fire away,” he says, looking way more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him. Which means, he very well might be open to answering some hard-hitting questions.
Don’t mind if I do.
I rub my hands together and ask, “What was your first impression of me?”
He takes a sip of his water and keeps his gaze forward as he speaks. “First impression. Well, you were wearing leggings and a sports bra that made your tits look amazing. It was hard not to think right off the bat how hot you were.” He stuns me with his stare. “But then I quickly realized you were a lunatic.”
My mouth falls open in amusement. I poke at his arm and say, “And yet, you still asked me to be your fake fiancée.”
He scratches the side of his cheek. “Desperation does crazy things to a person.”
“Aren’t you a charmer today.” I bring my feet up on my seat and hug my knees to my chest, getting more comfortable. “Go ahead, ask me a question.”
Studying me, he tilts his head to the side and asks, “Your dream man, who is he?”
Color me shocked. Didn’t expect that kind of question to fall past his lips.
“You seem surprised,” Huxley says.
“Yeah, wasn’t expecting that. Almost thought you were going to ask me what my first impression of you was.”
“I already know that. You’ve been quite vocal about how I was a different man on the sidewalk and in Chipotle.”
Yeah, I have.
“Okay, then. My dream guy? Hmm . . . I’ve never really thought about it before. I know I want someone who cares for me, like Jeff cares for my mom. He thinks she’s an absolute queen and treats her like it. I’d also like him to have fun with me. We don’t have to have everything in common, but I’d love to be able to just let loose, have fun with him. But also, a man with a good head on his shoulders. I’m barely keeping my head above water, I don’t want someone I have to babysit, if that makes sense.”