The Husband Recipe (14 page)

She stood slowly, shaking off water and mud and maybe even her anger. Cole tried to help, but she waved him off. Not a good sign. He watched as she stalked to the back door of her immaculate house. As bad as things were, he enjoyed watching her stalk away. Those hips, the way she held her head, those legs…

At the back door Lauren turned to face him. He half expected her to tell him that she never wanted to see him or any of his offspring again. Instead she said, “Lunch. Noon. Be here on time and
come alone.
”

Lauren wasn’t sure exactly what she’d say to Cole when he arrived for lunch, so after she’d showered and washed her hair and thrown away her muddy clothes—there was no saving them, she was certain—she directed her attention to the meal. Chicken salad on a bed of lettuce, assorted crackers, fresh fruit and homemade rolls. The rolls were a concession for Cole, since crackers would’ve been enough for her. Since the rest of the meal was pretty much chick food, she decided the least she could do was throw him a roll or two. For dessert there was key lime pie. A pitcher of fresh tea was cooling in the fridge.

She’d put on a cool sundress, and had spent a good five minutes trying to decide between a pair of high heels she hadn’t worn in years and flat sandals. In the end the sandals won. The heels might send the wrong message. To her, if not to Cole.

She liked him so much. More than she’d liked any man for a very long time. Last night had been wonderful from beginning to end. But she wasn’t sure she was ready to take on those kids! Yes, they were occasionally adorable, but they were also occasionally hellacious. She wanted children of her own, one day, but judging by what she’d seen of the Donovan children, did she really want her kids to have Cole’s DNA?

Lauren set the table, using dark green luncheon plates and her green-plaid cotton napkins, which were perfect for a casual lunch. She was really getting ahead of herself, thinking about babies and DNA when she didn’t even know if she and Cole would ever have a normal date, much less a lasting relationship.

He arrived right on time. Like her he’d showered—he smelled of soap and coffee—and had changed into clean khakis and a button-up shirt. He was on his best behavior, but what about his children? The question before her was simple, she realized as she watched him closely.

Was he worth it?

“I grounded the kids,” he said.

Lauren found herself smiling. “Hello to you, too.”

He smiled, and when he did her heart leaped. No, wait, that was not her heart. What leaped inside her was a good bit lower.

“Hello. I grounded the kids,” he said again. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I don’t suppose a little mud ever hurt anyone.” And as she said the words, she believed them to be true. She was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Maybe. When they were alone it was so easy to relegate all their potential future problems to the back of her mind. Didn’t she need to know that they had a future before she let the problems that might come their way eclipse everything else?

Lauren walked to Cole, wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up. She loved his eyes, so blue and intense they took her breath away. She loved the feel of her body against his, in a way she’d never known was possible. He was solid and warm and even though he was a mile taller than she was, somehow they were just right for one another.

“I’ve been thinking about this situation,” she said.

“Me, too. If you’re going to dump me, do it fast and get it over with.” He looked a little worried about that possibility.

“Are you mine to dump?”

“Like it or not, I believe I am.” He didn’t sound as happy about that as she might’ve liked, but at the same time she understood.

“I’m not going to dump you,” she said.

“But? I hear a
but
there.”

“But we need a list. We need some rules, Cole.”

Was that a growl from deep in his throat? “I’m not very good with rules.”

“I’ve noticed that.”

“But for you, I’m willing to try.”

She smiled at him, let the frustration of her encounter with a mud ball slip away. Rules. A list. This was her comfort zone. “Okay, first of all…”

“But not yet.”

Cole leaned down and placed his mouth against hers. The sensation, the power of that kiss took her breath away. Every cell of her body responded, and they stood in her kitchen and kissed, rules unset, list unwritten. In the back of her mind a little voice whispered,
This isn’t settled, and you know it.
But her body and his were more forceful in insisting that, for now, that little detail didn’t matter.

Lunch was done. Cole had kissed her silly, and eaten lunch at her kitchen table without taking his eyes off her, and then he’d kissed her some more. They’d never gotten around to her list. The list could wait. She’d sat on his lap at the kitchen table for a while. There had been no rush, no frantic need, just…touching. Learning one another. Kissing and teasing and more kissing. The way he touched her was enough to make her forget every list she’d ever written. And the ones she hadn’t written yet, well, they were supremely unimportant.

Hank had come over to fetch his dad too soon. They’d heard little feet approaching and had moved apart just as the back door swung open. There was another emergency at the Donovan household. Cole had left, once he was assured blood and fire were not involved. She wondered if he’d be back later, when the kids were asleep. Baby monitor and all.

Difficulties aside, was this it? Was he the one? She hadn’t been looking for a man, hadn’t even wanted a relationship at this time of her life. And yet, here he was. Could she love Cole or was this all just testosterone and estrogen meeting in a perfect storm of hormones?

The jarring ring of the phone yanked Lauren out of her daydream. She checked the caller ID; it was her editor. Hilary never called just to chat. Was something wrong?

“Hello?”

“Oh, my God, you won’t believe it.” Hilary Casale was a veteran at the publishing house. She’d always been cool as a cucumber, distant, even. Lauren had never heard so much as a hint of excitement in her voice. Until now.

“Won’t believe what?” Lauren asked. Something was wrong, she just knew it. Her contentment flew out the window. She should’ve known it wouldn’t last.

“I got the call this morning, but there were details to be settled before I called you with the news… This is going to change everything…. You are the luckiest new author I have ever…” Hilary was breathless and damn near incoherent.

But she’d said
lucky,
and that had to be good. Right? “Please tell me what’s going on.”

Hilary took a deep, stilling breath Lauren could hear through the phone lines, then she began again. “I got a phone call from a producer who heard about your book from an associate of mine. Edward Mandel is putting together a reality show where up-and-coming cooks compete for their own show on one of the food networks. I don’t remember which one, but that doesn’t matter. He checked out your website and he liked what he saw. He wants you.”

“He wants me for what?”

Hilary laughed. “He wants you to be one of the contestants. Shooting starts in six weeks. You’ll be marketed as the Southern homemaker, the one who uses lots of butter and talks with a deep accent, you can do that, right? I mean, you have kind of an accent but it’s not particularly deep. Think
Designing Women
accent. Can you pull that off?”

Lauren’s mind was oddly blank. She was having trouble processing this offer that had come out of nowhere. “I suppose, but…”

“There is no
but,
Lauren. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Whatever Mandel wants, you deliver. The show will put your book on the
Times
list. Win or lose, your career will be made.” Hilary’s voice became increasingly faster and louder. “Why aren’t you screaming? Why aren’t you laughing and jumping up and down? Well, I can’t know that you’re not jumping up and down, but you don’t even sound excited!”

The offer—interesting as it sounded—had stunned her. It instantly turned Lauren’s neat plans for the coming months upside down. Sex, rules, lists, more sex, maybe a real date… “Where will this show be filmed?”

“Here in New York! We’ll do dinner when you come in. Once the show starts I think you’ll be pretty tied up, so…”

“I need to think about this.”

Hilary’s response was a long moment of dead silence. Finally she said, “What is there to think about?”

Cole.
“My grandmother. I can’t leave….”

“Hire someone. You’ll be making enough from the show, and it’ll only last a few weeks. Six, I think. Maybe ten. Well, unless you win and they want to start your new show right away, but face it, that’s a long shot. The reality show itself is the payoff. Edward wants to meet with you, as soon as possible. Oh, and a word of warning—
don’t
call him Eddie. Apparently it’s a thing with him. This weekend? Would that work for you?”

Lauren felt as if her stomach was tied up in knots. Why couldn’t she have enjoyed her contentment a little while longer? “I need to think about this. I’ll call you back.”

Though it was horribly rude, and not at all like her, Lauren hung up before Hilary could offer more arguments about how this was the chance of a lifetime.

One chance of a lifetime was a lot to take in. Two in less than twenty-four hours made her head spin.

The emergency that had called him away from Lauren hadn’t been an emergency at all, but a laundry issue. Meredith’s way of bringing him home. Maybe it was just as well, because he’d been minutes from making love to Lauren on her kitchen table. And he needed to make another trip to the drugstore before that happened.

They still had that list to put together. He’d never been good at lists. Or rules. Or plans. Why make them when something always got in the way? But if a list of rules was what Lauren wanted, he’d try. Cole was pouring another cup of coffee when the phone rang. He groaned when he saw Janet’s number on the caller ID. He was tempted to let it ring, but if he did she’d just call his cell, and then she’d start texting, and before noon she’d send out the National Guard looking for him. Better to just get it over with.

“Good afternoon, Janet,” he answered, knowing it would be her and not her workaholic husband on the line.

“Good afternoon.” Her voice was cool, as it had been since he’d told her they were moving to Huntsville, months ago. “How are the kids?”

“They’re fine. Do you want to talk to them? They’re in their rooms.” Still grounded, not that he intended to tell Janet that much. “Give me a minute and I’ll…”

“That’s not necessary. Listen, Cole, I’d like to come visit this weekend. Do you mind?” She didn’t give him a chance to respond. “Saturday would be best. I can call you when I’m on the way.”

So much for “asking” if he minded. “We’ll be here.”

Janet asked about the kids and how they were adjusting to their new home, talked for a moment about her own two girls, who were in college now, and then the conversation was over. When the phone was back on the charger Cole glanced around the living room. He wasn’t an idiot. Janet was coming by to see if her niece and nephews were being properly taken care of, if they could get along without her right around the corner. He had to prove to her that all was well.