since. And I worked my butt off to dispel my pretty boy image.”
Gracie studied his face for a long time, making him uncomfortable. “I can see the boy band thing. Kind of dreamy, actually.”
“Stop it,” he snorted.
She laughed. “So what am I supposed to call you? Luca or Sonny?”
He quirked his eyebrow at her. “You can call me whatever you want to.” Then he laughed along with her.
“You’re not flirting with me, are you?” she giggled.
“Maybe.”
Her smile faded and he felt the temperature between them drop a few degrees. She looked away and he wondered what he’d done wrong, but was afraid to ask.
He cleared his throat—then changed the subject. “We never picked a movie.” He reached for the TV remote.
“Maybe I should go and let you rest.” She glanced at him uncertainly.
“No! Come on . . . we’re going to pick out a movie and then you’re going to help me get rid of some of these leftovers.” He decided to play dumb, as if he didn’t notice her discomfort. “I have a huge hunk of Drake’s birthday cake in there. Don’t you want birthday cake?”
“Well . . . I do love birthday cake. There’s something about that overly sweet frosting.”
“Okay then . . .” Sonny turned on the TV and scrolled through the guide to the pay-per-view channels. “Now I told you that you could pick and everything , but remember, I’m a sick man and I just don’t know if I could handle a chick flick.”
Gracie snickered. “I can’t believe you just played the ‘sick man’ card. So much for letting me decide. Here . . . give me that.” She snatched the remote out of his hand. “Oh, look! Bride Wars !”
Sonny made a choking sound as she smiled serenely at him.
“ Let’s see what’s on the classic movie channels first. No extra charge to watch those. Ooh! Gaslight . Have you seen it?” He shook his head. “You’ll like it. Charles Boyer tries to make Ingrid Bergman think she’s crazy. But why? That’s the question,” she teased. “It starts in thirty minutes.”
Sonny took the remote back from her. “ You and Meg would get along great. She loves classic movies.”
Gracie stood up. “This gives us plenty of time to get our dinner heated up.” She walked around the corner and started piling containers from the refrigerator onto the dining table. As she opened them, she called out the contents . . . “Lasagna—oh my gosh, that looks good . . . meatloaf . . . Ooh—fried chicken . . . homemade deep dish pizza . . . this is—oh! Breakfast casserole . . . green bean casserole . . . mashed potatoes . . . oh, here’s the birthday cake—how cute . . . dinner rolls . . . gravy . . .” She took a deep breath and looked over at him as she finished. “What sounds good, Luca?”
“It’s all good. What do you want? You get first dibs.”
“I’m thinking I’ll go for the lasagna,” she answered. “But there’s plenty for both us, if you want some too.”
“An excellent choice. There should still be some salad in a bag in the crisper too.”
“Oh! Thanks. What’ll you have?”
“I think I feel like a meatloaf sandwich. The bread box is on the far end of the kitchen counter.”
“That’s all? You need more than a sandwich.”
“Okay, Nurse Gracie,” he grinned at her. “Would you mind heating up some of the green beans and mashed potatoes with gravy?”
“No problem.”
She bustled around, fixing their plates, and brought them in just in time for the movie to start. They filled up on the leftovers, then birthday cake. By the time the movie was over she’d cleaned up the dinner mess, switched out his ice pack and it was time to go home.
Sonny couldn’t believe how empty his apartment felt after she was gone. It had been a good day. Later that night, just before he drifted off to sleep, he realized she’d learned all about his life today —even met some of his friends. And he knew no more about her than he had before she had come over. She seemed to
Gracie studied his face for a long time, making him uncomfortable. “I can see the boy band thing. Kind of dreamy, actually.”
“Stop it,” he snorted.
She laughed. “So what am I supposed to call you? Luca or Sonny?”
He quirked his eyebrow at her. “You can call me whatever you want to.” Then he laughed along with her.
“You’re not flirting with me, are you?” she giggled.
“Maybe.”
Her smile faded and he felt the temperature between them drop a few degrees. She looked away and he wondered what he’d done wrong, but was afraid to ask.
He cleared his throat—then changed the subject. “We never picked a movie.” He reached for the TV remote.
“Maybe I should go and let you rest.” She glanced at him uncertainly.
“No! Come on . . . we’re going to pick out a movie and then you’re going to help me get rid of some of these leftovers.” He decided to play dumb, as if he didn’t notice her discomfort. “I have a huge hunk of Drake’s birthday cake in there. Don’t you want birthday cake?”
“Well . . . I do love birthday cake. There’s something about that overly sweet frosting.”
“Okay then . . .” Sonny turned on the TV and scrolled through the guide to the pay-per-view channels. “Now I told you that you could pick and everything , but remember, I’m a sick man and I just don’t know if I could handle a chick flick.”
Gracie snickered. “I can’t believe you just played the ‘sick man’ card. So much for letting me decide. Here . . . give me that.” She snatched the remote out of his hand. “Oh, look! Bride Wars !”
Sonny made a choking sound as she smiled serenely at him.
“ Let’s see what’s on the classic movie channels first. No extra charge to watch those. Ooh! Gaslight . Have you seen it?” He shook his head. “You’ll like it. Charles Boyer tries to make Ingrid Bergman think she’s crazy. But why? That’s the question,” she teased. “It starts in thirty minutes.”
Sonny took the remote back from her. “ You and Meg would get along great. She loves classic movies.”
Gracie stood up. “This gives us plenty of time to get our dinner heated up.” She walked around the corner and started piling containers from the refrigerator onto the dining table. As she opened them, she called out the contents . . . “Lasagna—oh my gosh, that looks good . . . meatloaf . . . Ooh—fried chicken . . . homemade deep dish pizza . . . this is—oh! Breakfast casserole . . . green bean casserole . . . mashed potatoes . . . oh, here’s the birthday cake—how cute . . . dinner rolls . . . gravy . . .” She took a deep breath and looked over at him as she finished. “What sounds good, Luca?”
“It’s all good. What do you want? You get first dibs.”
“I’m thinking I’ll go for the lasagna,” she answered. “But there’s plenty for both us, if you want some too.”
“An excellent choice. There should still be some salad in a bag in the crisper too.”
“Oh! Thanks. What’ll you have?”
“I think I feel like a meatloaf sandwich. The bread box is on the far end of the kitchen counter.”
“That’s all? You need more than a sandwich.”
“Okay, Nurse Gracie,” he grinned at her. “Would you mind heating up some of the green beans and mashed potatoes with gravy?”
“No problem.”
She bustled around, fixing their plates, and brought them in just in time for the movie to start. They filled up on the leftovers, then birthday cake. By the time the movie was over she’d cleaned up the dinner mess, switched out his ice pack and it was time to go home.
Sonny couldn’t believe how empty his apartment felt after she was gone. It had been a good day. Later that night, just before he drifted off to sleep, he realized she’d learned all about his life today —even met some of his friends. And he knew no more about her than he had before she had come over. She seemed to
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