What's Cooking? by Sherryl Woods Page A
Authors: Sherryl Woods
Tags: United States, Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, series, Contemporary Fiction, Harlequin Special Edition
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he'd switched the angel-hair pasta for a denser penne that would hold up to the chunky, flavorful sauce. It was a lesson he'd learned from a famous Tuscan chef. Not all pastas were created equal, and the selection could make all the difference in the success of a meal.
Maggie eyed the bowl in front of her with surprise as Rick grated fresh parmesan cheese over the top. He couldn't fault the quality of the ingredients in her pantry. Even though she'd just arrived a few days ago, she'd brought in only the best.
"This looks fabulous," she admitted. "Smells good, too."
"You sound shocked. It's just pasta."
She laughed. "There's no such thing as just pasta to an Italian. This is the food of the gods."
"The Italian bit slipped my mind for a minute," he
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said. "I was more panicked about performing to the high standards of the food editor."
She tasted her first bite, then sighed. "Not to worry. You passed with flying colors for both the Italian and the food editor. Even my father would be impressed, and he's a tough critic. He doesn't think anyone on earth cooks Italian the way his mama did, though it never stopped him from trying to teach all of us. To his regret, Ashley showed absolutely no interest. Melanie can barely boil water, and Jo likes to take shortcuts that make him insane. I'm the only one who took what he said to heart."
"I'll have to cook for him sometime, then."
"Sure you won't suffer from performance anxiety?" she teased.
"Performing for you is the only thing that ever makes me anxious," he responded. He gazed into her eyes. "I want to get it right, Maggie. I really do."
She swallowed hard, her gaze locked with his. "Are we still talking about cooking?"
He shook his head. "Not entirely."
A surprising hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "You brought sex up first," she gloated. "And after accusing me of wanting to talk things to death."
Rick sighed. "My mistake. Let's discuss what we're going to do tomorrow."
Maggie looked far more shaken than the suggestion warranted.
"Something wrong with that?" he asked.
"You're not leaving?"
"No, not as long as you're here."
"You said you'd only be here a few days," she said, sounding a little panicky.
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WHAT'S COOKING?
He shrugged. "I assumed you'd only be here a few days."
"Well, I'm not. I'm here indefinitely," she said with a note of belligerence.
"Then I guess I am, too," Rick replied. That was the blessing of a career in which he made his own schedule. He might have to call his agent eventually and shuffle a few assignments, but he could manage to stay for however long Maggie did.
"Why?"
"I think we've established that," he reminded her. "I intend to get to know you."
"Outside of bed?" she asked skeptically.
He laughed, even though he could see that to her it wasn't a joking matter. "And in."
Unfortunately, there was no spark of amusement in Maggie's eyes. Obviously she was in no mood to be taunted.
"Okay," he relented. "It's more than that, but I'm not sure I can explain it, Maggie. I have no idea what you expect me to say."
"To be honest, I don't know what I want you to say, either," she admitted, gazing at him plaintively. "Do you think we could spend an entire week together here without sex?"
He gave her a horrified look. "Why would we want to?"
"Because sex is not the only thing that counts in a relationship. People have to be able to communicate in other ways, too. They have to have things in common, enjoy spending time together."
He could see she was totally serious. When he recalled what she'd told him at the beginning, that she'd
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SHERRYL WOODS63
taken a break from all relationships, it finally dawned on him why she was so gun-shy about the way things were between them. "Is that what happened to your other relationships, Maggie? They cooled down and then they died? Did that convince you that the only thing you were any good at was sex?"
She seemed startled by the question. "Where did you come up with that idea?" she
Maggie eyed the bowl in front of her with surprise as Rick grated fresh parmesan cheese over the top. He couldn't fault the quality of the ingredients in her pantry. Even though she'd just arrived a few days ago, she'd brought in only the best.
"This looks fabulous," she admitted. "Smells good, too."
"You sound shocked. It's just pasta."
She laughed. "There's no such thing as just pasta to an Italian. This is the food of the gods."
"The Italian bit slipped my mind for a minute," he
61 61
said. "I was more panicked about performing to the high standards of the food editor."
She tasted her first bite, then sighed. "Not to worry. You passed with flying colors for both the Italian and the food editor. Even my father would be impressed, and he's a tough critic. He doesn't think anyone on earth cooks Italian the way his mama did, though it never stopped him from trying to teach all of us. To his regret, Ashley showed absolutely no interest. Melanie can barely boil water, and Jo likes to take shortcuts that make him insane. I'm the only one who took what he said to heart."
"I'll have to cook for him sometime, then."
"Sure you won't suffer from performance anxiety?" she teased.
"Performing for you is the only thing that ever makes me anxious," he responded. He gazed into her eyes. "I want to get it right, Maggie. I really do."
She swallowed hard, her gaze locked with his. "Are we still talking about cooking?"
He shook his head. "Not entirely."
A surprising hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "You brought sex up first," she gloated. "And after accusing me of wanting to talk things to death."
Rick sighed. "My mistake. Let's discuss what we're going to do tomorrow."
Maggie looked far more shaken than the suggestion warranted.
"Something wrong with that?" he asked.
"You're not leaving?"
"No, not as long as you're here."
"You said you'd only be here a few days," she said, sounding a little panicky.
62
WHAT'S COOKING?
He shrugged. "I assumed you'd only be here a few days."
"Well, I'm not. I'm here indefinitely," she said with a note of belligerence.
"Then I guess I am, too," Rick replied. That was the blessing of a career in which he made his own schedule. He might have to call his agent eventually and shuffle a few assignments, but he could manage to stay for however long Maggie did.
"Why?"
"I think we've established that," he reminded her. "I intend to get to know you."
"Outside of bed?" she asked skeptically.
He laughed, even though he could see that to her it wasn't a joking matter. "And in."
Unfortunately, there was no spark of amusement in Maggie's eyes. Obviously she was in no mood to be taunted.
"Okay," he relented. "It's more than that, but I'm not sure I can explain it, Maggie. I have no idea what you expect me to say."
"To be honest, I don't know what I want you to say, either," she admitted, gazing at him plaintively. "Do you think we could spend an entire week together here without sex?"
He gave her a horrified look. "Why would we want to?"
"Because sex is not the only thing that counts in a relationship. People have to be able to communicate in other ways, too. They have to have things in common, enjoy spending time together."
He could see she was totally serious. When he recalled what she'd told him at the beginning, that she'd
63 I
SHERRYL WOODS63
taken a break from all relationships, it finally dawned on him why she was so gun-shy about the way things were between them. "Is that what happened to your other relationships, Maggie? They cooled down and then they died? Did that convince you that the only thing you were any good at was sex?"
She seemed startled by the question. "Where did you come up with that idea?" she
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