Sweet and Sexy

by Jeff Adams

  “This is a lot of menu,” I said. “Almost too much.”

  “Yeah,” Ben said.

  “I wanna give it a go,” Matty said. “What do you guys think?”

  We nodded. I studied the menu closer.

  Matty got adventurous and custom built his with cheddar, pepper jack, chilies, bacon, and tomatoes. I got a Carnegie, which had jack and cheddar cheese plus chicken-apple sausage. Ben also selected a combo—the Oakmont, featuring parmesan and gruyère alongside spinach, shallots and zucchini. Sam was clearly having an impact on him. I wasn’t used to him ordering anything that didn’t have some kind of meat in it.

  We took a seat on some benches nearby since the guy who took our order said it would be a few minutes.

  “How’d it go with Pastor Stein?” Ben asked while we waited.

  “Really good. Short story is we’re getting married there. Plus, I think I’ll be going there more often with Leo.”

  I put my arm across his shoulders as we sat. I was thrilled with this outcome. I knew Pastor Stein would help him figure things out, even if that meant not getting married there. Matty certainly seemed more relaxed since the meeting, and that was the best part.

  “Great. Mom must be thrilled.”

  “She might have been happier with that news than the engagement itself,” I said. “She’s in full out planning mode, which scares me a little.”

  “It should. Sam’s a little overwhelmed with the number of suggestions coming at us. It’s not that Mom’s actually making arrangements, but she’s throwing out ideas about everything, and it comes in bits and pieces. An email about flowers. A text about who could cater. A twenty-minute call about colors. It’s crazy.”

  “Now we know what we have to look forward to,” Matty said, snuggling into my side.

  “Maybe if we put our date in front of theirs, she’d stay focused on them and ignore us,” I said.

  “Don’t you dare. You should be helping to take some of the attention off us.”

  “Why?” I said, deliberately trying to get a rise out of him. “You’re the youngest, if anyone’s going to take the full brunt of Mom, it should be you.”

  “You’re bad,” Matty said, slapping me on the knee.

  “Thank you,” Ben said directly to Matty.

  We got a reprieve from the fake fighting when our orders were called. We gathered up the steaming cardboard containers, which were nearly overflowing with mac and cheese, as well as the sodas. Clustered back at the benches, we dug in.

  After a few bites, Matty and I looked at each other.

  “What we make is definitely better. The cheese is kinda grainy and in some cases not melted well.” Matty held up his fork showing some cheese that wasn’t as smooth as it should be. “The bacon should be crisper, too.”

  “Yeah, the cheese consistency is a definite problem,” I said. “I don’t think this is fresh pasta either.”

  Matty studied it. “I can’t tell for sure.”

  “When did you guys become mac and cheese snobs?” Ben asked, shoveling the food in his mouth. “This is okay.”

  “It’s okay,” Matty said before turning to me. “We need to have him over and he’d understand. Or, we take him to Kelly’s which has the best mac in the city as far as I’m concerned.”

  Ben scrunched up his face. “Clump of unmelted cheese, not okay.” He pushed the offending cheese to the side of the container.

  If we were in a cartoon, this would’ve been the moment that a light bulb appeared over my head.

  “You know, you love to cook so much, what if you did something with that?” I looked over at Matty to catch his reaction.

  “That would be a huge change,” Ben said, shifting his mac around in the container, probably on the lookout for more cheese clumps.

  Matty looked thoughtful, possibly envisioning himself as a chef.

  “I wasn’t even thinking that far outside the box. But, I’ve got no real cooking training.”

  “I’m not sure the guy in that truck has training, either,” Ben said, before taking another bite.

  “Do you think I could?” Matty was focused on me. The glint in his eye said he was actually considering the idea. “I mean that’s…I don’t know.”

  “Why not?”

  “Seems like such a waste. I’m an architect. I’ve invested a lot of time and money in that.”

  I smiled at Matty as he continued to think. “It’s not like you have to figure this out right now. But why not explore it? The excitement on your face when I mentioned it was awesome.”

  “I’ll do it,” he said, nodding. “Think about it, I mean.” He took another bite from his dish and frowned. “Come on,” he said as he tossed his mac into the trash.

  “What?” Ben asked. “I just got this mixed right.”

  Matty took the dishes from Ben and me and dumped them, leaving us with only beverages.

  “We’re going to our place and I’ll feed us right.” Matty was on a mission. “Everyone meet at our house. I’ve got to make a quick stop at the store.”

  Ben looked dumbfounded but nodded in agreement. Matty gave me a kiss and took off. We’d all come in different cars, so we’d be splitting up for the trip.

  “See you there,” Ben said as he peeled off to get his car.

  I had no idea how we’d pull this off if Matty went this direction. What did it even take to run a food truck? Would he work in a restaurant instead? I tried to shake all the questions out of my brain. We’d figure out the answers later.

  Chapter 16: Matt

  “I’m so proud of you,” Leo said as he came in from the bathroom, toweling off after his shower. “Have I told you that today?”

  My face heated, signaling that I was turning red. That didn’t happen often, but it’d been a great day and I guessed I was still taking it in.

  I smiled, watching Leo move around the room as he put on his boxers and T-shirt. I was already in bed and reading a book about food truck ownership when he came in.

  “Thanks,” I said. “I was kinda terrified this morning, but it all turned out.”

  “I’d say it more than turned out. I’ve been going to church potlucks for years and I’ve never heard anyone get raves over a dish quite like you did. I fear you’ve raised the bar for everyone else, not to mention you’ll always be expected to bring something as tasty as that.”

  The day had been full of firsts. It was the first non-holiday that I went to church with Leo where I didn’t feel awkward. Pastor Stein was welcoming, of course, but took time during the potluck to seek me out to see how I was doing. It was unnecessary, but totally nice.

  The potluck was the big deal. I’d wanted to try out some food with people who weren’t in our immediate circle of friends and family. Leo suggested the idea. He helped me put together a couple of crock pots of mac and cheese. I did two versions. One was a kid-friendly cheddar and bacon. The other had parmesan, gruyère, ham and onion. The cheese sauce was carefully blended and the pasta homemade for both.

  I heard from at least half of the congregation about how much they enjoyed the dishes. My initial hesitation over bringing the food was replaced with pride over the compliments. It wasn’t like there weren’t many other great dishes. I had some delicious pulled pork and some mashed potatoes that I wanted the recipe for.

  I put my book aside as Leo flopped down next to me, still on top of the covers because he had a few more things to do in the bathroom.

  “How’s your research coming?” he asked.

  “A food truck is doable. And it wouldn’t wipe out our savings, either, which I think would happen if I tried to start a restaurant. There’s minimal startup cost, plus it would mean I could truly work any hours I wanted. I could also take on a person if I needed to, but the staffing would have to stay low since there wouldn’t be that much room.”

  “Cool. I’d be happy to help out, especially in the off-season.”

  “I’d love to have you with me.” I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and dr
ew him closer. “It’d be work, but I bet it’d be fun, too.”

  “No doubt. Hanging out with you in a confined space, bumping against you.”

  He winked at me and I chuckled, ruffling his hair.

  “Have you thought about how to keep up the quality?” Leo asked, nuzzling his head against my hand so I’d keep massaging his scalp. “You don’t want to have issues like Mac Attack.”

  “Yeah. I mean, some of it’s easy, like make all the pasta that morning. It’d add to morning prep time, but it’d be doable. It might mean there are days I’d close early because I sold out. I’d also have fewer things on the menu, so I’d have more control over the product. That truck had so much stuff, it must’ve been a challenge to get it out quick and good. I’m thinking just a few dishes available, some consistent and some that would change daily.”

  Leo rolled off the bed, talking as he did the rest of his bedtime prep. “Good idea. I was shocked there were so many choices available, especially with only one person working. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if he’d had a line.”

  “Exactly. I want to avoid that scenario.”

  He leaned against the bathroom door as he brushed his teeth. “Any idea when you might get this off the ground?”

  “I’m thinking spring as the weather gets warmer. That gives me time to get a truck and get familiar with it, do the legal stuff, and work on recipes.”

  Leo nodded, and ducked back into the bathroom.

  “I was thinking,” I said, loud enough so he’d hear me, “to launch no later than the first week of April, and then we get married in July once your season’s done. I’d work to get the truck established while you’re busy keeping the team healthy. Then we’d take a week or so off after the wedding and come back and hit it hard the rest of the year.”

  “Did you just set a date?” Leo said, charging into the room and jumping onto the bed.

  I nodded and grinned. I’d been thinking it, and it seemed a good time to tell him.

  “Not so much a date as a month, but yeah. It’s at least a suggestion.”

  “I like it. That means we’re less than six months away from being husbands.”

  He leaned down and gave me possibly the best kiss I’d ever had, soft, sweet, passionate.

  Waves of happiness flowed over me as another part of the wedding puzzle fell into place.

  “I like it, too,” I said with his lips still on mine.

  He got under the covers and draped himself over me.

  “Thank you,” I said after he settled in, “for being so great while I worked all this stuff out, with the job, wedding, and everything else.”

  “You’re about to be my husband, of course I’m not going to make you do something you’re not cool with.”

  “Just one of the many reasons why I love you so much,” I said as I rolled myself on top of Leo. “From the very beginning you’ve been one of the most supportive people I know.”

  I kissed him and he kissed me, and several more minutes of kissing followed.

  “Maybe the truck could help cater the wedding?” Leo said during a pause in the kisses.

  “Wouldn’t it be weird to cater our own wedding?” I resumed the kissing, speaking between each smooch.

  “I’ve heard of bakers making their own cake. And I’m not saying it’d be all truck food, but maybe some of your food could be there to let people sample it if they hadn’t already.”

  I thought as Leo peppered kisses on my neck and shoulders.

  “Maybe. Depends on if there’s staff besides us at that point. I don’t want to spend the entire reception making food.”

  “We’ll figure it out, along with the zillion other things that need to be done.” Leo said, bringing his lips back to mine.

  “Are you sure we can’t just go to the courthouse?” I asked, mostly kidding.

  He pulled back and gave me a faux scowl. “I know you’re kidding, but that’s still a mean thing to say after you’ve given your man the promise of a church wedding.”

  This time I kissed his forehead, as if to comfort a fearful child.

  “What do you want to wear?” Leo asked.

  That came out of nowhere.

  “You know I hate figuring out what to wear,” I said.

  I was most comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt because that was easy. I’d carefully sorted my work clothes so I knew exactly what looked good together and I didn’t have to think about it too much each day.

  “Exactly why we should figure it out sooner,” he said with an unrelenting enthusiasm. “Remember the Penguins benefit we went to at the Fairmont a couple years ago? That tux was amazing.”

  “You were pretty dashing yourself that night.”

  I remembered it well, especially the after party in this very room, where we slowly got each other out of those tuxes. We paid extra when we returned them because we’d torn some things in our passion.

  “We can go with tuxes, for sure,” I continued. “I kinda assumed that’s what it would be.”

  “What if we had them custom made?” Leo asked. “Something fitted for us. We’d have them forever and since we do something formal at least once a year we could save money long term. And,” he said, locking his eyes on mine, “sometimes we could put them on just so we can take them off.”

  Obviously that after party had stuck with him, too.

  “Yes, and that.” I grinned and hugged him close.

  “We’re bad,” Leo said. “Thinking of ways to molest our formal wear.”

  “I don’t think that’s bad at all.”

  “Oh, and, and…” Leo was practically bouncing in my arms over whatever he’d come up with. “Can we do a custom cake topper that’s actually us in those tuxes? I wouldn’t want it to cost too crazy much, but if it’s reasonable that would be so cool. Then it’d be something we can keep on a bookshelf as a reminder.”

  I nodded. No way was I going to disagree with an idea that got him as excited as he was.

  “We’re not going to have anything left for your mom to figure out if we keep going,” I said.

  “Oh don’t worry, there’s an endless number of arrangements to make. We’ve only knocked down a couple.”

  Leo yawned, which forced me to. The day finally caught up to us.

  “It’s going to be a long few months, isn’t it?”

  Leo moved to his side table and turned off the light.

  “Not really. With Ben getting married in March, Mom’s got to focus on that one first. That’ll narrow the window down on how much time she can work on ours.”

  “It’s going to be awesome, no matter what.”

  I pulled him close as we settled in. He nestled into his usual spot with his head in the crook of my arm and his arm draped over my chest. I had no doubt everything was going to be incredible.

  Chapter 17: Leo

  Five Months Later

  “What’s going on in your head?” I asked Matty as we slow danced at our reception. “I can tell you’re happy, but your eyes say you’re thinking really hard.”

  “It’s surprising. Everyone said it would happen and I didn’t believe it. There’s really something that happens when you say ‘I Do.’ It’s like a switch tripped inside me and I love you even more than I thought possible.”

  I kissed Matty gently, nothing too crazy since we were surrounded by friends and family.

  “I felt it, too. It’s weird that there could be more after ten years, but it’s there.”

  He suddenly dipped me. Luckily I recognized his lead up to the dip so I could do my part and not get all clumsy. He followed up with a spin out and a spin back. The lessons we took paid off, and I loved dancing confidently with him. Hopefully we’ll do this a lot more in the future.

  “Okay, that was a total show-off move,” Simon said, coming onto the floor with Alex. “I would be in so much trouble if I tried to do that with him.”

  “It’s true,” Alex said as he and Simon started to sway next to us. “I like to stay upr
ight.”

  “Matty,” Simon said, “the food, especially yours, is outstanding. Those mac and cheese nuggets are out of this world. I almost took the tray from the waiter.”

  Matty catered some of the food. I don’t know how he pulled that off as gracefully as he did. I was a nervous wreck over the past week, hoping everything would turn out and that people would have a good time. Somehow he put together three dishes to serve. He worked with the caterers to integrate his items into the rest of the food.

  “Maybe this is the way we get you guys back down here,” I said. “Bribe you with food. You’ve been in Michigan way too long.”

  I shouldn’t have been surprised that our moms walked purposefully across the room to us. It felt like they’d been joined at the hip for about six weeks, leading the charge to make today happen smoothly. They often came after us together when it was time to do something.

  “We should do the toasts and the cake cutting,” my mom said.

  “Yes,” Matty’s mom added, “that way everyone can relax and have a good time the rest of the evening.”

  “Okay,” Matty said. “Are we ready?”

  Matty looked at Simon more than me. I guess he knew I was ready, but since Simon was speaking he needed to be ready.

  “Let’s do it,” Simon said, pulling a paper out of his jacket pocket as we headed toward the cake, which was placed on a table near the stage where the band played.

  “Nothing embarrassing, right?” I asked. Simon knew way too much about me, so it was a reasonable question. His only response was to give me a look like I was crazy. “All right, I trust you.”

  Alex stayed at the edge of the crowd as Simon, Matty, and I got into place around the cake. A waiter brought us each a glass of champagne while another set out a huge knife and plates.

  Simon watched as a few more glasses of champagne were distributed. I wrapped my hand around Matty’s as Simon looked to us and gave a nod. He picked up the large knife and tapped it against his glass, getting everyone’s attention. Simon hadn’t said a word and I already had goosebumps. I knew he was going to say all the right things. It’s what he did, but I was still overwhelmed with anticipation.