She didn’t expect Henry to sit, but he did. June glanced at him. Freshly showered at eleven o’clock at night. He wore different clothes, his hair was still wet and looked to be finger combed. She wanted to ask where he’d spent his day and night. She didn’t. It wouldn’t do any good to ask. What if he told her he’d been with Stacey? What was she going to do about it? She’d promised herself to give Henry a welcoming home. And that’s what she’d do. He could come in and out anytime and she wouldn’t nag him. “Did you eat dinner? I can fix you something.”
“Real dinner?”
“Uhm, yes. You know, chopped onions, zucchini, mushrooms. Fresh veggies and jumbo shrimp stir-fried in a pan.”
“Sounds good.”
“Heck, it tastes good too.”
His mouth curved into an unconscious smile. “All right. It looks like we’re having a late dinner. Did you eat?”
“I’ve been eating non-stop. So don’t be surprised if you come home one day and see a cow walking in here. It’s just me.”
Henry laughed. “Thanks for the warning. What happened to the presents?”
“Most of them are stored in the garage. By the way…” She took a notepad from the drawer and put it on the counter. “We have five woks, six crockpots, a dozen bed sets, twenty-two bathroom sets… I didn’t write the number of utensil and awesome-looking paintings. Some are already hanging on the walls. Money, gift cards, trips here and there, baby clothes in different sizes and three cribs. One is in my room, the other in the nursery, the third is in the living room.” June flipped the paper. “And more stuff. I listed all of them if you want to see.”
“You opened all of the presents?”
“With help. Mom and Dad, Vi and Craig all came.”
Henry looked at her belly then nodded. “Craig was here too, huh?”
“Yeah. He wouldn’t miss the gift-opening for the world.”
“You and Craig are real tight.”
“Yup. He’s such a dear. Although, sometimes he can be so annoying.”
“How?”
“Like today, he called me at least five times asking how I’m doing. He’s like a mother hen, except he’s a guy.” June scooped the fried banana onto a plate lined with brown paper then placed it on the counter.
“He told me he would have married you if you’d asked him. Why didn’t you?”
June snorted. “He’d be miserable married to me. Believe me.”
“But you’d be married to someone who loves you and you love in return.”
“He’s a friend, Henry—an awesome one at that. I’m sure he would marry me, but…”
“But?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure it would be fine if I ended up with him…”
“Another but?”
June shook her head. She opened the drawer and took out a fork and a knife. Without looking at Henry, she placed the utensils in front of him.
“Looks like he wishes you’d picked him. Maybe he thinks he’d be a better husband than me.”
“Maybe. But not in the true sense of the word. He’d take care of me because he’s a friend. By the way, I told Dad and Craig to leave the last crib for you. I thought maybe you’d want to assemble it yourself. We can leave it in the living room, so we can have the baby down here too. Oh and three baby swings. We have those too.”
“The big box in the living room is a crib?”
“Yes. The garage is full of stuff. It looks like a mini department store in there. I don’t even remember signing up for a bridal registry.”
“I’m sure Mom took care of that.”
“Probably. So, how was your night?” The moment the question came out of her mouth, she realized her mistake. Damn it. Why did she have to ask?
“Got a few things done. John and I are acquiring three ships.”
“Wow. You’ve been wanting to own a ship, now you’re buying three. Wishes do come true.” She placed the plate on the counter.
“Life is full of surprises.” Henry picked up his fork then speared a banana to put on his plate. “Looks good.”
“Bananas are hot. Don’t burn your mouth.” She took the sugar shaker and gave it a good shake. “Tell me when.” The bananas were practically covered in white powder before Henry told her to stop. She laughed. “You’re worse than my dad.” She was about to turn off the burner when a sharp pain from her lower abdomen made her stop. “Oh, God. Ow.”
Henry left his chair in a hurry. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Goddamn it, June. Sit. Were you on your feet all day?”
“No. Mom would have had a cow if I had been. I’ll be fine in a few minutes. This happens.” Sweat began to drip down her back. She lowered her head and wished for the pain to go away. Oh, please. Stop. Maybe her pain was normal for a pregnant woman. Still. She needed to see her doctor soon. Tomorrow she’d call Doctor Sanders.
“June, maybe you should go to bed.” Henry helped her to a chair.
“I’m fine. By the way, I moved your things in to the blue room. I thought you might like that one.” She quickly changed the topic, away from her condition.
“What about you?”
“I’m occupying the one facing east.
“Is that the arrangement you decided on?”
She didn’t really know what to say. Did she want to share a bed with him? “I assumed that’s what you wanted.”
“Maybe it’s for the best—for now.”
June nodded. “Yeah.”
“Did your parents ask why we’re going to sleep in separate beds?”
“They don’t know. I readied your room after they’d left.”
Henry nodded. “I like your parents.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They adore you.”
“True. Sometimes, though, they smother me with their love.”
“I wouldn’t know what it’s like to be smothered by love.”
“I’m sorry.”
Henry shrugged then went on to slice the banana. “You’re such a good cook.”
“Thank you, but my expertise is not above par for restaurants. Imagine cooking for people. Aside from making and selling awesome food, you get to eat it too.”
“True. Hmm…man, this is good. Who would have thought fried bananas could make you forget just about anything,” he said with a full mouth.
“Good enough to make you forget what I’ve done?”
Henry stopped chewing and stared at her. Dear, oh dear. Why did she have to ask that question and ruin the mood? “Sorry I asked. I know there is nothing I could do to make you forgive me.”
Henry sighed, left his chair then stood in front of her. “You didn’t ruin anything, but you definitely changed my course. Here.” He cupped her chin with his fingers. “You may be an awesome cook, but a messy one. Are you planning on frying your ear too?”
“Why?” she asked breathlessly.
“You have batter on your temple and right ear.”
“Oh, I didn’t know.” She tried to back away.
“Hold still.” He used the napkin to wipe off the batter.
Good Lord. She wanted to touch him back, but balled her fists at her sides instead. Henry, however, wasn’t making the situation easier. He was staring at her the way he had that night at the marina, as if he wanted to kiss her. Then he blinked and the short magical moment disappeared.
“Right now, I don’t want to think about anything that has caused us to be married. Even in war, there is a time when both warring parties take a break. How about we just pretend nothing happened and enjoy your cooking?”
June nodded. “Okay. White rice is done. If you want I can make—” Sharp, shooting pain from her lower back forced her to wince.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just the usual pregnancy discomfort. Fried rice.” Sometimes her pain would only last a few seconds. Right now, though. It felt like her lower back was about to split in half. Oh, no. She didn’t want Henry to see her like this.
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“You sure? We don’t—”
“Fried rice. If it’s okay, you can help prepare what we need for fried rice.”
“Sure.”
As soon as the pain eased, she opened the refrigerator and took out everything that she needed. “When you’re done with your bananas, cut these, please. Here’s the knife. I think you know how to use one.”
“Hell, I’m good with knives.” True to his words, Henry smiled and played with the knife by tossing it in the air and catching it by the handle. “See that?”
“If you drop that, make sure it hits your shoes and not the pretty marble floor.”
“What?” he asked then pretended to drop the knife, making June scream. “Sheez, you scream like an angel.”
“Don’t do that again!” She pinched him on his side.
“Ouch, woman. Damn it. That hurts.”
“Serves you right.” June laughed. “Don’t cut your fingers, please. I don’t want bloodstains on the floor or on this counter,” she teased.
“The floor is more important than my finger? Wow. That’s cold.”
“You’ll heal. The floor is hard to clean. Now, start chopping.”
“Yes, ma’am. Should I cut this whole thing?”
“Sure. I’ll put the rest in the Ziploc bag. That way it’s already chopped if I need some for later.”
It took only a minute before Henry started sniffing and he used his sleeve to wipe his eyes. “Damn. My eyes…”
“Give up the onions and cut the mushrooms. Easier.”
“Gads, you waited until I suffered before telling me that?”
“I’ll work on the veggies.”
She made short work of the fried rice while oil heated in another frying pan for the stir fry. The entire time, she was aware of Henry’s presence in the kitchen, how his arm muscles bulged, and she definitely felt the power that coiled within him as he moved. When he wasn’t glowering at her, his sunny nature was as attractive as his looks. It could be just her imagination, but the kitchen seemed warmer with him in it. She wanted to stand close to him. Sighing, she dropped her ingredients into the frying pan.
“Smells so good.”
“It’s just garlic, onions and bell peppers sautéed in sesame oil.”
“I like to cook also.”
“I know. Chicken alfredo, right?”
“Making fun of my alfredo?”
June laughed. “No. You make really good alfredo. You proved it to me three days in a row.”
Henry narrowed his eyes. “You witch! You pretended you liked my alfredo.”
“What? I said I like your alfredo.”
“Three days in a row? You were probably sick of it, huh?”
“Nope.”
“Whatever. You hurt my feelings already.”
“Sorry.” She wished they could be like this all the time. “Finish your banana while it’s still hot.”
Henry speared half of the fried banana then popped it in his mouth. “Tastes like heaven. Have you had any?”
“Not yet. Later. I’ll enjoy them when I’m sitting down with my feet up.”
“Here, eat one.”
“I don’t want—”
Henry surprised her by feeding her the slice.
“’Hank you. Shhtttill hot.”
“Still hot? Open your mouth and I’ll blow it.”
“Whaa?”
Henry laughed while licking the same fingers that he’d touched her mouth with. He placed a finger under her chin. “Close your mouth while chewing.”
June felt like she was in a dream. Henry was once again the man she’d spent those three wonderful nights with.
“Who taught you how to cook?”
“My mom. Also, I worked at a Chinese restaurant as a waitress. Didn’t I tell you that?”
“No.”
“Well, I did. I befriended the cook and watched him, asked questions. I picked up a few tricks.”
“Nice. You should have asked for his recipes.”
“Recipes are written in his head.”
“Ah. Maybe you should start a business. Like The Taco Trucks.”
“Sure. And I’ll cook and serve food in my bikini like the baristas for the coffee stands.”
Henry’s smile vanished. He narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head. “Over my dead body.” He grabbed her from the waist and tickled her.
“No! Stop! I might pee my pants.”
Immediately, Henry released her. “Pee your pants?”
“Yes. I’m ticklish.”
“I know you are. But why pee your pants?”
“Forget it. It’s a pregnant woman thing.”
“Okay.” Henry frowned. “Really. Pregnant women pee their pants?”
“No! Don’t want to talk about it.”
“All right. Should we have wine with dinner? Oh, wait. No alcohol for you.”
“You can have wine. I put it all in the garage.”
“I’ll look. Don’t go anywhere.” Henry nodded then left the kitchen.
June couldn’t believe they were sharing a meal, laughing as if they’d been good friends forever.
Ten minutes later, Henry reappeared in the kitchen holding two bottles of wine. “Good Lord, you weren’t kidding when you said the garage looked like a department store.”
“Told you. I don’t know what wine to put in the fridge.”
“All right. We have dessert wines here. White Tokaji and yellow Sauternes. They should be treated like white wine. You know, like Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio.”
“Pardon? Speak English, please.”
“Okay. So you’re not a wine aficionado. I guess taking care of the wine issue would be my job. Now. These should be chilled.” Henry placed the bottles in the refrigerator. “When we’re ready to eat, I’ll take them out. Some fortified dessert wines like port or sweet sherry are best with a cellar temperature.”
“Which we don’t have.”
“No. But we have a garage.”
June laughed. “That we do.”
Together, they worked side by side. Each seemed to know what the other needed. When she stopped stirring the fried rice, Henry would take over so she could work on the stir-fry. It didn’t take long before the food was ready and the table set.
“Wow. We’re having dinner at midnight. How about that?” June giggled.
“A midnight dinner instead of a midnight snack. Really cool. But you should be resting, not working this late.” Henry served June with fried rice and the stir-fry.
“Thank you. You don’t mind having dinner this late?”
“Being an internationally minded person, I don’t mind at all. Right now, it’s actually afternoon in the Philippines.”
“Boy, I’m glad my dad doesn’t think like that. Otherwise Mom would be cooking him fried bananas all day long.”
“How do you like this kitchen?”
“Love it. This is the first time I’ve lived away from home. At first, I was kind of scared. But now I’m actually excited. My mind is filled with what to do around here.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
June watched Henry fill his plate with food. “About the earrings, I have them in the box. Let me know when you want them back.”
“Why would I want the earrings back?”
“I thought maybe you rented them or borrowed from your mom.”
“No. I bought them for you. They are yours too.”
“You didn’t have to buy them for me. They look expensive. I’m still working on your present.”
“You don’t have to give me anything.”
“Oh, but I want to. It might take me another month before I can finish it, but you’ll have it.”
“Building something?”
“Don’t ask. Please.”
“Okay.” Henry forked the fried rice. “Do I get to wear it?”
“No.”
“Will it keep me warm?”
“Stop! I hate you.”
Henry laughed. Un
like the way their guests ate at the wedding—slowly, meticulously and picking around the food—Henry ate like a peon who worked hard all day and was really hungry. She supposed if you had over six-foot frame, you’d eat a lot. And Henry drank his wine without swirling it first. He just tipped the glass to his mouth and took a big gulp.
“You eat like my dad, like a starving prisoner,” she teased.
“You eat like a bird, pecking at your food. Are you going to finish that?” He pointed at her plate.
“No. I’m full.” One of the many symptoms of ovarian cancer was loss of appetite. Lately, she’d been eating less. Not good, because she should eat for two.
Henry took her plate. He didn’t bother transferring the rest of her food onto his plate, he just started eating. “So are you planning on going back to work at Bud’s Bait?”
“Not sure. Did I tell you I sold you your bait?”
“What? Come on. I would have remembered you.”
“You were with…someone. It was the first time I saw you.”
“Really.”
“Yes. You looked like a model who had stepped out of a magazine.” June exaggerated her sigh, rested her chin on her palm and looked up at ceiling. “I thought you to be the most handsome man on Earth. And your swagger…” She formed a heart shape with her hands and placed it on her chest, mimicking a heart beating while she batted her lashes at him.
Henry let out a loud laugh. He picked up a pea from the plate and threw it at her.
“Hey! You butt.”
“What? I’m a butt?”
June grinned. She was having such a great time, it was hard to believe he was the same man who had openly showed his anger and had made out with his girlfriend before their wedding was even over.
Henry raised his glass and stared at her over the rim. “Was there a second time?”
June nodded. “I saw you almost every time you walked on the dock. One benefit of working at Bud’s is I can—unintentionally, mind you—watch people walk by without them noticing me, and I hear people talk about stuff—members, husbands cheating with their friend’s wife, or you.”
“Uh-oh. What did you hear about me?”
“Who you are. But most of the things about you I learned from Vivienne.”
“She Googled me or she used Wikipedia?”
June grinned. “No. She got the info from the staff at the club.”
“Before she found out that I’m a jerk.”
The Best of June Page 18