It was intoxicating.
When we made it into the kitchen I had to wake myself up and pay attention to what I was doing. I opened my fridge and stuck my head inside to take my mind off of those tiny clothes on her distracting body. I cleared my throat to clear my thoughts and rooted around until I started to pull things out. She leaned her chin on my back as I was stooped over and I felt heat as it rushed through my body.
"What are you making?" She asked as she peered at the ingredients.
"Beef Ragu."
"Oooh I don't think I've ever had that before," she nodded and looked impressed. "Can I help?"
"Sure. Wash your hands first."
We both walked over to the sink and washed our hands underneath the warm water. Our hands shifted against each other and we both glanced away. We quickly dried them off and started working on cooking.
"What do you need me to do?" She asked.
"If you can cut the vegetables I can cut the meat and then we can get started on the cooking part."
"Yes chef," she smiled.
I shook my head. We worked together well in the kitchen. Usually, I was the type that liked to cook on my own. Having someone else underfoot usually just irritated me and made the cooking process longer and more stressful. Not with Joanne. She moved around the kitchen like she'd been there since I moved in and knew exactly where everything was. She only stopped to ask a question or two when she couldn't find anything. I loved that independent side of her.
"Now what?" She asked as she carried over her veggies.
"Now we cook."
I pulled out a large pot and put it on the
stove before I added the olive oil. We worked together to get the ingredients in before I opened a bottle of wine and added some to the pot. We covered it and I started to clean up right away.
"You're much more organized than you used to be," Joanne grinned. "Remember the morning we made pancakes and there was batter all over the kitchen?"
I winced. "My mom was so pissed at me. I swear if looks could kill I would have been buried and gone years ago."
"We really were a handful as kids. I guess I could see why our parents were so stressed out all of the time," she said as she frowned and took a dish from me and dried it.
"Are you thinking about your mom?" I asked.
She glanced up at me and nodded softly. "Is that weird? I mean all she did was make my life crazy miserable. I didn't think I missed her, but sometimes I wish we could have had a normal relationship. Now that's not possible."
I grabbed a wine glass and poured her one full of red wine. She took it and gave me a grateful look before she sipped it and seemed to relax. I poured one for myself and wrapped an arm around her. She quickly buried her face against my body and I stroked her back and let her cry.
"I'm okay," she said after a while as she came up for air and wiped her tears away quickly. "Being back here just brought up a lot of memories that I'd forgotten all about."
"Maybe that's a good thing," I said quietly as I ran a thumb underneath her eye and wiped away a tear. "Maybe you needed to be reminded of home."
We stared at each other and I felt that connection draw us closer. My eyes focused in on her lips and I desperately wanted a taste. We both jumped a little when the alarm on my phone sounded. I laughed and Joanne shook her head.
"Okay, what's next?" She asked, ready to roll up her sleeves and get back to work.
"Now we stir it and leave it be for a little while."
"Easy enough," she said as she gave it a stir.
I let her do that and put some music on my phone to help bring up her mood. I knew her mother still weighed heavily on her mind and I wanted her to have an escape. Even if it was just dancing in my kitchen. Joanne turned around as the music started and I held my hand out to her.
"Care to dance?" I asked as I lifted a brow.
She grinned. "You know me too well."