“All better. Now why don’t you finish getting dressed and you can come and have something to eat with me and Jasper?”
“No. I don’t want to intrude, but thank you,” I said.
“You’re not intruding. I want to hear all about you, about what you do, about America. Of course, all that chatter will drive Jasper crazy. That is a bonus in my book. It’s good for him to sit and listen to others talk instead of him barking orders all the time,” Reesa said.
I didn’t think she would let me out of dinner any more than she did with her playing nurse. Nodding, I replied, “I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”
Reesa smiled and said, “I’ll go and heat it up. I can’t wait to see Jasper’s face when he knows you’re joining us.”
Me neither. They say ‘three’s a crowd’ for a reason. Apparently Reesa hadn’t heard that one.
I didn’t want to wear slacks again because they’d irritated my stitches, so I pulled on a slip-on dress. It fit loosely and more importantly; it was super comfortable. Then I brushed my hair and applied a little blush and lipstick. Not that I was trying to impress anyone, but I didn’t have to look dreadful, either. The finishing touch to my ensemble was my earpiece. I didn’t think we would be learning too much tonight, but I wanted to be ready just in case.
“Testing.”
“Loud and clear,” Burke said.
Now I was ready for dinner.
When I entered the kitchen, Jasper rose from his seat and pulled out a chair for me. I sat down, trying not to meet anyone eyes.
“See, Jasper, I told you she would come,” Reesa said. “And I didn’t even tell her it wasn’t your cooking.”
“For the record, Reesa, she’s never had my cooking,” Jasper replied. “How are you feeling, Alysa?”
I turned to him and said, “Better now that I’ve rested. And thank you for locating my bag of medical supplies. I can’t believe it forgot it in your SUV.” At that point all I had wanted was to go lie down. That bumpy ride had set me back a bit. Turning to Reesa I said, “And to you for patching me up.”
“No problem. Jasper was going to do it, but I figured you might prefer it a woman’s touch. Jasper’s not what I’d call delicate. I mean, just look at his hands. They are huge, just like his feet.”
What else is huge?I blushed even thinking about it. Didn’t Reesa realize what she was saying? Jasper didn’t seem bothered by it either. Maybe it was an American joke, big hands, big feet, big cock. I’m sure Burke was chuckling at the conversation as well. Not the intel we’re looking for. And yet I mentally filed that away.
“I’m sure tomorrow I will be able to manage on my own,” I said.
Reesa portioned out what looked like a lamb dish with a green sauce. “I made this on the mild side, not knowing if you liked spicy food or not. It’s also one of Jasper’s favorites.”
“Anything will be better than the hospital food,” Jasper said.
“Not your cooking,” Reesa teased. I saw Jasper shoot her a warning look. She turned to me and said softly, “He’s sensitive about it, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” I said.
“Did you want to end up at the hospital again? Because his cooking isn’t fit for human consumption. One time he made me a rice dish and I was sick for days.”
“It wasn’t my food that made you ill. But you were too stubborn to go to the doctor to hear that for yourself,” Jasper said as he took a bite of his food.
I did the same. It was still a bit on the spicy side, but I could handle this amount of heat. I had no idea what it would have been like if Reesa had made it full strength. “This is very good.”
Jasper sighed. “You had to tell her that? She will never let me hear the end of it now.”
Reesa giggled. “You’re right. I shall remind you of this moment frequently.”
I hated to admit it, but I liked Reesa. She was laid back and funny. Not someone I’d have thought Jasper would go for. He’s so…serious. But they do say opposites attract. But God, they would make beautiful children. I feel like I’m at a table with two models.
“If you’d like, I can cook tomorrow too and we can all have dinner together again?” Reesa offered.
Jasper snapped, “No. I allowed you to come tonight because you wanted to meet Alysa. Now you have.”
Reesa didn’t even flinch at his comment and said, “Yes, I met her, but this isn’t getting to know her. Besides, didn’t you say you had a meeting in town tomorrow?”